An assessment of the regional physical availability of woody biomass as an energy feedstock in the U.S. Northern Region conducted by MU Department of Forestry and US Forest Service researchers is the central article featured in the May issue of the Journal of Forestry. The article highlights the potential of woody biomass to produce power in combination with conservation goals. It also stresses the limitations of woody biomass energy utilization stemming from its spatial dispersion and low energy density. Wood energy currently accounts for about 22% of the renewable energy generated in the US. Findings from this assessment indicate that a maximum of 19% of current coal-based electricity consumption in the Northern Region could potentially be produced with woody biomass from timberland without jeopardizing the forest resource.

The article titled “Regional Assessment of Woody Biomass Physical Availability as an Energy Feedstock for Combined Combustion in the US Northern Region” authored by Michael E. Goerndt, Francisco X. Aguilar, Patrick Miles, Stephen Shifley, Nianfu Song, and Hank Stelzer is available online at http://www.safnet.org/publications/jof/