Status and prospects for renewable energy using wood pellets from the southeastern United States

Virginia H Dale; Keith L Kline; Esther S Parish; Annette Cowie; Robert Emory; Robert W Malmsheimer; Raphael Slade; C T Smith; Bentley Wigley; Niclas Scott Bentsen; Goran Berndes; Pierre Bernier; Miguel Brandao; Helena Chum; Rocio Diaz-Chavez; Gustaf Egnell; Leif Gustavsson; Jorg Schweinle; Inge Stupak; Paul Trianosky; Arnaldo Walter; Carly Whittaker; Mark W Brown; George Chescheir; Ioannis Dimitriou; Caspar Donnison; Alison Goss Eng; Kevin P Hoyt; Jennifer C Jenkins; Kristen Johnson; Charles A Levesque; Victoria Lockhart; Cristina Negri; Jami E Nettles; Maria Wellisch

doi:10.1111/gcbb.12445

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Status and prospects for renewable energy using wood pellets from the southeastern United States

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Status and prospects for renewable energy using wood pellets from the southeastern United States

Virginia H Dale, Keith L Kline, Esther S Parish, Annette Cowie, Robert Emory, Robert W Malmsheimer, Raphael Slade, C T Smith, Bentley Wigley, Niclas Scott Bentsen, …

Global Change Biology. Bioenergy, Vol.9(8), pp.1296-1305

2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12445

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Abstract

The ongoing debate about costs and benefits of wood-pellet based bioenergy production in the southeastern United States (SE USA) requires an understanding of the science and context influencing market decisions associated with its sustainability. Production of pellets has garnered much attention as US exports have grown from negligible amounts in the early 2000s to 4.6 million metric tonnes in 2015. Currently, 98% of these pellet exports are shipped to Europe to displace coal in power plants. We ask, 'How is the production of wood pellets in the SE USA affecting forest systems and the ecosystem services they provide?' To address this question, we review current forest conditions and the status of the wood products industry, how pellet production affects ecosystem services and biodiversity, and what methods are in place to monitor changes and protect vulnerable systems. Scientific studies provide evidence that wood pellets in the SE USA are a fraction of total forestry operations and can be produced while maintaining or improving forest ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are protected by the requirement to utilize loggers trained to apply scientifically based best management practices in planning and implementing harvest for the export market. Bioenergy markets supplement incomes to private rural landholders and provide an incentive for forest management practices that simultaneously benefit water quality and wildlife and reduce risk of fire and insect outbreaks. Bioenergy also increases the value of forest land to landowners, thereby decreasing likelihood of conversion to nonforest uses. Monitoring and evaluation are essential to verify that regulations and good practices are achieving goals and to enable timely responses if problems arise. Conducting rigorous research to understand how conditions change in response to management choices requires baseline data, monitoring, and appropriate reference scenarios. Long-term monitoring data on forest conditions should be publicly accessible and utilized to inform adaptive management.

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Title: Status and prospects for renewable energy using wood pellets from the southeastern United States
Authors: Virginia H Dale (Author) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States
Keith L Kline (Author) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States
Esther S Parish (Author) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States
Annette Cowie (Author) - University of New England
Robert Emory (Author) - Weyerhaeuser Company, United States
Robert W Malmsheimer (Author) - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, United States
Raphael Slade (Author) - Imperial College London, United Kingdom
C T Smith (Author) - University of Toronto, Canada
Bentley Wigley (Author) - National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), United States
Niclas Scott Bentsen (Author) - University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Goran Berndes (Author) - Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Pierre Bernier (Author) - Canadian Forest Service, Canada
Miguel Brandao (Author) - Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, Poland
Helena Chum (Author) - National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), United States
Rocio Diaz-Chavez (Author) - Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Gustaf Egnell (Author) - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Leif Gustavsson (Author) - Linnaeus University, Sweden
Jorg Schweinle (Author) - Th€unen Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics, Germany
Inge Stupak (Author) - University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Paul Trianosky (Author) - State University of Campinas, Brazil
Arnaldo Walter (Author) - State University of Campinas, Brazil
Carly Whittaker (Author) - Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
Mark W Brown (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
George Chescheir (Author) - North Carolina State University (NCSU), United States
Ioannis Dimitriou (Author) - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Caspar Donnison (Author) - University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Alison Goss Eng (Author) - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), United States
Kevin P Hoyt (Author) - University of Tennessee, United States
Jennifer C Jenkins (Author) - Enviva LP, United States
Kristen Johnson (Author) - Bioenergy Technologies Office, United States
Charles A Levesque (Author) - Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, United States
Victoria Lockhart (Author) - Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), United States
Cristina Negri (Author) - Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), United States
Jami E Nettles (Author) - Weyerhaeuser Company, United States
Maria Wellisch (Author) - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Canada
Publication details: Global Change Biology. Bioenergy, Vol.9(8), pp.1296-1305
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2017
DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12445
ISSN: 1757-1693
Copyright note: Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Global Change Biology Bioenergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450415202621
Output Type: Journal article

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