| Title: | Forest Biomass Supply Analysis for Western States by County |
| Type: |
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| State: | Idaho |
| Program Description: | Forest Biomass Supply Analysis for Western States by County
County Level Biomass Supply Data The Forest Biomass Resources Supply Study to the Western Governors’ Association from researchers at the University of Idaho analyzes the potential supply of biomass in the western states, on a county by county basis. Since the feasibility of using biomass for energy is dependent on the local supply of biomass, county level supply information is a critical need. In 2005, the “Billion-ton Supply” report by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture provided a national estimate of potential biomass supply from forest and agricultural lands. In 2006, this estimate was refined by the WGA Biomass Task Force to obtain a west-wide estimate. The objective of this county-level study was to further refine the data to the county level and make it available to the public. The estimates were derived by U.S. Forest Service researchers from the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and Timber Products Output (TPO) databases maintained by the agency. State totals were published in the 2008 WGA report on Biomass Resources in the Western States. The estimates look at biomass from various sources including: fuel reduction projects on public land and private land to reduce fire hazard, general private thinning treatments, logging residues, and unused mill residues and totals from these sources. Although there are considerable quantities of pinyon/juniper resources in woodlands, at $ 70/dry ton this material currently is too expensive to bring to roadside. The estimates are reported for roadside prices of $10 to $40 per dry ton in $5 increments. Users of this data will need to add transportation costs from the roadside in-woods site to a bioenergy production facility. Results The county data shows that the forest biomass supply west-wide increases from about 6.3 million dry tons per year at a price of $10 per dry ton to 11.1 million dry tons at a price of $40 per ton. Five states have the most available biomass: California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho. One of the most important assumptions on which the study is based is that biomass removal is a secondary output or byproduct of other forest management objectives. Researchers assumed that 70% of the existing biomass will be used for a higher economic use than energy production, with the remaining 30% (“forest biomass”) potentially available as an energy resource. The study takes into account a need for sustainability of forest resources. Sustainability means “today’s management actions will not degrade the ecological functioning of a natural system” (Society of American Foresters). A discussion of the assumptions and other considerations employed in creating the estimates can be found in the study report, Forest Biomass Supply Analysis for Western States by County. State Reports Arizona Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, California Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Colorado Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Idaho Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Kansas Biomass Supply Analysis, Montana Forest Biomass Supply Analysis , Nebraska Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Nevada Biomass Supply Analysis, New Mexico Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, North Dakota Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Oregon Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, South Dakota Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Texas Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Utah Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Washington Forest Biomass Supply Analysis, Wyoming Forest Biomass Supply Analysis Contact Information For more information, contact Jay O'Laughlin, Ph.D. Professor of Forestry and Policy Sciences Director of Policy Analysis Group College of Natural Resources PO Box 441134 University of Idaho, Moscow 83844-1134 (208) 885-5776 jayo@uidho.edu University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Policy Analysis Group |
The Woody Biomass Utilization Database is a project of the Western Governors' Association
designed to increase awareness of the use of biomass resources for economic development and
environmental sustainability. Program objectives highlighted include biomass energy and
heating activities, education programs, and projects and technologies involving biomass
residue resulting from forest health treatments to reduce wildfire hazard risk.