Determining the Determining the Feasibility of the Feasibility of the

Recovery of Woody Recovery of Woody BiomassBiomass

Bob Rummer, US Forest ServiceBob Rummer, US Forest Service

Mark Engle, Four Corners Mark Engle, Four Corners ConsultingConsulting

FeasibilityFeasibility

TechnicalTechnical– PerformancePerformance– Meeting constraintsMeeting constraints

EconomicEconomic– Market values of goods and Market values of goods and

servicesservices– Costs of operationCosts of operation

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Determining FeasibilityDetermining Feasibility

Contractors bidding on a Contractors bidding on a projectproject

Grantors or investorsGrantors or investors Wood purchasersWood purchasers Resource managersResource managers Policy makersPolicy makers

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Current Current ConditionCondition

Desired Desired FutureFuture

Forest Operation• How to treat

Prescription• What to treat

Forest Products andEcosystem Services

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OutlineOutline

Technical feasibility issuesTechnical feasibility issues Needs and constraintsNeeds and constraints Biomass system Biomass system

technologytechnology Performance estimationPerformance estimation

Economic feasibility issuesEconomic feasibility issues Business planningBusiness planning

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PrescriptionPrescription

Piece sizePiece size SpeciesSpecies Volume per acreVolume per acre Acres per landingAcres per landing Residual spacingResidual spacing UtilizationUtilization Terrain (slopes, riparian)Terrain (slopes, riparian) Additional workAdditional work

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Prescription ConstraintsPrescription Constraints

Soil disturbanceSoil disturbance Residual damageResidual damage Exclusions (arch sites, nesting)Exclusions (arch sites, nesting) Operating seasonOperating season Activity fuelsActivity fuels NoiseNoise

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Example: WUIExample: WUI

Work hours limited 700-1700Work hours limited 700-1700 Road impacts (no steel Road impacts (no steel

grousers)grousers) Unit size <5 acUnit size <5 ac Landings limitedLandings limited Terrain relatively flatTerrain relatively flat Control risk to publicControl risk to public High visibilityHigh visibility

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Kyle Canyon, NVKyle Canyon, NVN

eed

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nd

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Los Alamos, NMLos Alamos, NMN

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Products and MarketsProducts and Markets

Current wood usersCurrent wood users– ProductsProducts– Market sizeMarket size

Merchandizing Merchandizing operationsoperations– SizeSize– Processing or conversionProcessing or conversion

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Generic Technical SolutionsGeneric Technical Solutions

FunctionsFunctions– Felling, skidding, processing, Felling, skidding, processing,

loadingloading SystemsSystems

– Ground-basedGround-based Whole tree or tree lengthWhole tree or tree length Log lengthLog length

– CableCable– HelicopterHelicopter

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Biomass RecoveryBiomass Recovery

Added component of multi-Added component of multi-product harvestingproduct harvesting

Biomass harvesting smallwoodBiomass harvesting smallwood Biomass harvesting Biomass harvesting

brush/understorybrush/understory Short-rotation woody cropsShort-rotation woody crops

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Multi-product harvestMulti-product harvestS

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Road

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85%85%

15%15%

Clean chips + biomassClean chips + biomass

20%20%

80%80%

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Road

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Biomass ProcessingBiomass ProcessingS

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Mobile ConversionMobile ConversionS

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Recovering ResiduesRecovering Residues

Chipping/grinding with Chipping/grinding with harvestingharvesting

Chipping/grinding separatelyChipping/grinding separately Hauling residues Hauling residues Keep the chipper busyKeep the chipper busy Can get complexCan get complex Don’t haul slash very farDon’t haul slash very far

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Forwarding or skiddingForwarding or skidding

Payload = 1/3 solid Payload = 1/3 solid woodwood

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ForwidderForwidderS

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In-w

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Biomass BundlingBiomass BundlingS

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In-w

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In-woods biomass harvestIn-woods biomass harvestS

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In-w

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In-woods residue collectionIn-woods residue collection

Very sensitive to volume per Very sensitive to volume per acreacre

Concentration by previous Concentration by previous workwork

Payload is criticalPayload is critical Generally can’t pay for itselfGenerally can’t pay for itself

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1980—Nicholson Koch1980—Nicholson KochS

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Texas A&M MesquiteTexas A&M Mesquite

Photo: Texas A&M UnivSyste

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Swath HarvestersSwath Harvesters

Sensitive to volume per acreSensitive to volume per acre Less sensitive to small piece Less sensitive to small piece

sizesize Takes everythingTakes everything Cleaning machinesCleaning machines Alternative to masticationAlternative to mastication How to move the chips?How to move the chips?

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WT to chipperWT to chipperS

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Photo: BLM, Alturas

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Fuel ThinningFuel ThinningS

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Biomass ThinningBiomass Thinning

Low-value productLow-value product Generally facing smaller Generally facing smaller

diametersdiameters Many special treatmentsMany special treatments Tend to be lower system Tend to be lower system

outputoutput

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Put a number on Put a number on ProductivityProductivity

Need to know outputNeed to know output Need to know time requiredNeed to know time required

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Productivity = output / time

If you have a system …If you have a system …

Gross production estimateGross production estimate– simplesimple– Includes all effects, delaysIncludes all effects, delays– Only applies to specific Only applies to specific

conditionsconditions Do your own time studyDo your own time study

– Small sample of only productive Small sample of only productive timetime

– Measure things that affect timeMeasure things that affect time

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Example: skiddingExample: skidding

Key variable is distanceKey variable is distance

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Get your dataGet your data

Skidder Production

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0 100 200 300 400

Distance (ft)

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min

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Summarize ResultsSummarize Results

Watch skidding for a truckloadWatch skidding for a truckload Total volume skidded/# turnsTotal volume skidded/# turns

– Volume per turnVolume per turn Total timeTotal time Calculate the average skid Calculate the average skid

distancedistance

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“Skidder got 20 tons per hour at an average skid distance of 300 ft”

Unknown MachineUnknown Machine

Look at spec sheets for Look at spec sheets for payloadpayload

Estimate operational speedsEstimate operational speeds

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“Feller-buncher can cut 2 trees/min that are 250 lbs each for a productivity of 15 tons per hour”

Be CarefulBe Careful

How many productive hours How many productive hours can you get in a year?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 overheadDon’t overlook overhead

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Look at the Whole SystemLook at the Whole System

System output is limited by slowest System output is limited by slowest operationoperation

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Felling

$75/hr$75/hr

20 tons/hr20 tons/hr

Skidding

$75/hr$75/hr

12 tons/hr12 tons/hr

Loading

$50/hr$50/hr

80 tons/hr80 tons/hr

Technical FeasibilityTechnical Feasibility

Meets required performanceMeets required performance Estimate of production rateEstimate of production rate Some idea of how output is Some idea of how output is

affected by key factorsaffected by key factors

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Now the key question is, “Can you make money with it?”

Why is feasibility an issue?Why is feasibility an issue?

Constraints generally decrease Constraints generally decrease optionsoptions

Constraints not treated as tradeoffsConstraints not treated as tradeoffs There are unsolvable problemsThere are unsolvable problems New product New product

opportunities/requirementsopportunities/requirements ““There be monsters …”There be monsters …”

– Wide range of risks/unknownsWide range of risks/unknowns