An Examination of the Availability and Reliability of Wood Fuel for Biomass Energy in Vermont

VT WFSS.pdf (pdf)

With mounting interest and movement in Vermont toward further use of woody biomass for heating, power production, and (potentially) the production of liquid fuels, many questions have been raised about the availability and long-term reliability of woody biomass for these energy uses. How much wood is out there? Where specifically is it? How much of the forestland is actually available for some level of harvesting? How much will wood fuel cost in the years to come? How stable is the infrastructure necessary to make it available? What can be done to help the situation?

In an effort to better understand the forest resource capacity and the future availability of wood to reliably fuel biomass energy systems in Vermont, BERC partnered with several other stakeholders (see list of funders at end of article) to produce the Vermont Wood Fuel Supply Study. While Vermont has been a national leader in biomass energy for the past 20 years, this study is the first to address these questions directly and comprehensively.

The study concluded that there is opportunity to:

• expand the use of wood to heat and power homes, public facilities, businesses, and entire communities
• develop wood fuel supply infrastructure that enhances the viability of the forest products industry
• create the necessary markets for low-grade wood to help sustain “working” forests

The study area comprises all 14 counties of Vermont and the 10 surrounding counties of New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. With growing interest and movement in Vermont toward further use of woody biomass for heating, power production, and the potential for production of liquid fuels, many questions have been raised about the availability, sustainability, and long-term reliability of woody biomass for energy use. How much wood is in the forests? How much new wood is grown each year? Where specifically is it? How much of the forestland is actually available for some level of harvesting? How stable is the infrastructure necessary to make it available? What can be done to help the situation? While Vermont has been a national leader in biomass energy for the past 20 years, this study is the first to address these questions.

The Vermont Wood Fuel Supply Study (VTWFSS) examined the:

• amount of wood by-product generation from industry and communities
• amount of low-grade wood grown annually in Vermont’s forests
• economics of the wood fuel supply
• reliability of the supply infrastructure

Study Highlights

• an estimated 3.5 million green tons make up the combined consumption of by-product and low-grade wood by pulpmills, biomass power plants, seasonal chip heating systems, and wood-heated homes in the study area
• 9.3 million acres of forested land area are designated as “timberland”
• 1.058 billion tons of above-ground biomass are on the timberland
• 24.8 million tons of net growth of new wood occur annually on the timberland
• 4.8 million tons of average annual harvesting supply the current wood product market demand (includes sawlogs, pulp, firewood, and biomass)
• 20 million tons of under-utilized wood are grown annually
• an estimated 1.5 million tons of low-grade wood are grown each year (when physical, political, social, and economic factors impacting the accessibility and availability of the forest land area are considered)
• modeling work conducted in the study indicates that the amounts of potential wood fuel growing in the forests are fairly resilient to increased demand for wood; however, the modeling also indicates that the amounts are sensitive to the rate of forest growth

Conclusions

• A majority of Vermont’s current supply of biomass fuel is produced as a by-product of commercial harvesting or primary processing of forest
  products
• Vermont’s forests have the capacity to supply additional amounts of wood fuel for biomass energy
• Some counties have greater forest growth capacity to expand the use of biomass energy than others
• The ability for Vermont’s forests to sustain increased harvesting for biomass energy will depend to a certain extent on the future of the pulp and
  paper industry in the region
• The economic analyses showed that higher market prices paid for wood fuel will stimulate mobilization of the potential in-forest wood fuel inventory
  and result in greater availability and reliability of the supply
• Due to economic and other factors, loggers and mills are surviving—but just barely
• There is opportunity to expand the use of wood to heat and power homes, public facilities, businesses, and entire communities, develop a wood fuel supply infrastructure that enhances the viability of the forest products industry, and create the necessary markets for low-grade wood to help sustain “working” forests

Note: The amounts of wood fuel identified in this report are the result of analysis conducted using scenarios built upon the best available information and the use of reasonable assumptions. The models created and used for this study allow for further updating of information and exploring the supply of wood under various scenarios and in other states and regions.

Major funding for the Vermont Wood Fuel Supply Study was provided by the:

• Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
• US Department of Energy through the support of Senator Patrick Leahy
• Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services

With additional funding from the:

• Joseph McNeil Generating Station
• Ryegate Power Station