By: S. Ashton
Typical timber harvest in East Texas.
In addition to residues, waste, and dedicated energy crops, pulp wood and commercial-grade timber can be used as an energy or bioproducts feedstock. When used this way, the fiber is called fuelwood. In 2005, approximately 35 million dry tons of fuelwood was used in the residential and commercial sectors where it was harvested and burned for space- and process-heat (USDOE and USDA 2005). This may become more feasible in areas where the forest products industry is not buying or paying competitive market prices for pulp and commercial grade wood due to mill closures, market shifts, or other reasons.
References
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2005. Biomass as feedstock for a bioenergy and bioproducts industry: The technical feasibility of a billion- ton annual supply DOE/GO–102995–2135. Washington, DC. [pdf]