As talks of Carbon Sequestration and a
National Energy Bill heated up nationwide in
the fall of ’08, there was considerable
discussion of how these programs would
affect forest landowners at the state and
national level. One of those programs
centers on woody biomass. As discussions
evolved, many individuals and groups
believed that states should develop
harvesting guidelines specific to woody
biomass. The Alabama Forestry Commission
takes the position that there is no reason
to develop such harvesting guidelines for
any forest products, including woody
biomass.
The Alabama Forestry Commission’s
approach to harvesting issues related to
woody biomass was twofold. First, evaluate
the current Best Management Practices (BMPs)
for Forestry in Alabama to ensure that
issues related to harvesting woody biomass
were adequately covered; and secondly,
provide landowners with information on other
areas potentially impacted by the harvesting
of woody biomass. A small task force was
convened to address both of these issues.
Members included representatives from Auburn
University, the Florida Division of
Forestry, the US Forest Service, the Alabama
Forestry Association, and Jim Jeter with the
Alabama Forestry Commission. Upon review,
the team concluded that harvesting of woody
biomass is addressed sufficiently in the
current BMPs.
The team was also tasked to conduct an
assessment of current research on the
potential impact to Soil Productivity,
Biological Diversity, and Forest Health that
might occur from the harvesting of woody
biomass. The following paper is the result
of that evaluation, providing information
that landowners should take into
consideration as they develop their woody
biomass harvesting plan. The Alabama
Forestry Commission hopes that this
information will be helpful to all forest
landowners as they plan future harvests.
Linda Casey
State Forester
Alabama Forestry Commission
Download:
Woody
Biomass 101- General Harvesting Issues, Concerns, and Recommendations for
Alabama Forest Owners