Potential Biomass Volumes From Forest Treatments in the West Bryce Stokes National Program Leader Washington, DC ______ USDA Forest Service R&D

Authors USDA Forest Service Jamie BarbourPNW Edward BilekFPL William ElliotRMRS Dennis FergusonRMRS Jeremy FriedPNW Greg LiknesNCRS Dennis MayNCRS Ron McRoberts NCRS Pat MilesNCRS Sue MillerRMRS Jeff PrestemonSRS Steve ReutebuchPNW Bob RummerSRS Wayne ShepperdRMRS Ken SkogFPL Bryce StokesWO John VissageNCRS University Bruce HartsoughUCD Glen MurphyOSU Partnership with the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition

How much? Where? What kind? Who owns it? Treatment opportunities? Potential yields? Small diameter utilization potential? Costs ? What was needed? A strategic assessment of western forest biomass!

The West – A BIG Place million acres

Forest Inventory and Analysis Data Nation’s Forest Census 75 Year History Comprehensive and Geo-referenced Sampling Frame Nationally Consistent Sampling Protocols 5 Year Roll Up of National Statistics in RPA - Used combination of periodical state and annualized inventories - Extrapolation and data synthesis - Special analysis - Phase I is remote sensing; 1 plot for 100 ha - Phase II is ground sampling; 1 plot for 2200 ha - Phase III is intensive plots; 1 plot for 38,500 ha

Totals (in millions): Timberland – acres Biomass – dry tons

Biomass Analysis Acres and Volumes by Condition Class Stand Prescription Treatments (Used Stand Density Index) Utilization (>7-in stem volume; <7-in stem, limbs, and tops) Accessible Terrain Road USED 60% ACCESSIBILITY

Source: USFS Fire Sciences Laboratory Condition Classes 1 – use prescribe fire 2 – some mechanical treatments 3 – mechanical treatments required

SDI Approach to Biomass Yields Stand Density Index approach is: Science-based (species and locality differences are considered) Allows for retention of some small trees as well as the removal of trees in all dbh classes (e.g. sustainability) Provides a conservative and balanced stocking distribution over large areas Doesn't require development of detailed prescriptions for large areas Allows flexibility (Don’t know where trees actually are, so any management system can be accommodated at local scales )

SDI Applied to Large Areas Courtesy Wayne Shepperd, RMRS

SDI Thinning

Totals (in millions): Treatable timberland – 96.9 acres Biomass – dry tons Potential yield – dry tons

Totals (in millions): Treatable Cond. 2&3– 66.9 acres Biomass – dry tons Potential yield – dry tons

Totals (in millions): Treatable Cond. 3– 28.5 acres Biomass – dry tons Potential yield – dry tons

Small Diameter Utilization Potential Volume vs. number of trees!

Small Diameter Utilization Potential Potential Yield by Owner Condition Class 3 Results 245 million bdt of merchantable products Annual Removal of million bdt Twice as much as current mill capacity for Total 101 million bdt of non-merchantable biomass Some MDF, OSB, and pulp capacity Little energy capacity

Range of Conditions Removed trees/ac Removed BDT/acre SW ponderosa pine Intermountain ponderosa Intermountain lodgepole Sierras ponderosa Sierras lodgepole Rockies ponderosa Rockies lodgepole Great Basin ponderosa Great Basin lodgepole

A big job AHEAD! Total removal volume from Class 2 and 3 is nearly 40 times the annual conventional removal volume The forest types and terrain are highly variable Potential products and markets are also variable Operations have to match the treatment and forest conditions as well as the product options See entire report on

New Biomass Analysis Tools BioSum - PNW Field Treatment Evaluator – FPL Biomass Mapping Program – FIA & RSAC Others

FIA plot & tree list data FVS/FFE Cut-tree lists Fuel treatment Rx On-site treatment cost STHARVEST Impedance layerHaul cost processor Economic/policy thresholds Accumulation maps Optimization Best processing sites Tmt. assumptions Yield/efficacy Cost & yield per plot/processing site combo Area treatable, cost, yield, efficacy, subsidy options… Plot location FIA BioSum: Full model Data Assumptions Outputs Models