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Transcript of Forest Biomass Sustainability: Policy Themes & Research Needs Alan A. Lucier, Ph.D. Senior Vice...
Forest Biomass Sustainability:Policy Themes & Research Needs
Alan A. Lucier, Ph.D.Senior Vice President, NCASI
FIA User Group Meeting & Biomass / Bioenergy Workshop February 23-25Houston, Texas
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Premise• Government policies and market forces portend rapid
growth in use of “cellulosic biomass” for renewable energy and materials.
• Today, timber is the dominant feedstock for renewable materials and biomass energy in the U.S. – Corn is the dominant feedstock for liquid biofuels in U.S.
• In the future, major feedstock categories may include: – timber – annual crop residues– logging residues and other lower-value forest biomass– perennial biomass crops (e.g., switchgrass, poplars)
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Production Category
Dry Weight in Millions of Tons
Products & Feedstock from Private Forests 236Products & Feedstock from Public Forests 23Urban Wood, Food and Other Process Residues Used for Energy
35
Biomass Converted to Liquid Biofuels 18Biomass Converted to Bioproducts 6Cotton Lint 4
Total 322
Annual U.S. Production of Renewable Materials and Biomass Energy Feedstock Circa 2005
Options for Increasing Forest Biomass Production
• Increase the extent and productivity of working forests and agro-forestry.
• Increase utilization of lower-value biomass such as logging residuals (e.g., tree branches) and small trees harvested during forest thinning operations.
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Current Themes in US Biomass Policy
• Discourage timber harvesting in naturally-regenerated forests.
• Discourage establishment of new forest plantations.
• Encourage new uses of biomass but not traditional uses in the forest sector.
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Example – Renewable Fuels Program• Feedstock for renewable transportation fuel
must NOT include:– Timber from naturally-regenerated forests– All biomass (timber & lower-value) from:
• federal forestlands (WUI exception?)• rangeland • forestland defined as ecologically sensitive • tree covered areas in intensive agricultural crop
production settings• plantations established after December 19, 2007
– Mill residuals from excluded sources of biomass6
Implications of Policy Themes
• Higher costs in supply chains for segregating and tracking biomass in several categories defined by feedstock source and end use.
• Fewer opportunities to develop “forest biorefineries” that make biofuels from wood residuals at pulp and building products mills.
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Implications of Policy Themes
• Fewer opportunities for forest thinning and invasive pest control to improve ecosystem health and reduce wildfire hazards on private and public lands.
• Higher rates of private land conversion from forest to non-forest uses.
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In Summary: Current themes in biomass policy for forest conservation are self defeating.
• Impose high opportunity costs for producers and users of forest biomass
• Discourage investment in forest stewardship and forest-based value chains
• Will have generally negative impacts on ecosystem services
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An Alternative Approach?• Instead of imposing ad hoc costs and restrictions on
forest-based value chains, biomass policies could treat the forest sector as a valuable platform for innovation in bioenergy, biomaterials, and natural resource conservation.
• Ideally, biomass policies would supplement established laws and conservation programs that encourage sustainable forest management and sustainable growth in forest-based manufacturing of new and traditional products.
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Changing Direction
• The social license to expand production and use of forest biomass hinges on:
– demonstration that the forest biomass resource and forest ecosystem services will be sustainable when new uses are added to traditional uses.
– resolution of environmental concerns associated with combustion and other processing of wood in many different applications.
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What is NCASI Doing ?
• Continuing research and technical support on relevant topics through its regular program.
• Organizing a Forest Biomass Cooperative to engage “new users” of forest biomass in a coordinated research program with traditional users and forest owners.
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Mission of FBC
• Sponsor and direct the execution of scientific investigations that will support sustainable production and use of biomass grown in forestry and agro-forestry settings.
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Potential Scope of the FBC• Sustainability of Working Forests
– Resource monitoring & assessment– Water quantity & quality – Biodiversity– Forest technology
• Sustainability of Biomass Processing– Carbon footprints of products / value chains– Emissions of particulate matter, ozone precursors,
CO, hazardous air pollutants
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Questions?
Discussion?