Economics of sawmill residues in the establishment of black locust biomass plantations on surface mines

Although the short term benefits of bark mulch to tree survival and growth on surface mines are well documented, its long term effects and economic performance are not as well established. A study to compare the biomass production of black locust trees grown with bark mulch and fertilizer to that of trees grown with fertilizer alone indicated that bark mulch significantly improved biomass production. These results, however, were not apparent until after seven years. Although the use of bark mulch involved higher plantation establishment costs, an economic analysis indicated that these costs were more than offset by the added biomass produced.