Full Project Title: Compare and contrast predicted biomass available at each of the ten initial landscapes using the Timber Harvest Feasibility Model and the BioSum model

Project Identification Number: WIU2

This research is designed to guide financially sound and ecologically appropriate options for thinning fuels on ten western landscapes and beyond.  

Thinning fuels can mitigate wildfire risk, but what happens to the woody materials removed? Some materials can be sold, which means they could help pay their way out of the forest. The team is exploring mill capacity near the landscapes – how many saw logs, pulp, fuelwood, or other materials could these facilities process, and how would the extra supply affect prices? 

Fuel treatments will also produce materials like small branches. Currently, there is no viable market for very small diameter materials nor some tree species.  

The project is designed to expand markets, a theme that emerged from the Wildfire Crisis Roundtables. The results could enhance or create new markets for small branches and other fine fuels. 

The team will update the Timber Harvest Feasibility Model and use it to quantify and characterize the biomass potentially removed from the ten initial landscapes, given treatment specifications and product demand in and around the landscapes.  

The results will help national forest managers, decision-makers, and others assess the amount and uses of woody materials removed during fuel treatments. 

The researchers will share their findings publicly and with staff on national forests, particularly those in wildfire and timber sales.  

This project was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Provision 40803. This research supports the agency's Wildfire Crisis Strategy.