This term refers to the wide range of opportunities for a wood waste product to become feedstock for another product, and the implications that some will allow further reuse and recycling, while others are an end-product.  

Three primary metrics are used in evaluating highest and best use:

• Dollar Value - The available sales price for the material - for instance the difference between the cost of woodchips and biomass pallets.
• Energy Footprint - The amount of energy required to process the material - for instance the energy required for denailing dimensional lumber vs. grinding it for mulch.  
• Retained Material Usefulness - The potential for the material to be reused or recycled again after this use - for instance dimensional lumber can be reused multiple times, while alternative daily cover is an end product that cannot be further reused.

The highest and best use for a wood waste product will take all three of these metrics into consideration, with no single right answer for every situation.

Additional Outside Resources:

EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Program

Related Topics

• Material Manufacturing
• Recycling
• Reuse
• Virgin Materials
• Waste to Energy

Tags

• Highest and Best Use