Integration of bioenergy strategies into forest management scenarios for Crown land in New Brunswick, Canada

About 70% (110 PJ) of energy used in New Brunswick is sourced from fossil fuels, and its high cost and uncertain long-term supply have renewed interest in bioenergy production. To evaluate opportunities for sourcing bioenergy from the forest, we integrated bioenergy and timber production into a forest estate model and evaluated joint production scenarios for 3.3 million hectares of Crown land in New Brunswick over a 100-year horizon. Scenarios included maximizing timber or bioenergy production under three timing preferences (expressed as discount rates) and various combinations of harvest residues, pulpwood biomass, and willow (Salix spp.) plantations. Under scenarios that allocated 66% of harvest residues and 30% of pulpwood to bioenergy production, maximizing discounted (8%) timber or bioenergy, respectively, generated average timber harvests of 6.51 and 6.26 Mm3·year–1 and bioenergy outputs equivalent to 30% and 32% of provincial fossil fuel consumption. Introducing 40 000 ha of willow plantations unde...