Waste to Wisdom: Utilizing forest residues for the production of bioenergy and biobased products

Richard Bergman; Michael Berry; Ted Bilek; Tait Bowers; Ivan Eastin; Indroneil Ganguly; Han-Sup Han; Kolby Hirth; Arne Jacobson; Steve Karp; Elaine Oneil; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Francesca Pierobon; Maureen Puettmann; Craig Rawlings; Sevda Alanya Rosenbaum; Kamalakanta Sahoo; Daisuke Sasatani; John Sessions; Cody Sifford; Tom Waddell

Treesearch

Waste to Wisdom: Utilizing forest residues for the production of bioenergy and biobased products

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Richard Bergman, Michael Berry, Ted Bilek, Tait Bowers, Ivan Eastin, Indroneil Ganguly, Han-Sup Han, Kolby Hirth, Arne Jacobson, Steve Karp, Elaine Oneil, Deborah S. Page-Dumroese, Francesca Pierobon, Maureen Puettmann, Craig Rawlings, Sevda Alanya Rosenbaum, Kamalakanta Sahoo, Daisuke Sasatani, John Sessions, Cody Sifford, Tom Waddell

Year:

2018

Type:

Miscellaneous

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Final Report: Biomass Research and Development Initiative Program Award Number DE-EE0006297. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Energy. 65 p.

Download (PDF 1.64 MB)

Download (PDF 1.64 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/57031.pdf

Abstract

Forest residues, including unmerchantable and small-diameter trees, tops, and limbs, produced during thinning and timber harvest operations can be used to produce renewable bioenergy and bioproducts. The more efficient utilization of forest residues could also help offset the high costs of forest restoration activities, fire hazard treatments, post-harvest activities and forest management in general. Forest residues have long been underutilized and treated as waste materials because of their high collection and transportation costs as well as their low market value. While open burning is often employed to dispose of forest residues, this practice generally results in substantial negative economic and environmental impacts, including increased forest management costs and reduced local air quality.

Keywords

forest residues, bioenergy, biobased products, forest restoration

Citation

Bergman, Rick; Berry, Michael; Bilek, E. M. (Ted); Bowers, Tait; Eastin, Ivan; Ganguly, Indroneil; Han, Han-Sup; Hirth, Kolby; Jacobson, Arne; Karp, Steve; Oneil, Elaine; Page-Dumroese, Deborah S.; Pierobon, Francesca; Puettmann, Maureen; Rawlings, Craig; Rosenbaum, Sevda Alanya; Sahoo, Kamalakanta; Sasatani, Daisuke; Sessions, John; Sifford, Cody; Waddell, Tom. 2018. Waste to Wisdom: Utilizing forest residues for the production of bioenergy and biobased products. Final Report: Biomass Research and Development Initiative Program Award Number DE-EE0006297. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Energy. 65 p.