The results of a recent study to determine the feasibility of harvesting biomass within existing logging operations will assist New Brunswick as it works towards the development of a bioeconomy strategy. FPInnovations provided information on the incremental costs of harvesting, processing, and transporting forest biomass (logging residues) to roadside using field trials of current harvesting systems operating in New Brunswick. Integrating biomass recovery operations with traditional harvesting activities in the forest sector is critical to the successful implementation of a biorefinery plant in the region because of the very high costs of non-integrated harvesting of forest biomass.
Working with Chaleur Forest Products (now Interfor), FPInnovations carried out a series of field trials to measure the quantity in oven-dry tonnes (odt) of recovered biomass, as well as the roadside cost of comminuted biomass in $/odt. It measured the impact on supply costs under different integrated harvesting scenarios, while ensuring that fibre formats were compatible across scenarios. In total, FPInnovations assessed 18 combinations of stand types, harvesting systems, and pulpwood/biomass recovery scenarios. It identified each incremental process step (harvesting, processing, forwarding, piling down for drying, and roadside processing for transportation) and determined the associated costs.
A feller buncher preparing bunches to enable biomass processing.
The harvest systems selected for the field trials were cut-to-length applications with both 2-machine (harvester-forwarder) and 3-machine (feller buncher- processor-forwarder) setups. Three different stand types were studied during these biomass trials based on their stand structure and species composition (mixedwood, managed, and natural). For each of the three stand types, three different processing scenarios were analyzed: (1) baseline with no biomass recovery (logs and pulp), (2) without pulp in the biomass, and (3) with pulp in the biomass.
Forwarding residues in the managed stand with pulp in the biomass pile.
FPInnovations measured the time required by every machine to handle the biomass and load it at roadside, and calculated the cost for every phase of biomass recovery. For each stand type and biomass scenario evaluated, the biomass recovery ratio was determined (odt/m³) by system. In the “with pulp in the biomass” scenario, increasing the topping diameter to 10.8 cm for softwoods and 24.5 cm for hardwoods led to an average biomass volume increase of 73% with the 2-machine system, and 96% with the 3-machine system. The technical biomass recovery efficiency was between 50% and 77%, thus leaving adequate residues on site for soil productivity.
The full report, Integrated Biomass Harvesting: Incremental Cost of Harvesting and Forwarding Forest Biomass to Roadside in Northern New Brunswick, is available through FPInnovations’ online library portal.
Understanding machine productivity and, ultimately, roadside wood/biomass cost will ensure that the cost of such treatments and the associated biomass values are well accounted for in the integration of this new supply chain to the regional fibre procurement processes currently in place. It allows fair compensation of all parties including loggers, landowners, and society at large, while ensuring loggers will be able to make the necessary investments (machines, training, etc.) required to conduct such operations. The benefits of this project lie in the opportunity to validate biomass supply availability and cost to emerging bioeconomy investors.
This study was a follow-up to an earlier biomass logistics study where FPInnovations looked at how to create a biomass supply chain for the local port authority in northern New Brunswick and identified supply chain elements to implement. The data generated from these operational trials provide a benchmark to help inform decision makers and stakeholders when evaluating the feasibility of future biomass utilization projects.
For more information, contact the report’s author, Jean-Philippe Gaudreau, senior researcher in FPInnovations’ Forestry group.
