FPInnovations completed a trial in December 2016 which examined the productivity and cost of three methods of piling and grinding logging residues (Spencer and Blackburn, 2017). The December trial compared three pile types:
1. Piles built by a log loader for burning after the initial harvest.
2. Piles built by a log loader for biomass extraction after the initial harvest.
3. Piles built by the processor during the processing phase of harvesting.
One concern that arose from this trial was whether having a processor neatly pile residues created a loss in productivity versus the traditional method of throwing or “flinging” the residual tops as far as possible from the processor. Researchers returned to Vanderhoof in March 2017 to monitor the productivity of the two methods (throwing and stacking) for handling residues.