Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollutant Emissions of Alternatives for Woody Biomass Residues

Along with merchantable timber, forest practices generate large amounts of woody biomass residues. In the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, those residues are most commonly burned on site or left to decay, creating air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

This analysis and the accompanying Woody Biomass Emissions Calculator (WBEC) were commissioned to help regional air managers and decision-makers in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska evaluate the emissions implications of different uses and disposal methods.

The report looks at the life-cycle emissions produced by the two common disposal methods as well as 13 alternatives involving use of the residues as a soil amendment, for residential energy, for industrial energy, as industrial feedstock, and for liquid fuel.

The results show that several alternative uses for woody biomass residues would produce fewer GHG, CO and small-particle (PM2.5) emissions than current practices.