The Petawawa Biofibre Harvest Trial

This project will assess the potential for using unmerchantable wood as feedstock for the production of biofuels and bioenergy. Large tracts of forests within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest (GLSL) consist of low quality pine- mixed woods that could supply feedstock if the unmerchantable wood were recovered in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. We will conduct biomass harvesting trials at the Petawawa Research Forest to assess the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of whole-tree harvest operations in pine-mixed forests characteristic of the region. The intern will assist in monitoring the harvest operations and analyzing the data. The results will help the partners to better estimate the amount of biomass that can be harvested from pine-mixed wood forests. In addition, quantifying costs will help them modify harvest operations to incorporate biomass harvesting.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. John Caspersen

Student:

Derek Wolf

Partner:

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

University of Toronto