Abstract
In this study, we estimated the technoeconomic availability of three types of dead trees, namely commercially fallen, normally fallen, and standing, in Mongolian subgroups. For dead trees of three major Mongolian tree species (Siberian larch, Scotch pine, and Asian white birch), lumber, firewood, and unused material as sources of energy were quantified and operational costs (marking, felling, skidding, transporting, loading/unloading, processing, and stumpage prices) were estimated. As a result, most Mongolian subgroups were profitable and suitable for the harvest of unused materials. Moreover, unused materials of dead trees can substitute nearly 5.45 million tons of coal, although it is not sufficient to meet the 0.6 years of coal demand across Mongolia. However, in some places, unused dead wood materials can completely substitute coal for decades. Therefore, although the heat utilization of woody biomass is not suitable for Mongolia as a whole, it is feasible in specific regions where forest resources are abundant, such as some Mongolian sub-provinces. Promoting the use of dead trees can reduce the risk of damage caused by wildfires and pests, which are serious problems in Mongolia, and keep the forests healthy. Furthermore, unused materials can generate new income opportunities, and the forest land can be well prepared by removing dead trees to promote planting for sustainable forest management. Finally, dead trees can be used as a resource until transition to sustainable forests with living trees.
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source of energy at each sub-provincial center
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Data availability statement
Restrictions apply to the availability of these data. Data was obtained from the Government of Mongolia and are available with the permission of the Government of Mongolia.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to forest unit staff and engineers of private companies in the Khuvsgul province in Mongolia.
Funding
A part of this study was financially supported by the JSPS KAKENHI grant number 16KK0168 and the M-JEED program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Sports, Mongolia.
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BB: conceptualization, methodology, writing–original draft. YI: software, validation, visualization. HS: methodology, software. GC: resources, data curation. FI: resources, data curation, fund acquisition. KA: supervision, writing–review and editing, project administration, fund acquisition.
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Battuvshin, B., Ikeda, Y., Shirasawa, H. et al. Estimating available unused dead wood materials for heat generation in Mongolia: how much coal can unused dead wood materials substitute?. Environ Monit Assess 194, 291 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-09941-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-09941-6