Biomass from Logging
Residue and Mill Residue
in East Texas, 2005
By
Weihuan Xu, Ph.D., Principal Economist
Burl Carraway, Assistant Department Head
Sustainable Forestry & Economic Development
May 2007
Introduction
The abundance of woody biomass from East Texas forests offers a valuable potential for
use as a renewable energy resource or for chemical extraction. This report represents the
most current data on the availability of woody biomass in the form of logging and mill
residue in East Texas. Residue data estimates are based on a mill survey conducted by
the Texas Forest Service (Xu, 2006) and a wood utilization study published by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Bentley and Johnson, 2004). The 43 East
Texas counties, delineated by Northeast and Southeast regions, form the scope of this
study, (Figure 1).
1
Logging Residue
Types of logging residue include stumps, tops, limbs and unutilized cull trees. Stump
residue, the part of the tree that is lower than the cutting point and thus left after the
harvesting operation, is generally not available commercially since the cost of obtaining
the stump or root biomass is likely prohibitive. Tops refer to the tops of the trees that are
either broken during harvesting or are cut off the central stem of the tree due to a
merchantability standard. Limbs refer to the branches of the trees. Cull trees are the
trees that cannot be used to produce saw logs due to defects, rot, or form. Some cull trees
are used as pulpwood and others are left unutilized as a part of logging residue. Tops,
limbs, and unutilized cull trees are the logging residue that is potentially available as
biomass for energy production or chemical extraction.
Table 1 shows the logging residue available in East Texas. A total of 3.8 million tons of
logging residue was generated in 2005, 67 percent from softwood and 33 percent from
hardwood. Tops, limbs, and cull trees account for 3.1 million tons, while 0.7 million tons
is from stumps.
Logging residue by county in Northeast Texas is presented in Table 3. Northeast Texas
produced 1.7 million tons of logging residue, 44 percent of the East Texas total. Fiftyfive percent of the logging residue from Northeast Texas is from softwood and 45 percent
is from hardwood. Tops, limbs, and cull trees account for 1.4 million tons, while 0.3
million tons is from stumps. Cass, Nacogdoches, Harrison, Panola and Upshur counties
are the top five producers of logging residue in Northeast Texas.
Logging residue by county in Southeast Texas is presented in Table 4. Southeast Texas
produced 2.2 million tons of logging residue, 56 percent of the East Texas total. Seventyseven percent of the logging residue from Southeast Texas is from softwood and 23
percent is from hardwood. Tops, limbs, and cull trees account for 1.8 million tons, while
0.4 million tons is from stumps. Polk, Jasper, Hardin, Angelina and Tyler counties are
the top five producers of logging residue in Southeast Texas.
Mill Residue
Mill residue, including chips, sawdust, shavings and bark, is generated in the process of
producing primary wood products. The major primary wood products produced in East
Texas include lumber, plywood, veneer, OSB, chips, and posts/poles. Figure 2 depicts
the mill residue types from producing primary wood products. Chips as a primary
product are produced from pulpwood roundwood while residue chips are produced from
the tops of sawlogs that are used for producing lumber, veneer, or plywood. Sawdust is
produced from sawing lumber from sawlogs and shavings are produced from lumber
surfacing. All primary products have bark as mill residue.
There was a total of 6.3 million tons of mill residue produced in East Texas in 2005, with
85 percent from softwood and 15 percent from hardwood, (Table 2). Chips account for
2
52 percent of the total mill residue, followed by bark at 34 percent. Sawdust and
shavings account for 8 percent and 6 percent respectively, of the total mill residue
produced.
Northeast Texas mills produced 2.3 million tons of mill residue, representing 37 percent
of the East Texas total, (Table 5). Seventy-three percent of the mill residue from
Northeast mills was from softwood and 27 percent was from hardwood. Bowie,
Nacogdoches Rusk, Cass, and Marion counties represent the top five mill residue
producers in Northeast Texas.
Southeast Texas mills produced 4.0 million tons of residue, which represents 63 percent
of the East Texas total, (Table 6). Ninety-one percent of the mill residue from Southeast
Texas mills was from softwood and 9 percent was from hardwood. Sabine, Angelina,
Polk, Jasper and Liberty counties are the top five producers of mill residue in Southeast
Texas.
Conclusion
East Texas has substantial biomass in the form of logging and mill residue. Except for
stumps, all other biomass from logging and mill residue is available for energy
production or chemical extraction. Most of the logging residue in East Texas has not
been marketed for competing uses and is left at the logging sites. However, nearly all of
East Texas mill residue has already been marketed for competing uses, such as chips for
pulping, sawdust, shavings and bark for fuel or landscaping. It is important to note that
logging residue is generated on logging sites, while mill residue is produced in mills.
