{"title":"Production economics and carbon footprint of an integrated timber harvesting operation in the Northeastern US","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.nexus.2024.100336","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Woody biomass has tremendous potential to reduce the reliance on non-renewable energy, however, the high cost, uncertain harvesting carbon footprint, and policies may hinder it from becoming a predominant component of the US renewable energy sector, particularly in the Northeast. The objectives of this study were to a) assess productivity (m<sup>3</sup> PMH<sup>−1</sup>) and cost ($ m<sup>−3</sup>) of a stump-to-truck integrated timber harvesting operation; b) identify and evaluate major factors affecting operational productivity and cost; and c) quantify carbon footprint of the harvesting operation. Detailed time and motion studies were conducted in a softwood dominated forest stand in upstate New York, during the summer of 2021. Stump-to-truck life cycle assessment (LCA) of roundwood harvesting and wood chips production was quantified using USLCI and US-EI 2.2 databases and TRACI method in Simapro 9.3.0.3 software. The functional units were 1 m<sup>3</sup> of green roundwood (50 % moisture content) and 1 tonne of green wood chips (moisture content 50 %). The results showed that the harvesting cost was $12.98 m<sup>−3</sup> and $7.40 tonne<sup>−1</sup> for roundwood and wood chips, respectively. Grapple skidder had the lowest productivity (m<sup>3</sup> PMH<sup>−1</sup>) and the highest carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of stump-to-truck timber harvesting operation accounted for 0.726 kg CO<sub>2</sub> eq m<sup>−3</sup> and 0.818 kg CO<sub>2</sub> eq tonne<sup>−1</sup> for roundwood and wood chips, respectively. The chipping cost was $7.40 tonne<sup>−1</sup>. The harvesting cost decreased by 4.5 % when self-loading truck was used instead of a loader. Estimating operating cost and carbon footprint of integrated timber harvesting operations is essential to promote the forest residues as a major contributor of bioenergy in the changing scenarios of climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":93548,"journal":{"name":"Energy nexus","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":8.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Energy nexus","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427124000676","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENERGY & FUELS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Woody biomass has tremendous potential to reduce the reliance on non-renewable energy, however, the high cost, uncertain harvesting carbon footprint, and policies may hinder it from becoming a predominant component of the US renewable energy sector, particularly in the Northeast. The objectives of this study were to a) assess productivity (m3 PMH−1) and cost ($ m−3) of a stump-to-truck integrated timber harvesting operation; b) identify and evaluate major factors affecting operational productivity and cost; and c) quantify carbon footprint of the harvesting operation. Detailed time and motion studies were conducted in a softwood dominated forest stand in upstate New York, during the summer of 2021. Stump-to-truck life cycle assessment (LCA) of roundwood harvesting and wood chips production was quantified using USLCI and US-EI 2.2 databases and TRACI method in Simapro 9.3.0.3 software. The functional units were 1 m3 of green roundwood (50 % moisture content) and 1 tonne of green wood chips (moisture content 50 %). The results showed that the harvesting cost was $12.98 m−3 and $7.40 tonne−1 for roundwood and wood chips, respectively. Grapple skidder had the lowest productivity (m3 PMH−1) and the highest carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of stump-to-truck timber harvesting operation accounted for 0.726 kg CO2 eq m−3 and 0.818 kg CO2 eq tonne−1 for roundwood and wood chips, respectively. The chipping cost was $7.40 tonne−1. The harvesting cost decreased by 4.5 % when self-loading truck was used instead of a loader. Estimating operating cost and carbon footprint of integrated timber harvesting operations is essential to promote the forest residues as a major contributor of bioenergy in the changing scenarios of climate.
Energy nexusEnergy (General), Ecological Modelling, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Water Science and Technology, Agricultural and Biological Sciences (General)