Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
NESAF 2014 – Winter Meeting
Resources – Resilience – Renewal – Restoration
Operational & Economic Aspects
of Biomass Harvesting:
“There is No Free Lunch in the Woods”
Jeffrey Benjamin, Associate Professor of Forest Operations
March 25, 2014
Nashua, New Hampshire
“There is no such thing as a free lunch”
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
“There is no such thing as a free lunch”
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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“There is no free lunch in the woods”
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Common Myths
1. Biomass is free from
whole-tree operations
2. Low value equals low cost
3. Size doesn’t matter
4. High risk of 100% removal
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Definitions
For the purposes of this presentation,
woody biomass is comprised of:
• logging residues (tops and limbs),
• otherwise unmerchantable stems, and
• other such woody material harvested
directly from the forest typically for the
purposes of energy production.
(Benjamin 2010. Woody Biomass Retention Guidelines)
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Definitions
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Definitions
• For the purposes of this presentation, woody
biomass is not:
– Total mass of roots, stem, branches, bark and
leaves of all tree and shrub species (live and dead)
in the forest.
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Definitions
• For the purposes of this
presentation, woody biomass is not:
– Stem wood chips for energy facilities.
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Definitions
• Harvest Method: Form of wood brought to roadside.
• Harvest System: Collection of equipment used to carry
out a given harvest method.
– Determines where biomass is located.
• These are independent from silvicultural options like
clearcut, OSR, thinning, etc.
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Common Myths
1. Biomass is free from whole-tree operations
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Whole-Tree (“Mechanical System”)
Eckardt 2007
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Eckardt 2007
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Cut-to-Length (Harvester & Forwarder)
Accumulation Step Required!!!
Eckardt 2007
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Eckardt 2007
Cut-to-Length (“Manual System”)
Accumulation Step Required!!!
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Eckardt 2007
Eckardt 2007
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Roadside Processing and Trucking
• Investigation of chipping
productivity & cost in
progress at UMaine
– ~20-40mins/load
– ~15-25 gal/hr (inc. loader)
– Fixed & Variable Cost???
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Trucking Cost @ $4.40/gal and 4.2 mpg
(Based on discussion with anonymous logging contractor 2014)
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Trucking Cost @ $4.40/gal and 4.2 mpg
(Based on discussion with anonymous logging contractor 2014)
Category
Fuel
Labor
R&M
Payment & Int.
Admin
T.I.L.
Profit
Grand Total
March 25, 2014
Sum of Cost/mile Sum of % of Total
$
1.05
38%
$
0.80
29%
$ $0.13 0.37
13%
$
0.33
12%
$
0.11
4%
$
0.08
3%
$ $0.00 0.03
1%
$ $2.50 2.77
100%
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Trucking Cost @ $4.40/gal and 4.2 mpg
$0.23
Impact of traveling
an extra 20 miles
~$3/ton
$0.00
$2.60
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Common Myths
2. Low value equals low cost
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
BasedonBenjaminetal.2013NJAF30(4)
Production
Analysis: System Comparison
$/Ton
September 9-12, 2012
$/Acre
Benjamin et al. COFE 2012
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Doesthispay?!Let’strya“scrappaper”example.Assume:
Production
Analysis: System Comparison
•$50/tonforS‐Fpulpdelivered&$30/tonforbiomassdelivered
$/Ton
$/Acre
•WholeTreeSystem
• $32/ton+$7/tonfortrucking=$39/ton+chipping
• “effectiveprice”at1/3biomassand2/3pulp=$43/ton
• Losingsituationwithonly$4/tonforchipping,stumpageand
loggerprofit.
•WholeTreeSystem– BiomassOnly….noDelimber
• $21/ton+$7/tonfortrucking=$28/ton+chipping
• 100%biomass=$30/ton
• Doesnotwork…..only$2/tonforstumpage,chipping,and
loggerprofit
September 9-12, 2012
Benjamin et al. COFE 2012
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(Modified from Benjamin et al. 2013 NJAF)
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Common Myths
1. Biomass is free from whole-tree operations
2. Low value equals low cost
3. Size doesn’t matter
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Critical Operations Challenges
•
Material Properties
– Why is it more difficult to handle and process woody biomass compared
to traditional round wood products?
– What effect does stem size have on unit cost of production?
•
Equipment
– What equipment features are important for handling woody biomass?
– Can contractors afford to own & operate specially designed equipment?
•
Policy
– Are “biomass harvest” guidelines needed?
– Do subsidies really help the logging sector of this industry?
Source: Anderson et al. 2002 Chapter 3.2 Integration of energy production into forest management. In: Bioenergy from sustainable forestry: guiding
principles and practice. Dordrecht; Boston; London: Kluwer Academic. p. 67-84.
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Harvest Productivity & Cost Project
• 50% reduction in DBH
means ~67% reduction
in productivity
October 1, 2013
Benjamin and Hiesl 2013 - Operational Costs
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(Hiesl and Benjamin 2013)
Harvest Productivity & Cost Project
• 5cm decrease in DBH
means ~40% reduction
in productivity
October 1, 2013
Benjamin and Hiesl 2013 - Operational Costs
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(Hiesl and Benjamin 2013)
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Common Myths
1. Biomass is free from whole-tree operations
2. Low value equals low cost
3. Size doesn’t matter
4. High risk of 100% removal
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Briedis et al. 2011 NJAF
• Highly variable DWM volumes across 12 sites
• ~480 to 1200 ft3/ac total
• ~ ½ of all DWM was harvest generated (23 to 63%)
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Briedis et al. 2011 NJAF
• Most residue was
concentrated in trails
(16 to 50%) and trail
area represented 15%
of total area.
• Most of FWM was
concentrated in trails
March 25, 2014
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DWM Retention: 8% WT, 53% CTL
~1.5 ton/ac WT, ~5 ton/ac CTL
DWM Location: ~1/3 in the skid trails
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Benjamin et al. 2013 NJAF 30(4)
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Resources‐Resilience‐Renewal‐Restoration
94th Annual Winter Meeting, New England
Society of American Foresters
March 25-27, 2014
3/25/2014, Biomass Panel
Take Home Messages
1. Biomass is NOT free from whole-tree operations
2. Low value DOES NOT equal low cost
3. Size DOES matter
4. A LOW risk of 100% removal
March 25, 2014
Benjamin 2014 NESAF "No Free Lunch"
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Funding for this work was provided by:
• Cooperative Forestry Research Unit
• The Forest Guild
• Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station
• Forest Bioproducts Research Institute
• NSF Grant No. EPS-0554545, NIFA Award No. 201210008-20271, ARS Project No: 1935-41000-082-15A
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