Therefore, county logging residue amounts are associated with the timber harvests
occurring within a county, while county mill residue totals are associated with the amount
and types of primary forest products produced within a county. Additionally, part of the
mill residue could be generated from wood shipped to Texas mills from other states.
References
Bentley, James W.; Johnson, Tony G. 2004. Eastern Texas harvest and utilization study,
2003. Resource Bulletin SRS–97. Asheville, N.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Southern Research Station.
Xu, Weihuan. 2006. Harvest trends, 2005. College Station: Texas Forest Service.
3
Figure 2. Mill Residue from Producing Primary Wood Products in East Texas.
Primary
Product
Chips
Sawdust
Shavings
Bark
Lumber
x
x
x
x
Veneer
x
x
Plywood
x
x
OSB
x
Chips
x
Posts/Poles
x
4
Table 1. Logging Residue in East Texas, 2005
unit: ton
Stump
Top/Limb
Unused Cull
Total
Residue
Available
Residue
Region
Species Group
Northeast
Softwood
Hardwood
All
173,782
130,583
304,365
548,136
421,026
969,162
199,386
202,111
401,497
921,304
753,720
1,675,024
747,522
623,137
1,370,659
Southeast
Softwood
Hardwood
All
312,310
89,168
401,478
990,281
283,588
1,273,869
365,144
128,609
493,753
1,667,735
501,365
2,169,100
1,355,425
412,197
1,767,622
East
Softwood
Hardwood
All
486,092
219,751
705,843
1,538,417
704,614
2,243,031
564,530
330,720
895,250
2,589,039
1,255,085
3,844,124
2,102,947
1,035,334
3,138,281
Table 2. Mill Residue in East Texas, 2005
unit: ton
Region
Species Group
Northeast
Softwood
Hardwood
All
Southeast
East
Chips
Sawdust
Shavings
882,419
177,191
1,059,610
134,408
109,558
243,967
128,564
17,550
146,114
542,913
327,833
870,746
1,688,304
632,132
2,320,436
Softwood
Hardwood
All
2,143,474
73,489
2,216,964
238,829
46,298
285,127
228,445
7,416
235,862
1,034,536
219,006
1,253,543
3,645,285
346,210
3,991,495
Softwood
Hardwood
All
3,025,893
250,681
3,276,574
373,237
155,857
529,094
357,010
24,966
381,976
1,577,450
546,839
2,124,288
5,333,589
978,342
6,311,932
5
Bark
Total
Table 3. Logging Residue by county in Northeast Texas, 2005
unit: ton
Softwood
County
Anderson
Bowie
Camp
Cass
Cherokee
Franklin
Gregg
Harrison
Henderson
Marion
Morris
Nacogdoches
Panola
Red River
Rusk
Shelby
Smith
Titus
Upshur
Van Zandt
Wood
Northeast Total
Stump
8,093
6,755
1,347
24,956
11,061
222
1,724
18,962
647
6,699
2,941
20,175
20,434
7,973
11,685
14,675
4,219
724
8,194
145
2,152
173,782
Top/Limb
26,248
22,145
4,415
77,475
34,590
652
5,394
59,801
2,002
22,389
9,706
65,394
61,605
21,374
37,296
46,456
14,043
2,648
27,718
545
6,240
548,136
Unused Cull
10,231
8,849
1,764
27,009
12,301
193
1,921
21,746
693
9,335
3,938
25,452
19,715
4,201
13,983
17,059
5,805
1,308
11,853
279
1,750
199,386
Hardwood
Total
44,572
37,750
7,525
129,439
57,951
1,067
9,039
100,508
3,342
38,423
16,585
111,021
101,754
33,548
62,963
78,190
24,067
4,680
47,765
970
10,142
921,304
Stump
5,978
10,894
988
16,719
8,468
352
2,863
10,031
3,832
8,657
3,391
9,058
6,372
8,793
4,883
3,230
5,060
5,718
12,555
435
2,306
130,583
Top/Limb
20,379
33,428
3,183
51,806
28,856
1,315
10,270
31,838
12,649
27,916
10,311
30,322
20,522
27,322
17,252
10,382
17,046
17,991
39,541
1,625
7,072
421,026
6
Unused Cull
11,912
12,779
1,520
20,823
16,844
979
6,931
14,312
