Introduction
Forestlands serve as watershed areas for much of the southern United States. These 214 million acres of forested areas are constantly collecting, filtering, storing and transporting billions of gallons of water a day to …
Forest Bioenergy Certification
Bioenergy produced from woody biomass is considered a renewable source of energy. However, this is only true if forests are managed in a way that ensures the conservation of environmental, economic, and social values for future generations. Certification programs have …
Conserving Soils in Forest Bioenergy Production Systems
Soils are the biophysical foundation upon which forests thrive and grow. The productivity of forests depends upon the quality and health of the soil blanketing the landscape. Forest managers have direct control over silvicultural systems and harvesting operations that directly …
Using the Adaptive Forest Management Planning Framework to Achieve Sustainable Bioenergy Production
America’s forests are facing ever-increasing pressure to provide all things to all people, ranging from such services as providing timber for building new homes to providing wildlife habitat for endangered species. Using forest materials for energy is yet another demand …
Carbon Markets and Forest Bioenergy
Introduction
Carbon markets are thought to be one of many innovative, market-based solutions to global climate change. These markets allow for the purchase of carbon “credits” by carbon emitters who need to offset their emissions based on a government set …
Conserving Biodiversity in Forest Bioenergy Production Systems
Biodiversity1, or biological diversity, can be defined as the number and variety of plant and animal species, genes, ecosystems, and ecosystem functions in a specific area. Habitat and habitat diversity are particularly important concepts for forest managers and owners to …
Why is there such an emphasis on power production from biomass?
Woody biomass is an abundant and readily available resource that historically has not been used much except by forest products manufacturers as an internal energy source at their facilities, although many such manufacturers have also been able to produce excess …