Wood Energy Plantation Economics in the Great Plains

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Abstract
Short‐rotation intensive culture (SRIC) is a method of producing wood energy feedstocks that is potentially competitive with conventional wood sources in eastern Kansas. Silver maple is used as a representative energy species to examine alternative cutting cycles and planting densities. The sensitivity of discounted average cost is also evaluated with respect to changes in biomass productivity and to changes in production and harvesting costs. The results show that SRIC wood feedstocks can be grown, harvested, and delivered at costs approaching $50/dry tonne. This cost is nearly competitive with prices of delivered wood chips from conventional forest sources in eastern Kansas.