Table 12 Summary of recommendations from reviews of forest biomass harvesting guidelines (see detailed recommendations and their sources in Additional file 2: Tables ST-10 and ST-11)

Rationale (Why?)

Articulate the need for unique guidelines

a. Produce environmentally and socially sustainable forest biomass feedstock for the bioeconomy

Identify benefits of management for forest biomass to forest landowners, forestry and society

a. Reduced risks from damaging agents

b. Reduced costs of site preparation

c. Incentive to maintain land in forestry

d. Increase ecologically based management of forests

e. Additional income stream

f. Recover energy and decrease fossil C emissions

Identify benefits of comprehensive guidelines on public and market perception

a. Build public confidence in biomass harvesting

b. Proactive and provides opportunity for voluntary action

c. Demonstrate commitment to sustainability

Anticipate changing global policy issues

a. Access to international markets (importation standards, regulations)

b. Third-party, market-driven certification

c. How impacts are evaluated (e.g. life-cycle analysis)

Scope (Who, what, where?)

Define breadth of guidelines

a. Land ownership

b. User groups

c. Type of biomass (e.g. tree tops and branches only, stumps, purpose-grown SRIC plantations)

d. Ecosystem and cultural components to protect

Define guideline relationship to existing policy

General SFM guidelines, BMPs, and regulations

Decide if voluntary or mandatory

Ensure guideline jurisdiction is appropriate for implementing, monitoring, enforcement, updating

Development (How?)

Begin consulting with broad range of stakeholders early in guideline development

Forest managers, operators, landowners, eNGOs, Indigenous peoples, public

Consolidate information from existing SFM manuals for jurisdiction

Base guidelines on appropriate scientific research

Acknowledge uncertainties and gaps in knowledge and formulate recommendations accordingly

Interpret knowledge within context of local ecosystems and experience

Refer to guidelines from other jurisdictions, but not uncritically

Use peer-review process during guideline development

Make guidelines clear, practical and flexible, allowing for professional judgement when required

Components

Consider how to organize information

For manuals, use sidebars, indices, references for ancillary information and links to regulations

Consider different emphases, depending on user

Emphasize "how" for operator vs. "where" and "why" for forest managers, planners, etc., vs. "why" for public

Define all important terms

a. Biomass-related terms, e.g. CWD

b. Sensitive ecosystems

c. Soil characteristics, e.g. "erodible"

Articulate the benefits of retaining some dead wood

a. Habitat

b. Soil quality, minimizing erosion and runoff

c. C sequestration

d. Fuel management

Clarify how to identify soils and/or sites sensitive to intensified biomass removal

Define key characteristics, use of integrated field-based site tools, use of soil series and mapping, modelling, etc.

Set appropriate retention levels for biomass and sites; be clear how values were determined

a. Amounts

b. Types

c. Distribution

Provide operational guidance in retaining biomass

Format

Paper manual vs. digital manual

Extension, Continuing education

Use in-person meetings and digital media for extension

a. Field tours, workshops

b. Webinars, YouTube videos, etc., especially for specific operational issues

Updating

Monitor and update through adaptive management approaches

a. Systematic surveys for implementation and for effectiveness (e.g. as for BMP evaluations)

b. Small-scale operational research ("twin-plot" approach, etc.)

c. Update review of scientific literature