biomass.forestguild.org - 1041 Biomass Chipping on the Talladega NF

Whole Tree Chipping on the Talladega National Forest

Talladega National Forest, Alabama
Submitted by Dana Mitchell, Research Engineer at US Forest Service
Southern Research Station

Project ID: 1041

1. Name - Biomass Chipping on the Talladega National Forest

This case study is based on research from the Southern Research Station of the US Forest Service into the biomass chipping options. Two central management goals on the Talladega National Forest (TNF) are 1) improve Red-Cockaded Woodpecker habitat 2) reduce the risk of wildfire. To meet these twin objects the TNF used an Integrated Resource Service Contract to remove small diameter trees. Alternative treatments included service contracts for cut and leave or for mulching.

The treatment occurred in two stands: 1) a 30 year old longleaf pine stand with a basal area that ranged from 120 to 140 square feet per acre and 2) a 37 year old loblolly pine stand with 120 to 140 square feet per acre of basal area. On average, the trees removed from the longleaf stand had a DBH of 4.3 inches and a height of 26.5 feet, for the loblolly stand the average diameter removed was 3.5-inch DBH and average height was 27 feet.

Longleaf pine stand before and after treatment

The prescription called for the removal of all stems under 7.5 inch DBH in order to reduce basal area to 40 to 60 square feet per acre. The majority of trees were under 5-inch DBH (71% in the longleaf stand and 81% in the loblolly stand). The trees were harvested with Hydro-Ax 670 feller-buncher, brought to the landing with a John Deere 648 G-III grapple skidder, grabbed by a Prentice 210D loader, and fed into a threeknife, Precision 1858 chipper (450 horsepower).

The harvest system cost $335 per machine hour and generated 62 green tons of chips per machine hour. Trucking the chips 60 miles for utilization cost $6 per ton, so the total production cost was $11.44 per green ton delivered. A more detailed analysis of the treating both sites is available from the Southern Journal of Applied Forestry.

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	2	Land Ownership US Forest Service
	3	Location Talladega National Forest, Alabama
	4	Forest Type Longleaf pine;Loblolly pine
	Context
	5	Is this project a part of a landscape plan?
	6	In a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)?
	7	Acreage treated 20 ac
	8	Type of contract Integrated Resource Service Contract
	9	Funding source
	10	Collaborators and partners
	11	Project start date Mar-2006
	12	Project completion date Mar-2006
	Treatment Goals
	13	Restoration, watershed or habitat improvement
	14	Reduce fuel load
	15
	16
	17
	Treatment Specifics
	18	Primary treatment objective 1) improve Red-Cockaded Woodpecker habitat 2) reduce the risk of wildfire
	19	How does biomass removal fit with other objectives? Well
	20	Treatment description Remove small diameter trees (<7.5" DBH)
	21	Description of contractors Local contractors
	22	Travel distance for contractors ~30 miles
	23	Type of equipment used Hydro-Ax 670 feller-buncher, John Deere 648 G-III grapple skidder, Prentice 210D loader, and threeknife, Precision 1858 chipper (450 horsepower).
	24	Treatment of residual slash if any
	25	Treatment cost per acre $75 ($7/ac of integrated resource value)
	26	Trucking costs $0.10 / ton / mile
	Utilization
	27	Products from project Chips
	28	Price for products ~$14 to $15 / ton
	29	Date of Sale Mar-2006
	30	Did biomass markets exist previous to project? Yes
	31	Type of utilization Industrial mill
	32	How well did the woody biomass match the utilization options?
	33	Distance to utilization 60 miles
	Treatment guidelines, targets, limitations
	34	Diameter limit 7.5" DBH
	35	Basal area reduction 50% to 71%
	36	Crown coverage
	37	Fuel loading
	38	Retention guidelines
	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) 381 to 475
	44	Basal area (ft2/ac) 120-140
	45	Canopy closure (%)
	46	Height to live crown base
	47	Snags and downed woody material
	48	Size class distribution
	49	Tree species composition
	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) 40 to 60
	55	Canopy closure (%)
	56	Height to live crown base
	57	Snags and downed woody material
	58	Size class distribution
	59	Tree species composition
	60	Presence/absence of invasive species
	61	Soil and other ecological data

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