Forest2Market News for the Global Bioenergy & Biomaterials Sectors
Understanding Regional Differences in Biomass Supply – A Critical Step for Bioenergy Developers

By Stan Parton
Developing a new bioenergy project is complex. As biomass feedstock is typically the greatest variable operating cost in the proforma, it is critical to understand the availability, sustainability of supply and cost of biomass. To conduct proper feedstock due diligence in a supply region, it is therefore essential to understand not only the resources of the region, but also the structure of the forest products industry and nuances of local feedstock supply.


Feedstock Sourcing for Asian Bioenergy Growth: The US South Offers Advantages

By Stan Parton
The largest risks with early-stage project development of modern bioenergy plants—including the ability to raise the necessary capital and to demonstrate profitability over the long-term—are associated with identifying reliable, sustainable, affordable and bankable supplies of wood feedstock. Reducing the risks associated with feedstock procurement can help wood bioenergy companies meet these challenges.


Bipartisan Legislation Promotes Broader use of Biomass to Produce Renewable Fuels

By John Greene
Current law does not allow the use of biomass removed from federal land in the making of renewable fuels as defined by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The bill would eliminate that exclusion by expanding “renewable biomass” to include wood waste and low-grade woody material for use as a biofuel feedstock. As such, the bill would create new opportunities to use smaller-diameter trees, limbs, debris, sawdust, shavings and other residual material to create new fuel sources while helping to lower wildfire risks in federal forests.


Renewable Energy Grows to a Third of Global Power Capacity in 2018

By John Greene
Per a recent report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewable energy capacity continued increased by nearly 8 percent in 2018 with global additions of 171 gigawatts (GW) of power. The increase was driven by new additions from solar and wind energy, which accounted for 84 percent of the growth. Nearly one-third of global power capacity is now derived from renewable energy, and nearly two-thirds of all new power generation capacity added in 2018 was from renewables.


Biomass101 Refutes Anti-Forestry Extremists with Facts, Science

By Forest2Market
An opinion piece authored by The Dogwood Alliance and published by The Hill on March 21 relied on this tired tactic, as Dogwood made yet another attempt to change the global conversation about working forests based solely on fear. To rebut the misinformation, Biomass101 has compiled an excellent “redlined” refutation with actual evidence and science.

 
USIPA Cites Forest2Market Study in Rebuttal of Anti-Biomass, Fear-Based Film

By Forest2Market
The U.S. Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) recently published a thorough and well-researched rebuttal contesting the misinformation in a new anti-biomass film titled ‘Burned.’ Much of the fact-based information USIPA leverages against the film’s emotionally-charged rhetoric comes from Forest2Market’s landmark 2017 study, Historical Perspective on the Relationship between Demand and Forest Productivity in the US South, which demonstrates that growth in demand for forest products (i.e., lumber, paper, packaging and biomass) has led to greater forest productivity and a significant increase in the amount of forest inventory available for storing carbon.


New Study Quantifies the Economic Impact of Private, Working Forests in the US

By Forest2Market
Forest2Market has completed a new study commissioned by the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) that analyzes the economic impact of private, working forests on the US economy. The study and resulting published report, titled The Economic Impact of Privately-Owned Forests in the 32 Major Forested States, quantifies the contribution that forestry-related industries make to state, regional and national economies, and analyzes the most forested regions of the country based on the most recent year of data available, which is 2016.

 
How the Forest Industry Utilizes Harvested Trees

By John Greene
As we noted in the comprehensive study recently completed for the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), the economic impact of private, working forests on the US economy is tremendous. The total direct, indirect and induced employment effect associated with private timberlands is around 2.5 million jobs, $109.4 billion in annual payroll and $288 billion in sales and manufacturing. Consequently, the harvest and subsequent regeneration of trees is of the utmost importance for the US forest industry, and the most effective way to ensure this growth/harvest cycle is sustainable over time is to keep forested lands forested.