6,637
13,406
3,751
16,707
9,811
11,135
11,186
4,924
9,596
7,781
17,173
1,210
2,695
202,111
All Species
Total
38,270
57,101
5,691
89,347
54,168
2,646
20,064
56,181
23,118
49,980
17,452
56,088
36,706
47,250
33,322
18,535
31,701
31,490
69,268
3,269
12,073
753,720 #
Stump
14,071
17,649
2,335
41,675
19,529
573
4,587
28,993
4,479
15,357
6,332
29,234
26,805
16,766
16,568
17,904
9,278
6,442
20,749
580
4,458
304,365
Top/Limb
46,628
55,574
7,597
129,280
63,446
1,968
15,664
91,638
14,651
50,305
20,017
95,717
82,128
48,696
54,548
56,838
31,089
20,639
67,258
2,169
13,312
969,162
Unused Cull
Total
22,143
82,842
21,628
94,851
3,284
13,216
47,831
218,786
29,145
112,120
1,173
3,714
8,852
29,103
36,058
156,688
7,331
26,460
22,742
88,403
7,688
34,038
42,159
167,109
29,526
138,459
15,336
80,798
25,169
96,286
21,983
96,725
15,401
55,768
9,089
36,170
29,026
117,033
1,489
4,239
4,445
22,215
401,497 1,675,024
Table 4. Logging Residue by county in Southeast Texas, 2005
unit: ton
Softwood
County
Angelina
Chambers
Grimes
Hardin
Harris
Houston
Jasper
Jefferson
Leon
Liberty
Madison
Montgomery
Newton
Orange
Polk
Sabine
San Augustine
San Jacinto
Trinity
Tyler
Walker
Waller
Southeast Total
Stump
25,587
6,355
2,227
27,360
3,682
15,003
42,997
895
756
14,376
170
11,168
25,561
2,211
43,269
12,438
11,858
13,383
15,332
23,267
14,231
183
312,310
Top/Limb
81,915
17,596
7,592
78,097
13,289
47,803
127,248
3,102
2,761
45,327
641
41,630
78,966
7,839
132,760
38,486
37,868
48,853
47,259
77,753
52,868
627
990,281
Unused Cull
30,940
4,083
3,299
20,644
6,420
17,844
38,362
1,391
1,360
16,471
333
21,205
27,155
3,672
44,772
13,294
14,216
24,058
16,149
32,416
26,784
275
365,144
Hardwood
Total
138,442
28,034
13,118
126,101
23,391
80,649
208,607
5,389
4,877
76,175
1,144
74,003
131,682
13,722
220,802
64,218
63,942
86,293
78,741
133,436
93,883
1,086
1,667,735
Stump
6,568
4,453
111
11,499
2,073
6,209
7,058
341
1,117
13,389
133
1,864
3,429
1,981
7,374
3,324
6,690
1,756
2,656
6,748
386
8
89,168
Top/Limb
21,972
13,438
335
35,980
6,533
19,642
22,489
1,077
3,764
43,553
394
5,995
11,696
6,358
22,625
10,389
20,719
5,553
8,702
21,186
1,162
25
283,588
7
Unused Cull
12,080
4,678
114
15,163
2,847
8,704
10,278
474
2,124
21,648
121
2,849
6,849
2,999
8,643
4,353
8,306
2,458
4,447
9,067
395
10
128,609
All Species
Total
40,620
22,569
560
62,642
11,453
34,555
39,826
1,891
7,005
78,590
649
10,708
21,974
11,338
38,643
18,067
35,715
9,767
15,805
37,001
1,943
43
501,365 #
Stump
32,156
10,808
2,338
38,859
5,755
21,212
50,056
1,236
1,873
27,765
303
13,032
28,990
4,191
50,644
15,762
18,548
15,138
17,988
30,015
14,618
191
401,478
Top/Limb
103,887
31,034
7,927
114,077
19,823
67,445
149,737
4,179
6,525
88,880
1,036
47,625
90,662
14,198
155,385
48,875
58,588
54,406
55,961
98,939
54,029
652
1,273,869
Unused Cull
Total
43,020
179,062
8,761
50,603
3,414
13,678
35,807
188,744
9,267
34,844
26,548
115,204
48,640
248,432
1,865
7,280
3,484
11,882
38,119
154,765
454
1,793
24,054
84,711
34,005
153,656
6,671
25,061
53,415
259,444
17,647
82,285
22,521
99,657
26,516
96,060
20,597
94,546
41,483
170,437
27,179
95,826
285
1,129
493,753 2,169,100
Table 5. Mill Residue by county in Northeast Texas, 2005
County
Anderson
Bowie
Camp
Cass
Cherokee
Franklin
Gregg
Harrison
Henderson
Marion
Morris
Nacogdoches
