Effects of Forest Biomass Use on Watershed Processes in the Western United States

With increasing energy costs, society is looking at alternative energy sources. One potential energy source that is currently underused in the United States is forest biomass (Rummer et al. 2003). However, if forests are subject to a significant increase in biomass removal for energy production, then it is possible that hydrologic resources may be adversely affected. This report describes forest hydrologic processes, looks at the impacts of biomass use on those processes, and then describes an approach for watershed analysis to quantify those impacts. Although many of the principles discussed in this article apply to all forests, this article focuses on forest watershed processes common in the western United States.