Abstract
The viability of bioenergy projects and policies depends in part on the economic availability (supplies and prices) of biomass feedstocks. The Northeast USA is poised with significant woody biomass resources, largely available from forest lands and urban wood waste. Further, the Northeast has great potential to augment feedstock supplies with short-rotation woody crops. Based on the results from a national agricultural simulation model, by the year 2030, the Northeast USA could potentially provide between 4.3 and 25.5 million dry Mg year−1 at farmgate prices of $22 and $88 dry Mg−1, respectively. These supplies represent between 9 and 14 % of total woody biomass supplies that might be available in the lower 48 states.
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- 1.
Forestland is defined as land at least 120 ft wide and 1 ac in size, with at least 10 % cover (or equivalent stocking) by live trees of any size, including land that formerly had such tree cover and that will be naturally or artificially regenerated (Smith et al. 2009). Forestland is further defined as timberland and other forestland. Timberland is defined as forestland that is producing, or is capable of producing, in excess of 20 cubic feet per acre per year of industrial wood and not withdrawn from timber utilization by statute or administrative regulation. Other forestland is defined as forestland other than timberland and productive reserved forestland. It includes available forestland, which is incapable of annually producing 20 cubic feet per acre per year. Reserved forestland is administratively removed from production.
- 2.
Unutilized wood volume from cut, or otherwise killed, growing stock from cultural operations, such as precommercial thinnings or from timberland clearing. Does not include volume removed from inventory through reclassification of timber land to productive reserved forest land (Smith et al. 2009).
- 3.
All prices are at the farmgate. These projections are derived from the base-case scenario.
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Langholtz, M., Jacobson, M. (2013). The Economic Availability of Woody Biomass Feedstocks in the Northeast. In: Jacobson, M., Ciolkosz, D. (eds) Wood-Based Energy in the Northern Forests. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9478-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9478-2_3
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