Panola
Red River
Rusk
Shelby
Smith
Titus
Upshur
Van Zandt
Wood
Northeast Total
Chips
242,138
124,581
8,154
65,500
183,030
215,215
41,008
529
2,265
882,419
Sawdust
36,882
18,976
1,242
9,977
27,879
32,781
6,246
81
345
134,408
Softwood
Shavings
35,278
18,151
1,188
9,543
26,667
31,356
5,975
77
330
128,564
Bark
124,448
37,888
3,250
18,218
71,038
116,484
82,840
312
59,861
20,516
7,427
630
542,913
Total
438,746
199,596
13,834
103,238
71,038
354,060
82,840
312
339,213
73,745
8,113
3,570
1,688,304
Chips
8,175
1,308
34,266
48,195
2,180
33,790
21,614
4,534
3,815
3,521
4,970
796
10,028
177,191
Sawdust
5,150
824
21,587
28,291
1,373
21,288
13,617
2,857
2,403
2,218
3,131
501
6,318
109,558
8
Hardwood
Shavings
825
132
3,458
4,532
220
3,410
2,181
458
385
355
502
80
1,012
17,550
Bark
4,500
179,426
64,080
25,002
1,200
18,600
11,897
2,496
2,100
1,938
2,736
8,337
5,520
327,833
Total
18,650
181,690
123,391
106,019
4,973
77,088
49,309
10,345
8,703
8,032
11,339
9,715
22,878
632,132
Chips
8,175
243,446
158,847
56,349
2,180
65,500
33,790
204,644
4,534
3,815
218,736
45,978
1,324
12,293
1,059,610
unit: ton
All Species
Sawdust Shavings
Bark
5,150
825
4,500
37,706
35,410
303,874
40,563
21,609
101,968
29,533
5,720
28,252
1,373
220
1,200
9,977
9,543
18,218
21,288
3,410
89,638
41,495
28,848
128,382
2,857
458
85,336
2,403
385
2,412
34,999
31,711
61,799
9,378
6,476
23,252
582
157
15,764
6,663
1,342
6,150
243,967
146,114
870,746
Total
18,650
620,436
322,987
119,853
4,973
103,238
148,125
403,369
93,185
9,015
347,245
85,084
17,828
26,448
2,320,436
Table 6. Mill Residue by county in Southeast Texas, 2005
County
Angelina
Chambers
Grimes
Hardin
Harris
Houston
Jasper
Jefferson
Leon
Liberty
Madison
Montgomery
Newton
Orange
Polk
Sabine
San Augustine
San Jacinto
Trinity
Tyler
Walker
Waller
Southeast Total
Chips
395,205
68,521
238,209
217,482
37,886
22,875
6,668
536,687
501,862
3,169
32,445
30,200
52,266
2,143,474
Sawdust
60,197
10,437
36,283
9,634
5,771
3,484
1,016
26,575
67,447
483
4,942
4,600
7,961
238,829
Softwood
Shavings
Bark
57,580
180,616
9,983
72,381
34,706
317,695
9,216
30,857
5,520
10,538
3,333
10,022
972
144,560
25,419
79,678
64,514
128,243
462
7,381
4,727
9,025
4,400
8,400
20,604
7,615
14,537
228,445 1,034,536
Total
693,597
161,322
626,893
267,189
59,714
39,713
153,215
668,360
762,065
11,495
51,139
47,600
20,604
82,379
3,645,285
Chips
5,109
28,499
10,651
7,412
7,085
1,601
924
5,668
6,540
73,489
Sawdust
3,219
17,954
6,710
4,670
4,464
1,008
582
3,571
4,120
46,298
9
Hardwood
Shavings
516
2,876
1,075
748
715
162
93
572
660
7,416
Bark
43,351
44,618
26,539
20,800
3,900
881
509
27,882
50,526
219,006
Total
52,195
93,948
44,975
33,629
16,164
3,652
2,109
37,693
61,846
346,210
Chips
400,314
97,020
248,859
224,894
37,886
29,960
6,668
538,288
502,786
8,837
32,445
30,200
6,540
52,266
2,216,964
unit: ton
All Species
Sawdust Shavings
Bark
63,416
58,095
223,967
28,391
12,859
116,999
42,993
35,781
344,234
14,304
9,964
51,657
5,771
5,520
10,538
7,948
4,048
13,922
1,016
972
144,560
27,583
25,581
80,560
68,029
64,607
128,751
4,054
1,034
35,263
4,942
4,727
9,025
4,600
4,400
8,400
4,120
660
71,130
7,961
7,615
14,537
285,127
235,862
1,253,543
Total
745,792
255,269
671,868
300,818
59,714
55,877
153,215
672,011
764,174
49,188
51,139
47,600
82,450
82,379
3,991,495