Forecasting the spatial distribution of logging residues across the Canadian managed forest

Published in Can. J. For. Res. 48(12): 1470-1481. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2018-0080

There is a growing interest in using logging residues as feedstock in the bioeconomy. Quantifying the amount of this resource over large areas has been difficult due to the lack of availability of and consistency in forest inventory data across jurisdictions and the lack of a clear definition of what constitutes logging residues. The goal of this study was to develop an approach to spatially estimate the amounts of logging residues that would potentially be available in the near future for public lands across the Canadian managed forest using remote sensing maps and to compare these estimates with field assessments. Remote sensing estimates of branch and foliage biomass, although only a fraction of total postharvest residual biomass, were generally comparable with estimates from field assessments of recoverable residues after harvesting at the forest management unit (FMU) scale or at the 100 km² scale. However, they tended to not capture the strong variability between sites and to underestimate observed field values in regions that have very high biomass density. On average, the national logging residue density is estimated to be 26 ± 16 oven-dry tonnes (ODT)·ha⁻¹, and annual national availability is estimated to be 21 M ODT·year⁻¹.

Forests

Scientific Article

Forestry Research, Forests, Silviculture

Barrette, Julie

BARRETTE, Julie, David PARÉ, Francis MANKA, Luc GUINDON, Pierre BERNIER and Brian TITUS

2018

Available at the Direction de la recherche forestière

résidus de coupe, télédétection, inventaire, bioénergie, évaluation sur le terrain, sylviculture et rendement des plantations, article scientifique de recherche forestière, forestry research scientific article, silviculture and yield of plantations, logging residues, remote sensing, inventory, bioenergy, field assessment