Over the past two years, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have been modeling to understand the costs and benefits of thinning forests and the potential for improving habitat, yielding benefits not only for the environment, but also for the economy.
The Tripling Effect
Decision models linking process-based and biological models are powerful tools for determining how forest management can simultaneously produce biofuels and help restore at-risk salmonids. Beyond supplying biomass and salmon, selectively thinning Northwest forests also has a third benefit—reducing the risk of intense wildfires. The resulting decision support framework provides a valuable resource for wildlife managers by identifying locations where forest restoration will yield significant biomass while reducing wildfire risk, improving the timing of runoff, and helping threatened and endangered species.
Thinning scenarios that restore threatened and endangered species while lowering the risk of high-intensity fires creates a triple win scenario—and that’s good news for the biomass industry. Forest restoration efforts in the Pacific Northwest can tap into an international biomass market capable of purchasing pellets from a region largely new to the biomass industry, increasing American competitiveness.
Modeling Complex Systems
Thinning can be part of an effective forest management strategy. The Wenatchee basin has experienced significant changes over the past century, with historical open forest and grasses growing into fuel-rich dense forest. Low to the ground thinning of dry/moist forest to harvest small-diameter trees enables the remaining trees to grow stronger. Thinning also influences hydrology by creating gaps in the forest canopy, storing more snow. This snow melts later in spring and summer.
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