Faced with rising energy costs, forest industries have been seeking ways to better utilize wood residues for fueling plant operations. A major problem with this fuel is its high moisture content when produced from green trees, which seriously reduces the heat of combustion. In light of this a study was conducted to determine the moisture content, drying rates, and fuel value of logging residues produced in three of Virginia's physiographic zones. Samples were taken from the residues at intervals over a two year period to monitor moisture and fuel value changes under a variety of environmental conditions. It was concluded that these residues (tree tops, branches, and cull trees) had become dry enough for fuel use after as little as one or two months of field-drying in a suitable location. In other situations, drying rates were too slow to consider the method a viable alternative. The main factors affecting the field drying process were found to be size of the residue, geographic location, and season. / Master of Science

Atliekų valdymo problema šiandien aktuali daugeliui ES valstybių, įgyvendinančių ES atliekų valdymo politiką. LR dar tik žengia pirmuosius žingsnius, pertvarkydama atliekų valdymo sistemą. Atliekų tvarkymas įstatymuose apibrėžiamas priemonė, bet ne kaip nuoseklus valdymo procesas. Tai sukelia nesusipratimų valdžios struktūrose. Didžiausia atsakomybė tenka savivaldybėms, jos įgyvendina atliekų tvarkymą tiesiogiai, o valdymo klausimus turinčios spręsti valdžios institucijos, dubliuodamos viena kitos veiklą, nepriima radikalių sprendimų, kurie šiandien jau būtini. Tvirtas požiūris į šią problemą ir raginimas kurti atliekų deginimą buvo išsakytas ir pačios prezidentės Dalios Grybauskaitės 2009 m. rugsėjo 2d, Kaune vykusiame susitikime su Kauno miesto savivaldybės vadovais, raginusios greitu metu imtis veiklos, kadangi žinoma, jog LR yra remiama ES, yra ir įsipareigojusi ES. Išanalizuotos direktyvos, įstatymai, planai, ataskaitos įgalina teigti, kad būtinas valdančių struktūrų greitas sprendimų priėmimas ir tikslų įgyvendinimas, apibrėžiant įstatymuose tiksliau institucijų pareigas ir užduotis, imantis sukauptų atliekų gyvavimo ciklo pratęsimo, įvertinant LR valstybės piliečių sąmoningumą atliekų tvarkyme (diegiamos naujovės įsitvirtina negreitai, o atliekos kaupiasi sparčiai). / Waste management problem in today's relevant for many EU countries to comply with EU waste management policy. Republic of Lithuania yet just takes its first steps in restructuring of the waste management system. Waste management legislation is defined as a tool rather than as a management process. This leads to misunderstandings inside power structures. The main responsibility lies with the municipalities, they implement waste management directly, and the authorities having to address governance issues, duplicating each other's activities does not accept radical solutions, which today are essential. Robust approach to this problem and call for the incineration of waste has been expressed by president Dalia Grybauskaite on 2009 September 2nd at a meeting with Kaunas municipality heads, she called in short time to take action, since it is known that RL is supported by the EU, is committed to the EU. Analyzed directives, laws, plans, reports allows to assert that the rapid decision-making and implementation of the objectives is necessary for managing structures, defining duties and tasks of the authorities more precisely, through the extension of the life cycle of the waste generated, taking the RL state citizens' awareness of waste management (innovation far from gaining ground, and waste builds up quickly).