Proceedings - Biomass South 2008
Will McDow, Regional Manager, Center for Conservation Incentives, Environmental Defense Fund
Will McDow is Regional Manager with the Center for Conservation Incentives in North Carolina. Will focuses on improving management of the Southeast's privately owned forest lands though conservation incentive programs and market mechanisms, with an emphasis on Farm Bill Programs, property tax, carbon markets, and biomass utilization. He engages with local landowners in targeted landscapes with special emphasis on longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood systems. Will serves on the North Carolina Forestry Technical Advisory Committee which is responsible for developing best management practices to protect water quality and the North Carolina Forestry Council to advise the State Forester in the direction and activities of the NC Division of Forest Resources.
Producing Energy; Protecting Forests: Issues and Opportunities for Wood Biomass
Wood biomass energy is going to be a critical part of the South's renewable energy programs. Yet, the recent past provides a reminder of new industries (i.e., wood chip mills, swine industry, and corn ethanol) that created unintended consequences. As the wood biomass market develops, we need to consider not just the sustainability of the biomass resource but also the sustainability of wildlife, water quality, soil productivity and high-value conservation forests across the landscape. These sustainability questions will be driven by 1) facility type, size and spatial distribution and 2) harvest technique, location and intensity. Developing biomass harvest BMPs provides one easy mechanism to ensure sustainable production of wood biomass. Nationally, as federal climate legislation develops, we should all be interested in getting the carbon accounting standards right. Doing so will drive more investment into the forests and encourage the growth of a wood biomass market. Working together, we can achieve a balanced wood biomass markets with assurances that sufficient woody debris remains on site for wildlife, water quality and soil stability.
Notes:
- Approaches biomass issue and discussion with optimism and caution
- Corn ethanol: food conflict, increase of fertilizer, release of carbon
- Forests don’t waste wood
- Site-level sustainability
- Equipment to build
- Wildlife habitat
- Water quality, best management practice
- What drives the price of wood biomass?
- Option for wood biomass: allow wood for value-added production
- Optimism & caution
Quotes:
Dr. Hess, NC Chip Mill Study 2000, Absence of downed woody debris would be detrimental to biodiversity.
Forests don't "waste" wood -- it gets used regardless if we use it!
Thanks to Sarah Ashton, Rachel Cook, Lindsey Hannum, James Jeuck, Liwei Lin, James McCarter, Susan McIntyre, and Mark Megalos for providing notes and summaries for presentations.
Table of Contents
