ABSTRACT
The timber resources in the U.S. can produce 334 million dry tonnes annually (368 million dry tons) by 2030 (Perlack et al. 2005). Of this volume, 58 million tonnes (64 million tons) are residues from logging operations and site clearing. Another 54 million tonnes (60 million tons) are from fuel treatment operations involved in reducing fire hazards. The availability estimates for these two key primary forestland resources take into account environmental concerns by assuming sufficient biomass is left on-site for nutrient recycling purposes, avoiding steep-sloped and inaccessible areas (i.e. roadless areas), and accounting for collection frequency. The forestland potential also considers the allocation of recovered resources to both biomass and highervalued forest products. The harvest and collection operations associated with these resources are the subject of this chapter as they are currently underutilized, and represent a significant fraction of the lignocellulosic materials available for conversion in biofuel facilities.
