Production costs for first rotation biomass plantations

Abstract A series of short rotation Populus plantations involving alternate management strategies were evaluated in terms of the financial and energy costs required in the production process. The plantations used hybrid poplar NE-388 ( Populus maximowiczii × trichocarpa ), a tree spacing of 0·6 m × 0·8 m and a rotation length of 4 years. Four production strategies (control, irrigation, fertilization, and fertilization-irrigation) were employed on sites representing favorable and unfavorable growing conditions. The production costs were based on a proposed commercial design involving a plantation unit of 924 hectares, with 4 such units providing a sustainable supply of biomass. The control strategy on the better site was least expensive, with base stumpage costs of $28·71 Mg −1 ovendry (od). The addition of fertilizer on the better site increased the financial costs for the product by 24·0% and the energy costs by 5·4%. Irrigation on the better site more than tripled the financial costs for the stumpage product and caused a 20·6% increase in its energy costs.