A collaborative workgroup has embarked on a woody biomass supply assessment to estimate the volume of woody biomass that could be sustainably supplied as a result of necessary fuels, ecological restoration, and forest health treatments on the Uncompahgre Plateau. With the combined aims of enhancing the resiliency of the forest, supporting the existing local timber industry, expanding forest product utilization, adding jobs and stimulating local economies, and offsetting the costs of forest management, this effort offers an excellent opportunity to integrate achievement of environmental, social and economic goals.

 

Opportunities for Utilization: There is an opportunity and a need for non-commercial woody biomass to be utilized for renewable energy and/or other products.  This utilization will help to offset the cost of necessary forest management efforts, while supporting existing forest product industry and assisting potential new industry.  A supply assessment is needed to collaboratively ascertain the amount of active management that is ecologically necessary and the volume of timber/woody biomass that could be sustainably supplied from these treatments.  This information will then be used to determine the appropriate scope and scale of industry development. 

The GMUG, along with participants from the biomass workgroup, were recently selected for a $250,000 grant from the Rocky Mountain Research Station to complete the assessment, which will inform investments in new bioenergy infrastructure, as well as quantify climate change mitigation potential of biomass utilization on the Plateau.

Project Participants:

• U.S. Forest Service – Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests
• Bureau of Land Management – Uncompahgre Field Office
• Colorado Division of Wildlife
• Colorado State Forest Service
• Conservation Groups
• Utility and Energy Company Representatives
• Local Counties
• Forest Product Industry
• Colorado Forest Restoration Institute – Colorado State University
• Uncompahgre Partership

To learn more about the effort, click on the image below to download the executive summary.

Broad Agreement for Large-Scale Treatments: Many forest types on the Plateau have been altered by human and natural disturbances. Recent collaborative scientific studies have found that some of the Plateau’s forests are outside of historic patterns of structure and composition, thereby increasing potential for high intensity wildfire, and insect and disease  damage. There is broad agreement that active management is needed on significant portions of the Plateau to maintain and restore ecosystems, increasing their resiliency to future disturbances such as fire and climate change while protecting or enhancing watershed health for maintenance of fresh water flows. 

To learn more about the process, click here to download a USFS presentation.

Draft Project Objectives:

• Continue to work collaboratively to maintain an open and transparent process for developing the supply assessment.
• By assessing the desired conditions of the Plateau, determine the areas that are in need of restoration/fuels treatments. 
• Determine which of these areas are appropriate for biomass utilization, in addition to those areas already identified as suitable for commercial timber production.
• Based on estimated restoration and fuels treatment actions required to maintain or restore desired conditions, determine the volume of timber/woody biomass that the Plateau can sustainably supply.
• Determine the current and necessary capacities of the land management agencies to plan, administer and implement needed restoration and stewardship projects.
• Ensure the assessment provides the information required for industry representatives to assess the economic viability of various biomass utilization techniques and new long-term infrastructure investment.
• Produce a supply assessment that is realistic and as beneficial as possible to all parties involved.
• By identifying areas on the Plateau that are in need of restoration/fuels treatments, the assessment will facilitate broad-scale planning and implementation of ecosystem restoration activities that will produce benefits across a significant landscape.  Specifically, the assessment will aid in:
• Enhancing the resiliency, diversity and productivity of the native ecosystems of the Plateau.
• Enhancing wildlife corridors and recreational areas on the Plateau.
• Conducting actions that would provide ecosystem adaptations against climate change impacts, and climate change mitigation through increased carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction (e.g., reduced wildfire emissions and replacement of fossil fuels with carbon-neutral substitutes).
• Providing treatments that will protect or enhance watershed health and maintain fresh water flows.
• Reducing future wildfire management costs, and reestablishing natural fire regimes where appropriate.
• Supporting and increasing forest-based industry to maintain or add jobs in the local economy.