Biomass procurement in boreal forests affected by spruce budworm: Effects on regeneration, costs and carbon balance

Biomass procured from forests affected by natural disturbances as a bioenergy source is increasingly considered in the context of climate change mitigation. By comparing clearcuts with and without biomass procurement, we aimed to determine the effects of biomass extraction performed alongside lumber harvesting on regeneration density, number of planting microsites, forest renewal costs, and carbon fluxes, in harvested boreal stands affected by spruce budworm. Results showed that biomass procurement increased regeneration density and number of planting microsites. Reduction of downed woody debris due to biomass procurement lowered site preparation costs by 282.07 CAD•ha-1, equivalent to 14.45 CAD per oven-dry metric tonne (odmt-1) of harvested biomass. Product value from biomass processing had to reach from 13.90–76.84 CAD•odmt-1 to make biomass procurement operations profitable. Since biomass procurement significantly increased stocking and reduced the amount of decaying debris, it also reduced cumulative CO2 emissions relative to scenarios without biomass procurement. However, ensuring forest renewal through site preparation and plantation per se, irrespective of biomass procurement, played a more important role for carbon sequestration and net balance. Integrating biomass harvesting to silviculture could have significant ecological and financial impacts on forest management while supporting mitigation efforts against climate change.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author