Table 8 Biomass retention topics addressed in forest biomass harvesting guidelines, as percent occurrence in 21 North American and 10 European jurisdictions or regions
From: Sustainable forest biomass: a review of current residue harvesting guidelines
| Indicator, component to retain, or actiona | North America | Europe |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluate | ||
| Indicator | ||
| Site/soil | 67 | 70 |
| Existing DWMb | 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 |
| FWDd | 57 | 30 |
| Forest floor or litter | 86 | 20 |
| Post-harveste | ||
| 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 |