This research looked at calculating the diesel consumed during forest road construction and the resultant carbon dioxide emissions.
Dan Loeffler and other authors (see source below) have produced an article titled “Estimating Diesel Fuel Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Forest Road Construction”. The article considered cut-fill (0-50% slopes) and full bench (>50% slope) methods of road construction. Pioneering, clearing and grubbing and sub-grade excavation activities were considered.
For the cut-fill construction, a CAT 235 excavator was used for the calculations, which had an assumed fuel consumption of eight gallons (30.3 litres) per hour. The results for the cut-fill method are found in the table below.
Dan Loeffler and other authors (see source below) have produced an article titled “Estimating Diesel Fuel Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Forest Road Construction”. The article considered cut-fill (0-50% slopes) and full bench (>50% slope) methods of road construction. Pioneering, clearing and grubbing and sub-grade excavation activities were considered.
For the cut-fill construction, a CAT 235 excavator was used for the calculations, which had an assumed fuel consumption of eight gallons (30.3 litres) per hour. The results for the cut-fill method are found in the table below.
|
Activity |
Production (feet or m per hour) |
Diesel consumption (gallons per mile or litres per km) |
Carbon produced (pounds per mile or kg per km) |
|
Pioneering |
582 ft (177 m) |
73 gal (276 l) |
451 lbs (205 kg) |
|
Clearing and grubbing |
130 ft (40 m) |
326 gal (1,234 l) |
2,028 lbs (920 kg) |
|
Sub-grade excavation with side casting |
223 ft (68 m) |
189 gal (716 l) |
1,177 lbs (534 kg) |
|
Total |
|
588 gal (2,226 l) |
3,657 lbs (1,659 kg) |
For the full bench construction, a CAT 235 excavator, two CAT D25D dump trucks (for end-hauling) and a CAT D7 dozer (for spreading end-hauled material) was used. A 14 foot (4.3 m) wide road was used with a 200% cut slope. Depending on the hill slope, the diesel use can vary from 3,260 to 8,000 gallons per mile (12,343 to 30,290 litres per km). This equates to 20,300 to 49,800 pounds of carbon per mile (9,208 to 22,589 kg/km).
Please access the USDA website for a detailed and more complete account of the research. Source: Loeffler, Dan; Jones, Greg; Vonessen, Nikolaus; Healey, Sean; Chung, Woodam 2009. Estimating diesel fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from forest road construction. In: McWilliams, Will; Moisen, Gretchen; Czaplewski, Ray, comps. Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium 2008; October 21-23, 2008; Park City, UT. Proc. RMRS-P-56CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 11 pwww.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/33352