Document

Title

Combining biomass harvest and forest fuel reduction in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota
Document Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Michael C. Demchik; Dalia Abbas; Dean Current; Don Arnosti; Myra Theimer; Patty Johnson
Publication Year: 2009

Cataloging Information

Keyword(s):
  • Abies spp.
  • Betula papyrifera
  • biomass
  • coniferous forests
  • cost assessment
  • cover
  • energy
  • fine fuels
  • fire exclusion
  • fire hazard reduction
  • fire management
  • forest management
  • fuel accumulation
  • fuel management
  • harvesting
  • Healthy Forests Restoration Act
  • heavy fuels
  • Lake States
  • litter
  • Minnesota
  • national forests
  • Picea spp.
  • Pinus spp.
  • Populus spp.
  • seedlings
  • snags
  • Superior National Forest
  • woody plants
Topic(s):
Region(s):
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Record Maintained By:
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Record Last Modified: September 20, 2018
FRAMES Record Number: 7542
Tall Timbers Record Number: 23796
TTRS Location Status: In-file
TTRS Call Number: Journals-J
TTRS Abstract Status: Fair use, Okay, Reproduced by permission

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.

Description

ANNOTATION: In this paper the impact of combined biomass/fuel reduction harvests on the pools of forest fuels was analyzed to determine whether biomass harvest reduced the cost of mechanical fuel treatments. Two potential biomass harvest systems were tested in wildland-urban interface areas on the Superior National Forest in Minnesota. Both systems performed similarly in terms of cost and efficiency at harvesting biomass. It was found that the cost of biomass harvest was impacted by site conditions, forwarding distance, the number of units harvested with one machine haul, the number of machines that were hauled, acres harvested, and inclusion of roundwood. Income from the sale of biomass did not cover the costs of harvest and delivery. ABSTRACT: Combining biomass harvest with forest fuel reduction may reduce the costs of fuel treatments. Our objectives were to determine the impact of combined biomass/fuel reduction harvests on the pools of forest fuels and to determine whether biomass harvest reduced the cost of mechanical fuel treatments. We tested two potential biomass harvest systems in wildland-urban interface areas with forest fuel accumulations on the Superior National Forest in Minnesota. Both systems performed similarly in terms of cost and efficiency at harvesting biomass. Overall, the cost of biomass harvest was impacted by site conditions, forwarding distance, the number of units harvested with one machine haul, the number of machines that were hauled, acres harvested, and inclusion of roundwood. Income from the sale of biomass did not cover the costs of harvest and delivery; however, for hauls of less than 100 mi, harvest may reduce the cost of the fuel reduction activity.

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Citation:
Demchik, Michael C.; Abbas, Dalia; Current, Dean; Arnosti, Don; Theimer, Myra; Johnson, Patty. 2009. Combining biomass harvest and forest fuel reduction in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota. Journal of Forestry 107(5):235-241.