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GHG Emissions from Wood Fiber: Best Uses and Forest Management Impacts

This research project aims to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from different uses of wood fiber and provide benchmark results for forestry and wood end-use cases. The presentation covers fundamentals of forest carbon balances, methods used, key results, and conclusions. The study shows that sawn timber products have the biggest benefits, while particleboard has a slight edge over fuel. Integrated production, processing, and consumption, as well as biomass cascading, are recommended for all wood industry sectors.

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GHG Emissions from Wood Fiber: Best Uses and Forest Management Impacts

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  1. BIOMASS RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF THE RENEWABLE OBLIGATION (SCOTLAND) CONSULATION:Part 1 – Best use of wood fibre Robert Matthews, Nigel Mortimer, Anna Evans, Charlotte Hatto, Onesmus Mwabonje, Ewan Mackie, Tim Randle, Will Rolls and Ian Tubby

  2. Objectives of project • Estimate the GHG emissions due to different ‘end uses’ of wood. • A clear and unambiguous explanation of the key factors affecting forest, wood and bioenergy GHG balances. • Provide a set of ‘benchmark’ results for relevant forestry and wood end-use cases. • Develop a modelling framework for further exploration of results. • Address certain topical questions (e.g. does wood harvesting incur a ‘carbon debt’; bioenergy versus board versus sawn timber).

  3. Scope of presentation • Introduce fundamentals of forest carbon balances • Description of methods • Key results and interpretation • Some conclusions

  4. Fundamentals of forest carbon balances

  5. Human and natural impacts Is the GHG balance complicated? EMISSIONS REMOVALS

  6. GHG balance ≈ carbon stock change Piers Maclaren’s pig Breath Food Dung

  7. Rate of accumulation decelerates Rate of accumulation accelerates Initial slow rate of accumulation GHG dynamics in a stand Sitka spruce, YC 12, plant in year zero, no felling Maximum carbon stock (‘saturation’)

  8. What about harvesting? Sitka spruce, YC 12, no thinning, 56 year rotation

  9. Carbon stocks in trees after harvesting 368 ktC Carbon sequestration in trees 17.9 ktC yr-1 Sequestration and losses balance 11.4 ktC wood harvested 6.5 ktC wood remains & oxidises Populations of stands

  10. Real forests are not ‘normal’ Result for population of stands Second rotation stands First rotation stands Fluctuations will depend on distribution of stand ages

  11. Soil carbon changes may continue Allowing for soil carbon

  12. ‘Carbon debt’ from changed management

  13. Brief description of methods

  14. Desired results

  15. Four ‘primary wood materials’ • Sawlogs • Small roundwood • Bark • Branch wood.

  16. Seven ‘final wood products’

  17. Definition of ‘counterfactuals’

  18. LCA methodology

  19. M1 (species, yield class, spacing, management) BSORT (roots, stem, branches, foliage) Project methodology Workbooks CSORT

  20. Calculations in CSORT

  21. Workbooks: input parameters

  22. Workbooks: forest profiles

  23. Workbooks: biomass chains

  24. Workbooks: disposal cases

  25. Workbooks: scenario results

  26. Key results and interpretation

  27. (Nearly 6000) ranked results

  28. Ranked results: after 20 years

  29. Ranked results: after 40 years

  30. Ranked results: after 100 years

  31. Sifting for key results • Disposal to WID-compliant CHP generation • 100-year time horizon • (283 scenarios). Select:

  32. Bark for fuel Bark for mulch Different fuel conversion routes Sifting for key results

  33. ‘Leave in forest’ Analysing key results ‘Fuel only’ Sawn timber ‘MDF and/or fuel’ ‘More materials’ Note – lots of ‘overlap’

  34. Sensitvity to energy counterfactual Addressing key questions What would be the impact of using sawlogs for fuel?

  35. Addressing key questions What would be the impact of using roundwood for fuel instead of particleboard?

  36. Some conclusions

  37. Conclusions In a Scottish forestry context… • All options for wood use are ‘good’ but some are better than others • Biggest benefits are due to sawn timber products • Particleboard has a ‘slight edge’ over fuel – but sensitive to assumptions about specific applications and counterfactuals • ‘Best case substitutions’ could be targeted in all wood industry sectors • A case for: • ‘Integrated’ production, processing and consumption • ‘Biomass cascading’. (Conclusions may be different e.g. for England/hardwoods)

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