Transcript WOODY BIOMASS HARVESTING WORKSHOP & EQUIPMENT …

Economics of Biomass Harvest
Dean Current and Dalia Abbas
Woody Biomass Harvesting Workshop and Equipment Demonstration
Grand Marais, MN – August 7, 2006 – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Value of biomass sale
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Profitable sales of biomass for energy
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Ex. Current sales of forest residue
Using biomass sale to lower cost of important
forest operations:
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Brushland harvest for wildlife habitat
Fuel reduction (BUG project) – must be removed
Thinnings to enhance forest productivity
.. sales of biomass may lower cost of treatment
allowing more acres to be treated
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Potential opportunities for loggers
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Residue harvest for biomass may
increase value of sales
Increased brushland harvest
Thinnings
Fuel treatments on National forests
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State and County?
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Current tools being developed
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Cost estimates for different methods of
fuel removal
Cost estimates of brushland harvest
Transport model to allow us to
determine costs of transport of biomass
Estimation of residue available from
logging sales by county and type of
harvest (DNR and UMN study)
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Harvesting options (examples)
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Cut to length
Whole tree harvesting
Shearing and bundling
Shear, forward and chip or grind
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SLASH - BUNDLER
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Cut to length system –
Cost/green ton
Source: Peterson, D. 2005. The real cost of extracting logging residue study. Renewable
Resources Solutions Sept. 05
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Hardwood thinning and Aspen
clearcut – Cost per green ton
Source: Peterson, D. 2005. The real cost of extracting logging residue study. Renewable
Resources Solutions Sept. 05
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Potential equipment –
processing
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Chippers
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Grinders
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Some issues with smaller stems
Handle a wider range of materials
Bundlers
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Create log like bundle, easier to store and
dry – can be left on site
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Bandit 1850 Whole Tree Chipper,
shown with a separate loader
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Chippers and Grinders for Forest
Residue
Source: Mitchell, Dana L. 2005.
Assessment of Current Technologies
for Communition of Forest Residues
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Current and ongoing research
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IATP/USFS Biomass utilization grant (BUG)
 Testing a wide variety of techniques for removing fuel
(demo in afternoon)
USDA - Development of Existing Biomass Resources
through Education for Key Supply Bottlenecks
USFS – Biomass Utilization Grant (BUG)
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IREE Minnesota Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration
Project
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reduce fuels management costs
– Carbon trading
IREE Guidelines for brushland and residue harvest
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Future support
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Continued work on economics of:
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Brushland harvest and guidelines
Residue harvest
Thinnings for biomass
Harvest equipment
Transport model
Estimations of volume available
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Questions?
Dean Current
Center for Integrated Natural Resources and
Agricultural Management (CINRAM
University of Minnesota
[email protected]