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 CategoryDry

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 pollutants14

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Questions?

Discussion?