Table 8 Biomass retention topics addressed in forest biomass harvesting guidelines, as percent occurrence in 21 North American and 10 European jurisdictions or regions

Evaluate

Indicator

 Site/soil

67

70

 Existing DWM^b

33

30

 Dominant species

19

30

 Forest management objectives (e.g. harvest frequency and intensity, regeneration)

57

30

What to retain

Pre-harvest—live material

 Live decaying, or cavity trees, or nest trees

62

50

 Mast trees

48

30

 Den trees

43

10

 Residual patches of trees

48

40

 Residual trees (distribution, etc., not specified)

10

30

Pre-harvest—dead material

 Snags

86

60

 Cut snags

48

0

 CWD,^c logs

76

60

 FWD^d

57

30

 Forest floor or litter

86

20

Post-harvest^e

 Harvest residue

100

70

 FWD

90

50

 CWD, DWM, woody debris, logs

57

30

 Stumps and coarse roots

90

70

How to retain

 Harvest after leaf drop

57

30

 Let foliage "cure" before removing biomass

14

40

 Lengthen rotations

38

40

 Partial cut or thinning

48

60

 Remove stems only

52

60

 Retain normal breakage from harvest

19

10

 Return residue from roadside

38

0

 Distribute residue on-site or increase residue amounts

95

50