Woody Feedstocks - Management and Regional Differences

Introduction Rising concerns about long-term energy security, human health, global climate change, and a variety of other social and environmental concerns have combined to make developing renewable and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels a critical national priority. Biomass, as a feedstock for renewable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower, represents one such alternative, and one that has figured prominently in U.S. energy policy at both the national and state levels (Alavalapati et al. 2009; Aguilar and Saunders 2010; diversify). In addition to addressing the concerns listed above, the use of renewable biomass can help diversity products and markets for agriculture and forestry, create jobs, and promote rural development (Perez-Verdin et al. 2008; Openshaw 2009). Biomass can come from a variety of sources, including forests, agricultural crops, dedicated agriculture and forest energy crops, and various residue and waste streams. Woody biomass, in particular, is an underused resource with a great deal of potential. Although woody biomass can be recovered from a variety of waste and residue streams, emphasis has been placed on sourcing this material from forest management activities and the production of short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) on marginal land. The broad range of climate, soil and land use patterns across the United States means that a range of different forest management activities and SRWCs will be used to supply woody biomass in the years to come. The purpose of this paper is to survey the potential for forest biomass and several of the most promising and well-studied SRWCs across the United States.