biomass.forestguild.org - 1035 Townsend State Forest, MA

Townsend State Forest

Townsend, MA
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Submitted by Ben Urquhart, Biomass Specialist, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts.

Project ID: 1034

1. Name - Townsend State Forest

This case study is part of the Massachusetts Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative (MSFBI). The harvest presented here is one of 14 examples of forest products from professionally managed public forestlands in Massachusetts (click here for more information). Some of these examples will be used as demonstration areas by the MSFBI to promote biomass utilization and education.

The harvest on the Townsend State Forest focuses on an area of overstocked white pine. Most of the trees marked for harvest are low quality and small diameter trees best suited for whole tree chipping. Since the site is located near homes and trails, aesthetics is important. A harvest focused on utilization of woody biomass should leave a relatively clean site and gain the public’s approval.

The sale spans three stands and covers about 83 acres. In the first and third stands, the goal is to release existing regeneration by removing about 40% of the basal area to 80 to 90 square feet per acre in the establishment cut in a shelterwood system. Marking instructions were to remove four out of five pole-sized trees, two out of five small-sawlog sized trees, and two out of five medium-sawlog-sized trees. In the second stand, the goal is to release acceptable growing stock. The basal area will be reduced by approximately 40%, or 120 square feet per acre. The sale should generate about 8,595 tons of chips that will be sold to Pinetree Power—Fitchburg Power Station in Westminster, Massachusetts (about 15 miles away). The power station generates 17 MW from whole tree chips, clean recycled pallet wood, paper-derived fuel, and landfill gas produced naturally in the city of Fitchburg landfill.

Site of planned biomass harvest.

The harvest area is situated primarily on well-drained soils that consist of gravel and sand. The site index is 58 for eastern white pine and 52 for northern red oak. The soils are best suited for growing white pine as a timber resource. There are areas that are moderately well drained near some of the wetland resource sites. The terrain is gently to moderately sloped, but does not present problems for road and skid trail layout.

Previous shelterwood harvest with advanced regeneration.

Links

from http://www.tractebelusa.com/utilities/documents/Fitchburg.pdf

	2	Land Ownership State
	3	Location Townsend, Massachusetts
	4	Forest Type Eastern white pine
	Context
	5	Is this project a part of a landscape plan? No
	6	In a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)? Yes
	7	Acreage treated 83 ac
	8	Type of contract Timber sale
	9	Funding source
	10	Collaborators and partners
	11	Project start date Fall 2007
	12	Project completion date Ongoing
	Treatment Goals
	13
	14
	15
	16
	17	Forest Stand Improvement
	Treatment Specifics
	18	Primary treatment objective Forest stand improvement
	19	How does biomass removal fit with other objectives? Well
	20	Treatment description Establishment cut in a shelterwood system
	21	Description of contractors
	22	Travel distance for contractors
	23	Type of equipment used
	24	Treatment of residual slash if any Most slash will be chipped
	25	Treatment cost per acre Generated income
	26	Trucking costs
	Utilization
	27	Products from project Chips for energy generation
	28	Price for products
	29	Date of Sale Spring 2008
	30	Did biomass markets exist previous to project? Yes
	31	Type of utilization Energy generation
	32	How well did the woody biomass match the utilization options? Well
	33	Distance to utilization
	Treatment guidelines, targets, limitations
	34	Diameter limit No
	35	Basal area reduction 40% reduction
	36	Crown coverage Sufficient to encourage pine regeneration
	37	Fuel loading
	38	Retention guidelines 80 to 90 ft2/ac of acceptable growing stock
	39	Treatment of snags and downed logs
	40	Soil impacts
	41	Other ecological impacts monitored
	Pre Treatment
	42	Fuel load
	43	Stem density (stems/ac)
	44	Basal area (ft2/ac) 200 to 225
	45	Canopy closure (%)
	46	Height to live crown base
	47	Snags and downed woody material
	48	Size class distribution Pole and saw log size trees
	49	Tree species composition Mainly white pine with some mixed oak
	50	Presence/absence of invasive species
	51	Soil and other ecological data
	Post Treatment
	52	Fuel load
	53	Stem density (stems/ac)
	54	Basal area (ft2/ac) 80 - 90
	55	Canopy closure (%)
	56	Height to live crown base
	57	Snags and downed woody material
	58	Size class distribution
	59	Tree species composition White pine and mixed oak
	60	Presence/absence of invasive species
	61	Soil and other ecological data

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