Mechanical fuel load reduction in Australia: a potential tool for bushfire mitigation

Ximenes, Fabiano; Stephens, Michael; Brown, Marianne; Law, Bradley; Mylek, Melinda R.; Schirmer, Jacki; Sullivan, Andrew L.; McGuffog, T.

doi:10.1080/00049158.2017.1311200

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…While a proportion of the annual E. globulus harvested stands in Western Australia is currently not re-established due to poor growth or land leasing arrangements, this would not be a sufficient supply of whole trees to supply a power plant over the long term. Alternative whole tree resources which would not incur re-establishment costs include: radiata pine first thinning trees [76], wilding plantation trees [77] and mechanised fuel reduction [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Australian plantations are harvested using either cut-to-length at the stump or whole tree processing at roadside harvest systems. Other potential bioenergy sources under consideration in Australia include failed or underperforming short-rotation eucalypt plantation trees [19], thinned trees without an alternative market [20] or FB from mechanical fuel reduction treatments [21]. Diverting wood waste from landfill is another potential bioenergy source, though contamination and heterogeneity of the resource can increase recovery costs [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Roadside Drying on Delivered Costs for Eucalyptus globulus Logging Residue and Whole Trees Supplying a Hypothetical Energy Plant in Western Australia Using a Linear-Programming Model

Strandgard

Taskhiri

Acuña

et al. 2021

Forests

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Australia’s large potential forest bioenergy resource is considerably underutilised, due largely to its high delivered costs. Drying forest biomass at the roadside can potentially reduce its delivered cost through weight reduction and increased net calorific value. There has been little research on the impact of roadside drying for Australian conditions and plantation species. This study compared delivered costs for three forest biomass types—Eucalyptus globulus plantation whole trees and logging residue (LR)-disaggregated (LR conventional) or aggregated (LR fuel-adapted)—and three roadside storage scenarios—no storage, ≤two-month storage and optimal storage—to supply a hypothetical thermal power plant in south-west Western Australia. The study was performed using a tactical linear programming tool (MCPlan). Roadside storage reduced delivered costs, with optimal storage (storage for up to 14 months) producing the lowest costs. Delivered costs were inversely related to forest biomass spatial density due to transport cost reductions. Whole trees, which had the highest spatial density, stored under the optimal storage scenario had the lowest delivered costs (AUD 7.89/MWh) while LR conventional, with the lowest spatial density, had the highest delivered costs when delivered without storage (AUD 15.51/MWh). For both LR types, two-month storage achieved ~60% of the savings from the optimal storage scenario but only 23% of the savings for whole trees. The findings suggested that roadside drying and high forest biomass spatial density are critical to reducing forest biomass delivered costs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Roadside Drying on Delivered Costs for Eucalyptus globulus Logging Residue and Whole Trees Supplying a Hypothetical Energy Plant in Western Australia Using a Linear-Programming Model

Strandgard

Taskhiri

Acuña

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…Sawmill residues for this study include offcuts, dust, and shavings. Other forms of forest biomass are small hardwood logs [48]; coarse woody debris (CWD) [49] and wood from mechanical fuel load reduction [50], which resemble either FHR or pulpwood. Studies on firewood for domestic use are not included in this study unless it is part of their recourse in combination with one of the previously described forest biomass types.…”

Section: Scope and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia

et al. 2020

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The use of forest biomass for bioenergy in Australia represents only 1% of total energy production but is being recognized for having the potential to deliver low-cost and low-emission, renewable energy solutions. This review addresses the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production in Australia relative to the amount of biomass energy measures available for production, harvest and transport, conversion, distribution and emission. Thirty-Five Australian studies on forest biomass for bioenergy are reviewed and categorized under five hierarchical terms delimiting the level of assessment on the biomass potential. Most of these studies assess the amount of biomass at a production level using measures such as the allometric volume equation and form factor assumptions linked to forest inventory data or applied in-field weighing of samples to predict the theoretical potential of forest biomass across an area or region. However, when estimating the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production, it is essential to consider the entire supply chain that includes many limitations and reductions on the recovery of the forest biomass from production in the field to distribution to the network. This review reiterated definitions for theoretical, available, technological, economic and environmental biomass potential and identified missing links between them in the Australian literature. There is a need for further research on the forest biomass potential to explore lower cost and lowest net emission solutions as a replacement to fossil resources for energy production in Australia but methods the could provide promising solutions are available and can be applied to address this gap.

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“…Their bushfire fuel classification framework included a detailed definition and description of fuel in each fuel type, providing practitioners with information to support decision-making at multiple scales to determine fire risk and fire behaviour and manage fire effects. Ximenes et al (2017) discussed the potential of mechanical fuelload reduction for managing fuel loads and bushfire as an alternative to prescribed fire.…”

Section: Major Bushfiresmentioning

confidence: 99%