Energy biomass from the low-investment fully mechanized thinning of hardwood plantations

Natascia Magagnotti; L Pari; Gianni Picchi; Raffaele Spinelli

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.09.042

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Energy biomass from the low-investment fully mechanized thinning of hardwood plantations

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Energy biomass from the low-investment fully mechanized thinning of hardwood plantations

Natascia Magagnotti, L Pari, Gianni Picchi and Raffaele Spinelli

Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol.47, pp.195-200

2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.09.042

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Abstract

biomass

hardwood

harvesting

plantations

rural development

thinning

Agroforestry practises can accrue significant benefits to farm owners and have a good potential for expansion worldwide. Among the many possible options, Black walnut plantations are especially popular in the Temperate zone, and are often based on the association with nurse trees, to be removed within the first two decades after establishment. The authors designed and tested two low-investment fully mechanized operations for producing chips or traditional firewood from the thinning of walnut plantations. The mechanized small-scale chipping operation incurred the lowest cost and offered a dramatic improvement over manual harvesting. On the other hand, mechanized firewood harvesting was financially less effective than traditional motor-manual operations. For the price levels assumed in this study, small-scale mechanized chipping offered higher profits than motor-manual firewood production all along the tree size range. Furthermore, chipping achieved a break even with smaller trees than firewood production, allowing for financially viable early thinning, timely performed before the nurse trees overtop the crop trees.

Details

Title: Energy biomass from the low-investment fully mechanized thinning of hardwood plantations
Authors: Natascia Magagnotti (Author) - CNR IVALSA, Italy
L Pari (Author) - CRA-ING, Italy
Gianni Picchi (Author) - CNR IVALSA, Italy
Raffaele Spinelli (Author) - CNR IVALSA, Italy
Publication details: Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol.47, pp.195-200
Publisher: Pergamon
Date published: 2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2012.09.042
ISSN: 0961-9534
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99448721102621
Output Type: Journal article

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