Abstract
Large amounts of woody residues and wood waste are generated annually in the United States. In 2002, an estimated 240 million metric tons was generated during the extraction of timber from the Nation’s forests, from forestry cultural operations, in the conversion of forest land to nonforest uses, in the initial processing of roundwood timber into usable products, in the construction and demolition of buildings and structures, and in the manufacture, use, and disposal of solid wood products. Much of this material is indeed waste, but increasingly large shares are becoming valuable resources. The major sources of waste wood are timber harvesting and processing residues, which include woody forest residues and primary timber processing mill residues, and urban wood waste, which includes construction and demolition (C&D) waste and municipal solid waste (MSW). Each type of waste wood differs in recyclability. Timber harvesting and processing generated nearly 178 million metric tons of woody residues in 2002, with 86 million metric tons being unused and deemed available for recovery. In comparison, urban waste wood in the MSW and C&D waste streams generated 63 million metric tons of waste wood, with 27 million metric tons remaining unused and deemed available for recovery. These estimates are based on published waste generation rates and recoverability, measures of economic activity, and trends in virgin wood use in specific markets. Waste wood from other lesser sources and debris from catastrophic natural events, which may be disposed of outside the primary waste streams, are not included in this report.
Keywords
Forest residues,
mill residues,
municipal solid wood waste,
construction and demolition wood waste,
wood recycling
Citation
McKeever, David B. 2004. Inventories of woody residues and solid wood waste in the United States, 2002. The Ninth International Conference on Inorganic-Bonded Composite Materials Conference, October 10-13, 2004 ... Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada CD-ROM . Moscow, ID : University of Idaho, c2004: 12 pages
