Quality, productivity, energy and costs of woodchip produced by Cedrus deodara plantations: A case study in Italy

An amount of 363 t of fresh comminuted wood (about 300 t ha−1) was produced by the plantation considered. A total time of 39.5 h (about 5 days) was required to transform all trees in woodchip. The moisture content of woodchip produced was 52%, while the average Low Heating Value (HHV) was 8.51 MJ kg−1. In this study, economic (production cost = 93 € t−1 DM) and energetic (output/input ratio = 74) evaluations of woodchip produced by Cedrus deodara plantations were positives. Nevertheless, the results obtained in this experimentation are close to the climate conditions and soil characteristics of Northwestern Italy.