Forestland waste and residue biomass availability in the near term (by 2030) is estimated to be 30.17 million dry tons per year
Summary
Forestland waste and residues represent a significant biomass feedstock source for second generation biofuels, offering near-term availability advantages. These materials include logging residues, small diameter trees, processing residues, and other forest waste totaling approximately 30.17 million dry tons annually. The biomass estimates are derived from the 2023 Billion Ton Report, considering sustainability, economics, and technical feasibility. Forestland biomass is more price-sensitive than agricultural residues, meaning higher selling prices can substantially increase available quantities.
Forestland waste and residues make up an important portion of the biomass feedstock available for 2nd generation biofuels. The primary benefit of utilizing forestland waste and residues as a feedstock is that they are readily available in the near term, but more care is required to avoid causing habitat destruction or long-term soil health issues. Forestland waste and residues are more sensitive to price signals compared to agricultural waste and residue. This means that greater selling prices can significantly increase the amount of biomass available for market.
Figures for biomass availability are sourced from the United States Department of Energy's 2023 Billion Ton Report, which is the fourth edition of the billion ton report that attempts to estimate the amount of biomass available in the United States by taking into account sustainability, economics, and technical feasibility 1 2.
Assumptions
- The 'near term' biomass estimates for agricultural residues are utilized in this analysis. In this regard, near-term is characterized by biomass that is estimated to be available in 2030. The classification of near-term primarily relates to the biomass price point which is shown in table 1.
- Forest land is defined as any land "capable of producing more than 20 cubic feet of solid merchantable wood per acre per year and is not in reserved status" and does not include non-working forests such as national and state parks.
- Analysis of forest land does not include plantations of short rotation woody crops.
- Costing for forest land biomass is defined as the "stumpage" price. This price does not include the cost of delivery and is considered a breakeven price for the growers (i.e. not including grower profit).
- Biomass has to be located within half a mile from a road to be considered recoverable.
- Biomass from fire-focused management is taken from two of the 10 currently marked United States priority investment landscapes (PILs) that were identified in the US Forest Service Wildlife Crisis Strategy (WCS). These areas include 4.4 million acres of forest in Arizona and 2.3 million acres of forest in Central Washington.
Definitions
- Logging residues: includes timber that is left after a conventional timber harvest such as tops, limbs, branches, and any other non-merchantable timber after a harvest.
- Other forest waste: includes fire treatment, land clearing for development, forest restoration
- Small diameter trees: Primarily includes pre-commercial thinning of trees that are less than 11 inches in diameter.
- Processing residues: Byproducts from industrial timber mills
Estimations of forestland waste and residue biomass availability
The total near-term forestland waste and residue biomass availability is estimated to be 30.17 million dry tons per year.
Table 1: Near-term Forestland waste and residue biomass availability
| Category | Feedstock | Quantity (million dry tons/year) | Price ($/ton) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logging Residues | Softwood natural logging residue | 6.66 | $40 |
| Hardwood logging residue | 6.56 | $40 | |
| Mixedwood logging residue | 3.84 | $40 | |
| Softwood planted logging residue | 1.47 | $40 | |
| Other Forest Waste | Human generated forest waste | 7.54 | $50 |
| Small Diameter Trees | Softwood planted | 0.42 | $59 |
| Softwood natural | 1.78 | $59 | |
| Hardwood | 0.81 | $59 | |
| Processing Residues | Hardwood | 0.53 | $54 |
| Softwood | 0.56 | $54 | |
| Total | — | 30.17 | — |
Sources
Footnotes
-
Langholtz, M. H. (Lead). (2024). 2023 Billion-Ton report: An assessment of U.S. renewable carbon resources (ORNL/SPR-2024/3103). Oak Ridge National Laboratory. https://doi.org/10.23720/BT2023/2316165 ↩
-
U.S. Department of Energy. (2023). Billion-Ton 2023 data portal. Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework. https://bioenergykdf.ornl.gov/bt23-data-portal ↩