One of the most frequent questions about the Forest Biomass Business Center is straightforward: is there enough regional wood to sustain operations? The Beck Group analyzed local timber data in our new Biomass Supply Assessment to evaluate the regional resource base.
The primary finding: fiber volume is abundant. Long-term economics will depend on managing delivered costs.
A Six-County Resource Base
The assessment focused on the Camptonville Supply Area—Butte, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, and Yuba Counties. This area covers roughly 3 million acres of timberland containing an estimated 209 million bone-dry tons (BDT) of standing timber.
National Forest land accounts for roughly two-thirds of the acreage and three-quarters of the standing volume, with white fir, Douglas-fir, and pine as the dominant species. Regional growth currently exceeds harvest levels by 60% (a growth-to-drain ratio of 1.6), indicating an expanding wood inventory.
Annual Wood Availability
Under current management practices, the study estimates the region generates approximately 2.52 million BDT of practically available biomass annually across six primary streams:
Sawtimber: 1,380,000 BDT
Mill Residuals (chips, sawdust, bark): 557,000 BDT
Small-Diameter Roundwood: 235,000 BDT
Logging Slash: 184,000 BDT
Urban Wood Waste: 92,000 BDT
Agricultural Biomass: 75,000 BDT
Targeted thinning across roughly 330,000 acres of young plantation stands could yield an additional 60,000 to 240,000 BDT per year depending on treatment intensity.
Regional Surplus
Existing sawmills in the region consume roughly 1.08 million BDT of sawlogs annually, while biomass energy facilities and other fiber users account for another 332,500 BDT. Factoring in current demand, the region maintains an unutilized surplus of approximately 1.1 million BDT per year.
Cost Analysis by Material Type
While standing volume is sufficient, delivered costs vary significantly based on handling requirements, processing needs, and transport distances:
Agricultural Biomass ($33/BDT): Low harvesting costs; primary expenses are grinding and transport.
Urban Wood Waste ($35/BDT): Low cost, often offset by landfill tipping fee avoidance.
Small-Diameter Topwood ($45/BDT): Inexpensive handling compared to full stems.
Mill Residuals ($48/BDT): Low harvest cost, but subject to competitive regional bidding.
Logging Slash ($55/BDT): Requires on-site processing, grinding, and loading.
Sawtimber ($80/BDT): Standard commercial harvest pricing.
Small-Diameter Stems ($130/BDT): High labor and processing costs relative to total yield volume.
Transportation represents a major variable cost. With trucking rates averaging $110–$135 per hour and haul times ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours, proximity to the Dobbins site heavily influences site-level feedstock economics.
Strategic Takeaways
Utilizing Underused Streams: Small-diameter roundwood and logging slash are currently utilized at only 10% and 5% of their available potential, respectively. These secondary streams match the operational design of the campus.
Avoiding Sawlog Competition: Regional sawmills consume the majority of commercial merchantable timber. The campus is structured around residual streams and small-diameter logs outside primary sawmill specifications.
Supporting Regional Restoration: Providing a consistent off-take location for low-value material helps lower net treatment costs for forest health projects across the North Yuba watershed.
Sourcing Strategy
Raw volume is not a limiting factor for the campus. Operational success will rely on structured feedstock sourcing: blending raw material types, optimizing haul routes, and establishing stable contracts with local logging operators.
The complete Biomass Supply Assessment, including county-level data breakdowns and cost methodologies, is available in our reports library.