Woody Biomass
Woody Biomass Utilization Grant (WBUG) The Tribe received a United States Department of Agriculture Grant for $250,000 to provide a method of removing woody biomass (slash) from the remains of logging operations throughout the region. The equipment was purchased in August, which includes a Peterbilt tractor, Stellar hook lift system, 11 containers, a container trailer, and 7 hook lift log bunks. The project is up and running.
The Tribe has collaborated with Roseburg Forest Products at their “Big Jones” site. The work started in October and will run through April. The Tribe is also cutting trees on the Chua-Cla-She 3 unit where the contract logger is working with us to remove the slash from our forest.
The slash (wood chunks & branches) is loaded into the 70 cubic yard containers. The hook lift system hoists the container on to the truck where it is transported to a collection site. The site is located on Highway 42. The 4-acre site will continue to receive material until it is nearly full. The Tribe will contract out a grinding company that will process the slash through a grinder to create a marketable product called Hog Fuel. This fuel will be loaded into a chip truck and delivered to Dillard, Oregon to supply fuel to a boiler that produces steam and electricity that powers the Roseburg Forest Products mill.
This project is the first attempt to remove slash from the forest with container technology in this County. The technology is proven in Montana, Washington and California. The grant is period is for three years. We will ultimately be working on Forest Service land. Currently the Forest service does not have a timber sale in process to utilize the equipment.
The projects main goals are to reduce the environmental harm of burning slash into the earth’s atmosphere, remove the cost of burning slash piles, and provide clean green energy to a biomass plant. The project is supposed to self-sustain itself from revenue received from the sale of slash. An extensive monitoring plan is in place to document the project that we will report to the Tribe and the Forest Service grantor.
