Woody biomass production costs in the United States: An economic summary of commercial Populus plantation systems

Production costs for commercial-sized Populus plantations were developed from a series of research programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Short Rotation Woody Crops Program. Populus hybrid planted on good quality agricultural sites at a density of 2100 cuttings ha−1 was projected to yield an average of 16 Mg (OD) ha−1 yr−1. Discounted cash flow analysis of multiple rotations showed preharvest production costs of $17 (U.S.) Mg−1 (OD).