Burning wood is considered carbon-neutral because it does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide (a regularly occurring molecule but also a greenhouse gas) cycling through the atmosphere. Carbon is continually cycling through all living plants and animals. Tree growth …
Do managed plantations result in monocultures that reduce biodiversity?
Some forest ecosystems exist naturally in monoculture stands. For example, yellow pine species in the southeastern US have existed in pure monoculture stands for centuries because they are the first species to repopulate a site after a disturbance (hurricane, fire, …
What usually happens to “waste” from trees?
In the case of urban wood waste, leaves and branches are collected and typically ground up with other waste wood. The ground up material can be used as mulch or converted to compost. In the case of harvesting commercial timber, …
Many organisms live on decaying wood, so if decaying wood is removed from the forest for energy production, will it negatively impact the native ecology?
Removing decaying wood from the forest disrupts the life cycle of decomposers (decay fungi, insects, bacteria, etc.), which in turn can disrupt the food source and habitat for other plants and animals. The degree of disruption to the native ecology …
What are the air emissions of burning wood?
When wood is burned, the combustion reaction produces heat and emissions in the form of water, organic vapors, gases, and particulates. The emissions of most concern are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). …
Can wood grow fast enough to meet our energy needs?
Wood cannot meet all of our country’s energy needs—at most only about 10% nationally. However, it can help to meet our needs by providing a secure, renewable energy source. On a local level, wood can sustainably provide the energy to …
What are the reasons not to use wood for energy?
Communities should discuss a number of factors when considering whether using wood for energy is the right choice. While many factors may be location-specific, some factors to consider include the cost and sustainable supply of wood resources within a reasonable …
What is biomass?
Biomass is a term for living or recently living plant or animal materials such as solid wood, bark, leaves, roots, seeds, and stalks, even microbial and animal metabolic wastes. In the context of energy, the term “biomass” refers to such …
What is woody biomass?
Considered as a resource, woody biomass is most often identified with energy production, mulch, or soil amendments. Specific sources of woody biomass include: otherwise non-merchantable trees, logging residues in the form of tree tops and branches, wildfire fuel-reduction thinnings, salvage …
What are the differences between biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts?
These terms refer to three generally different end uses of biomass based products. “Biofuel” is short for “biomass fuel,” a term used for liquid fuels produced from biomass (generally transportation fuels), such as ethanol, bio-oil, and biodiesel. “Biopower” refers to …