In this study the moisture content of Norway spruce stump wood after harvesting was examined. The material was collected immediately after harvesting at the clear cutting area and after different drying times at the roadside storage sites. Immediately after harvesting the average moisture content of stump wood (wet basis) was 53 %. The stump wood dried fairly fast during spring and summer being 31 % one month after stump harvesting. If the stumps dried well a once in the summer, water absorption was fairly slow in the autumn. Each spring and summer the moisture content of the stumps was lower than during the previous year. The moisture content of stump wood followed an upwards opening parabola over a one year period and was repeated each year. Annually the lowest moisture content was observed at the beginning of July and the highest at both the beginning and the end of the year. Three years after harvesting the heating value of the stump wood at the storage was still 5.2 MWh/ton. On the whole, the stumps at the forest roadside storage sites were combustible at any point during the three year period except a one month drying period immediately after harvesting. The original research article: “Laurila, J. & Lauhanen, R. 2010. Moisture Content of Norway Spruce Stump Wood at Clear Cutting Areas and Roadside Storage Sites” is in print (Silva Fennica a Journal of Forest Science vol. 44(3), 2010).
Keywords: bioenergy, harvesting, moisture content, Norway spruce, stump wood
Authors
Laurila J.
Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, School of Agriculture and Forestry, Ähtäri
Lauhanen R.
Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, School of Agriculture and Forestry, Ähtäri
Login to download the PDF