General/Economic Implications of Woody Biomass Utilization

Interest in wood-based bioenergy is greatly increasing as people look for renewable and alternative forms of energy.  This is especially true in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where nearly 80% of land is in forest. This workshop, held on 10 March 2009, brought together foresters, natural resource professionals, loggers, forest industry members, conservation districts, government organizations, and others to explore the future of woody biomass utilization in the region and what that might mean for local forests, economies, and communities.

Funding for this project was provided by the National Association of Conservation Districts

The workshop agenda and copies of all presentations are available at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/niacs/tools/bioenergyworkshop/

The target audience for this conference includes: Local Government, Economic Development Staff, Foresters/Land Managers, Resource Agencies, State Legislators, School Boards & Superintendents, State & Local Associations, Wood Products Industry, Utilities, and Entrepreneurs

Registration Deadline is April 10 - No Registration at the Door

Click on the link below for the workshop schedule, speakers, and registration form.

November 26, 2008 - A new report released by the Forest Guild, A Market-Based Approach to Community Wood Energy: An Opportunity for Consulting Foresters, identifies the benefits of community wood energy for rural communities and highlights the central role consulting foresters can play in successful projects. The report utilizes lessons learned from Forest Guild community wood energy pilot projects in Bristol, Vermont and the Mahoosuc Region of Maine and New Hampshire as well as from discussions with Forest Guild members. The report defines a role in these community projects for consulting foresters to develop local networks of family forest landowners to supply wood fuel that is Sustainable, Efficient, Local and Fair (SELF). In addition to consulting foresters, this report may also be of interest to landowners, policy makers, and community activists.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm approved an energy package on October 6 that includes a requirement for 10% of the state's electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2015.

Harnessing the Power of Local Wood Energy is a community resource guide, written by Caitlin Cusack, that weaves technical information with the personal stories of community members who want to heat their local school with sustainably produced woodchips. It details how a rural community can take advantage of the cost savings of wood energy while assuring the wood is sourced and utilized in a "Sustainable, Efficient, Local, and Fair (SELF)" manner.

As the United States and other nations commit to the path of biofuels production, a group of scientists is calling for sustainable practices in an industry that will, as MBL scientist Jerry Mellilo says, "reshape the Earth's landscape in a significant way."

Wayne Keith has converted his pickup to run on scraps of wood from his Alabama (US) sawmill. The heart of the wood-powered vehicle is a gasifier, which basically converts solid fuels into gaseous ones. Though the fuel in their tanks is liquid, gasoline and diesel engines actually run on vapour. Thus, the wood gas produced in a gasifier (also known as producer gas or syngas) will burn in a gasoline or diesel engine with only minor modifications to the motor itself.

A newly minted 1.5 megawatt cogeneration plant capable of producing electricity for up to 1,500 homes was fired up Friday at the Rough & Ready Lumber Co. sawmill. In addition to producing electricity, the $6 million plant will create up to a dozen jobs, including two new jobs at the mill and seven to 10 jobs in the woods, said Jennifer Krauss Phillippi who, along with her husband Link Phillippi, manage the family-owned sawmill.