Forest Operations & Biomass Utilization
Forest operations apply a variety of forest harvesting systems and processes to achieve sustainable forest management. Traditionally, wood production has been the main objective of forest harvesting and transportation operations, supplying raw materials (i.e., logs and wood chips) to the forest products manufacturing sector. While this is still an important objective today, forest operations are being used more as a tool to accomplish the goals of forest restoration.
Some forest restoration goals are:
- restoration of ecosystem function and stand condition improvement
- controlling the spread of insects and pests
- enhancement of wildlife/fish habitats and biodiversity
- increased watery quality, yield, and supply
- removal and utilization of non-native species
- wildland fire hazard reduction
Small-diameter trees and forest residues, referred to as “biomass,” generated as a result of fire hazard reduction thinning and restoration treatments currently have little economic use. Converting this biomass into high-value products and efficiently marketing them for revenue is key to solving the fire hazard problem not only in Arizona, but throughout much of the western US. One of the main priorities for the Forest Operations and Biomass Utilization unit at ERI is to assist in the development of forest products manufacturing facilities that increase the value of manufactured products from small-diameter trees and biomass. To see existing forest products manufacturing facilities in Arizona and New Mexico, visit our Forest Industry Locator Map.
Working Paper: Opportunities for Application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Restoration of Pinyon-Juniper Ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau
Pinyon-juniper (PJ) savannas, woodlands, and shrublands of the Colorado Plateau are of major importance, not only as habitat for plant and animal species, but also to local human communities for goods, services, and cultural values, both traditionally and contemporarily. Although an exhaustive ethnobotanical analysis of the flora of the Colorado Plateau has not been conducted, general descriptions of uses and values of more common species in these PJ ecosystems are found in the published literature. Chronic drought, wildfire, and severe insect outbreaks, along with anthropogenic stressors such as intensive livestock grazing, clearing, modifications of fire regimes, and spread of invasive species, have substantially altered ecosystem structure and function. In response, public land managers have called for renewed focus on pinyon-juniper conservation and restoration. Successful management of these systems will target actions that assist recovery of ecological function while simultaneously engaging local human communities, particularly Indigenous nations, that have strong, multigenerational connections to the ecosystem.
Positive drought feedbacks increase tree mortality risk in dry woodlands of the US Southwest
Global increases in temperature and aridity are driving extreme droughts that severely impact dryland ecosystems operating at the margins of plant tolerance. Focusing on the pinyon–juniper woodlands of the US Southwest, researchers used a long-term monitoring network to analyze how recurrent droughts influence tree mortality. Between 1998 and 2023, tree density and stand basal area declined substantially. Since 2014, tree mortality has outpaced new recruitment, and nearly half of the surviving trees have experienced crown dieback. While tree size influenced environmental responses, and local factors like soil organic matter and mycorrhizal fungi provided a protective buffer, the cumulative stress altered woodland demographics. Consequently, these shifts triggered a 28.2% increase in future mortality risk for surviving trees across species. Recurrent droughts have effectively overcome the ecosystem’s natural resilience, proving that consecutive climate events compound long-term vulnerability rather than allowing the system to stabilize.