The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies analysed USDA Forest Service Forest data from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, and found that using forest biomass for heat in the region was far more effective in replacing liquid fossil fuels than converting it to cellulosic ethanol for road transport. “Biomass burned in combined heat and power plants reduced fossil fuel use more than five times more effectively than substituting gasoline with cellulosic ethanol,” said the report entitled "Forest Biomass and Bioenergy: Opportunities and Constraints in the Northeastern United States".
Nevertheless, the report does have some caveats, stressing that the potential for forest biomass varies widely within the region, and forest resources must be carefully managed to protect the other important services and goods they provide. “Maine and New Hampshire show the greatest potential for forest biomass energy,” said Dr. Thomas Buchholz, a researcher at the University of Vermont’s Carbon Dynamics Lab and co-author on the report. “Our study found that New Hampshire could replace as much as 84 percent of its liquid fossil fuel dependence in the industrial and commercial heating sector, and Maine could replace 49 percent of its liquid fossil fuel dependence in the home-heating sector.”
“In targeted applications, the heat generated by locally-grown biomass can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support local economies,” says Dr. Charles D. Canham, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute and co-author of the report. “But each forested landscape is different, and regional variation in forest conditions and energy infrastructure means there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”
But the report cautioned that utmost care must be observed in all parts of the region.
“There is a misconception that Northeastern forestland is a vast, untapped resource,” Canham commented. “This is simply not true. Unrealistic growth in biomass energy facilities could lead to serious degradation of forest resources. While forest biomass is part of the renewable energy toolkit, it is by no means a panacea.”
“Forest biomass can be an important element of a low-carbon energy future,” added contributing author Dr. Steven Hamburg of Environmental Defense Fund. “But we’ll need ongoing scientific oversight to ensure it is done sustainably.”
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is a private, not-for-profit environmental research and education organization in Millbrook (NY). For more than twenty-five years, Cary Institute scientists have been investigating the complex interactions that govern the natural world. Their objective findings lead to more effective policy decisions and increased environmental literacy. Focal areas include air and water pollution, climate change, invasive species, and the ecological dimensions of infectious disease.
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