Potential of Utilizing Woody Biomass from Satoyama Woods on Plateaus Assessed by the Estimation of Harvesting and Collecting Costs

Abstract

Satoyama woods,abandoned widely due to the loss of economic viability, are becoming to be reevaluated as a renewal resource of carbon neutral energy. For enhancing the feasibility of woody biomass utilization,reducing the costs for harvesting and collecting biomass should not be overlooked. It is generally recognized that satoyama woods on plateaus have certain cost advantages in harvesting biomass, compared to forests in mountains, because of the flat terrain. However, the woods may have disadvantages in collecting biomass due to their small and scattered distribution patterns. By having satoyama woods in Chiba Prefecture (plateau) and woods in Saitama Prefecture (mountain), this study first demonstrates that woods on plateaus have advantages in the total cost for harvesting and collecting biomass compared to forests in mountains, and then estimates how the cost can be further reduced by a scheme which combines scrap woods and biomass from woods.The result successfully indicates that woods on plateaus have an advantage in the total cost of harvesting and collecting biomass compared to forests in mountains, however the scheme to combine scrap woods can only be effective when applied to urban areas.