Determining the Feasibility of the Recovery of Woody Biomass Bob Rummer, US Forest Service Mark Engle, Four Corners Consulting

Feasibility Technical Technical –Performance –Meeting constraints Economic Economic –Market values of goods and services –Costs of operation Introduction

Determining Feasibility Contractors bidding on a project Contractors bidding on a project Grantors or investors Grantors or investors Wood purchasers Wood purchasers Resource managers Resource managers Policy makers Policy makers Introduction

Current Condition Desired Future Forest Operation How to treat Prescription What to treat Forest Products and Ecosystem Services Introduction

Outline Technical feasibility issues Needs and constraints Needs and constraints Biomass system technology Biomass system technology Performance estimation Performance estimation Economic feasibility issues Business planning Business planning Introduction

Prescription Piece size Piece size Species Species Volume per acre Volume per acre Acres per landing Acres per landing Residual spacing Residual spacing Utilization Utilization Terrain (slopes, riparian) Terrain (slopes, riparian) Additional work Additional work Needs and Constraints

Prescription Constraints Soil disturbance Soil disturbance Residual damage Residual damage Exclusions (arch sites, nesting) Exclusions (arch sites, nesting) Operating season Operating season Activity fuels Activity fuels Noise Noise Needs and Constraints

Example: WUI Work hours limited Work hours limited Road impacts (no steel grousers) Road impacts (no steel grousers) Unit size <5 ac Unit size <5 ac Landings limited Landings limited Terrain relatively flat Terrain relatively flat Control risk to public Control risk to public High visibility High visibility Needs and Constraints

Kyle Canyon, NV Needs and Constraints

Los Alamos, NM Needs and Constraints

Products and Markets Current wood users Current wood users –Products –Market size Merchandizing operations Merchandizing operations –Size –Processing or conversion Needs and Constraints

Generic Technical Solutions Functions Functions –Felling, skidding, processing, loading Systems Systems –Ground-based  Whole tree or tree length  Log length –Cable –Helicopter System Technology

Biomass Recovery Added component of multi-product harvesting Added component of multi-product harvesting Biomass harvesting smallwood Biomass harvesting smallwood Biomass harvesting brush/understory Biomass harvesting brush/understory Short-rotation woody crops Short-rotation woody crops System Technology

Multi-product harvest System Technology: Roadside 85% 15%

Clean chips + biomass 20% 80% System Technology: Roadside

Biomass Processing System Technology: Roadside

Mobile Conversion System Technology: Roadside

Recovering Residues Chipping/grinding with harvesting Chipping/grinding with harvesting Chipping/grinding separately Chipping/grinding separately Hauling residues Hauling residues Keep the chipper busy Keep the chipper busy Can get complex Can get complex Don’t haul slash very far Don’t haul slash very far System Technology: Roadside

Forwarding or skidding Payload = 1/3 solid wood System Technology: In-woods

Forwidder

Biomass Bundling System Technology: In-woods

In-woods biomass harvest System Technology: In-woods

In-woods residue collection Very sensitive to volume per acre Very sensitive to volume per acre Concentration by previous work Concentration by previous work Payload is critical Payload is critical Generally can’t pay for itself Generally can’t pay for itself System Technology: In-woods

1980—Nicholson Koch System Technology: Swath

Texas A&M Mesquite Photo: Texas A&M Univ System Technology: In-woods

Swath Harvesters Sensitive to volume per acre Sensitive to volume per acre Less sensitive to small piece size Less sensitive to small piece size Takes everything Takes everything Cleaning machines Cleaning machines Alternative to mastication Alternative to mastication How to move the chips? How to move the chips? System Technology: Swath

WT to chipper System Technology: Fuel Thinning

Photo: BLM, Alturas System Technology: Fuel Thinning

Fuel Thinning System Technology: Fuel Thinning

Biomass Thinning Low-value product Low-value product Generally facing smaller diameters Generally facing smaller diameters Many special treatments Many special treatments Tend to be lower system output Tend to be lower system output System Technology: Fuel Thinning

Put a number on Productivity Need to know output Need to know output Need to know time required Need to know time required Performance Estimation Productivity = output / time

If you have a system … Gross production estimate Gross production estimate –simple –Includes all effects, delays –Only applies to specific conditions Do your own time study Do your own time study –Small sample of only productive time –Measure things that affect time Performance Estimation

Example: skidding Key variable is distance Key variable is distance Performance Estimation

Get your data Performance Estimation

Summarize Results Watch skidding for a truckload Watch skidding for a truckload Total volume skidded/# turns Total volume skidded/# turns –Volume per turn Total time Total time Calculate the average skid distance Calculate the average skid distance Performance Estimation “Skidder got 20 tons per hour at an average skid distance of 300 ft”

Unknown Machine Look at spec sheets for payload Look at spec sheets for payload Estimate operational speeds Estimate operational speeds Performance Estimation “Feller-buncher can cut 2 trees/min that are 250 lbs each for a productivity of 15 tons per hour”

Be Careful How many productive hours can you get in a year? How many productive hours can you get in a year? Did you see all work tasks? Did you see all work tasks? What limited production? What limited production? Don’t overlook overhead Don’t overlook overhead Performance Estimation

Look at the Whole System System output is limited by slowest operation System output is limited by slowest operation Performance Estimation Felling $75/hr 20 tons/hr Skidding $75/hr 12 tons/hr Loading $50/hr 80 tons/hr

Technical Feasibility Meets required performance Meets required performance Estimate of production rate Estimate of production rate Some idea of how output is affected by key factors Some idea of how output is affected by key factors Performance Estimation Now the key question is, “Can you make money with it?”

Why is feasibility an issue? Constraints generally decrease options Constraints generally decrease options Constraints not treated as tradeoffs Constraints not treated as tradeoffs There are unsolvable problems There are unsolvable problems New product opportunities/requirements New product opportunities/requirements “There be monsters …” “There be monsters …” –Wide range of risks/unknowns