Fraser Basin Council
Home  |  CONTACT US: Offices AND Staff  |  Site Map
header_image

BC CLEAR Projects 2012-2013 (funding start dates) > Quantifying Emissions Reductions by Using Mastication Treatment for Ecosystem Restoration Projects in the Rocky Mountain Trench: A Market and Non-Market Cost-Benefit Approach

Quantifying Emissions Reductions by Using Mastication Treatment for Ecosystem Restoration Projects in the Rocky Mountain Trench: A Market and Non-Market Cost-Benefit Approach

posted on 7:17 PM, July 6, 2016

Project Leader: Dan Murphy

bcclear_project_mastication_rotaryblade.jpg

Don Cook (photo left) changes a tooth on a rotary mulching head during a project that tested mastication as a means of reducing GHGs and particulate emissions.

Airsheds are under increasing pressure to meet air quality standards across BC, and the Rocky Mountain Trench region is an airshed in which there are challenges meeting air quality targets. The study will contribute to air quality management by testing whether mastication (a mechanical means of small-diameter tree removal whereby the wood is chopped into a woody mulch ground cover) can reduce GHGs and particulate emissions at a lower cost than the predominant ecosystem restoration (ER) methods (mechanical and hand slashing removal of small diameter trees along with open burning).

Currently, mechanical and hand slashing removal of small diameter trees along with follow-up piling (either by hand or mechanical means) and follow-up open burning are the standard ER practices used across BC. The project will estimate the emissions produced by mastication treatments versus traditional ER methods and thereby determine the net emissions reduction potential for increasing the use of mastication as a prescribed tool for ER treatments. The project team will determine the market and non-market net benefits of using mastication through a cost-benefit analysis, and the results from this project will help support best forest management practices.

Read the final report.

About the Fraser Basin Council

The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is a charitable non-profit organization that brings people together to advance sustainability in British Columbia.

Where We Work

We are grateful to live and work on the unceded ancestral territories of the Indigenous Nations of British Columbia.

Our Vision

Social well-being supported by a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy environment.

Strategic Priorities

At the Fraser Basin Council, our strategic priorities are to take action on climate change, support healthy watersheds and water resources, and build sustainable and resilient communities.

With our partners, we work on a range of collaborative, multi-sector initiatives, such as those focused on flood management, community wildfire planning, air quality improvement, energy-efficient buildings, green transportation (including the uptake of electric vehicles and expansion of charging infrastructure), watershed planning and youth-driven climate action projects.

FBC Program Sites

Plug in BC:
www.pluginbc.ca

Emotive:
www.emotivebc.ca

ReTooling for Climate Change:
www.retooling.ca

FBC Youth:
fbcyouthprogram.ca

Climate Action Toolkit:
www.toolkit.bc.ca 

Salmon-Safe BC
www.salmonsafe.ca

Realizing UNDRIP Initiative
www.realizingundrip.ca

Contact Us

FBC staff work from our Vancouver, Kamloops, Williams Lake and Prince George offices, and from several other locations.

To reach us, see FBC Offices and FBC Staff or contact our administration office:

Fraser Basin Council
1st Floor, 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V5

T: 604 488-5350

E: