Influence of site characteristics and costs of extraction and trucking on logging residue utilization in southern West Virginia

The increased utilization of logging residues has received considerable attention as a potential source of renewable biomass and as a raw material for engineered and conventional wood products. We investigated the relationship between logging residue accumulations and site characteristics on 70 timber harvests that occurred during 2000 to 2001 in southern West Virginia. Logging residue estimates were obtained using logged area analysis methodologies. The average overall weight of wood residue remaining after timber harvest in the 14-county region was 10.4 tons/acre. We found little relationship between distance to landings or average slope with residue accumulations. Likewise, relationships among distance to markets and residue accumulations did not exist for a number of potential residue buyers in the region. Scenarios of residue extraction and trucking indicated a cost range of $58.20/cunit or $94.30 per thousand board feet (MBF) to $193.10/cunit ($312.80/MBF Doyle). These results suggest that extracting residues to the landing during harvesting would be most cost-effective. Likewise, the use of grapple skidders and appropriate loading and trucking equipment would be more economical than other systems modeled.