EUBCE 2026 - Cyriac MVOLO - Characterization of Post-Wildfire Salvage Biomass and Assessment of Bioproduct Market Opportunities

Characterization of Post-Wildfire Salvage Biomass and Assessment of Bioproduct Market Opportunities

Short Introductive summary

Wildfire severity is increasing in boreal forests across the world, with significant ecological and economic impacts. The 2023 fire season in Canada was the most destructive on record, approximately 15 million hectares of forest burned across the country, accounting for about 4 percent of its forested land. In perspective, that is approximately half the size of Italy or approximately the size of Greece. With climate change increasing the likelihood of extreme fire seasons in the future. This raises concerns about the effects of wildfires on wood quality (chemical, mechanical, physical and anatomical), salvage value, post-fire recovery, and ecological impacts. These potential impacts need to be anticipated and evaluated, as trees and biomass recovered during post-fire salvage operations can be unsuitable for traditional applications, despite being, by far, more abundant than any residues generated by commercial harvest activities, and in some provinces more abundant than the total annual allowable cut for industries. By leveraging characterization of fire affected trees, techno-economic assessment of wood fibre conversion pathways and bioeconomy projections, this work provides a d

C. Mvolo, Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton, CANADA
B. Gagnon, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, CANADA
E. Boakye, Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton, CANADA
J. Klutsch, Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton, CANADA
A. Koubaa, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingu, Rouyn-Noranda, CANADA
P. Pahlavanlu, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, CANADA