Held at the University of Minnesota's University Arboretum in Chaska,
Minnesota on September 9-10, the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and
the Heinz Center convened a regional workshop to identify common goals
and objectives for environmentally sustainable development of a wood
biofuels/bioenergy industry in the Great Lakes region. Workshop
participants from across the Great Lakes region of Ontario, Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Minnesota included about 45 representatives from the
energy industry, forest products industry, USDA Forest Service, state
forestry, economic development agencies, conservation NGOs, and
academia. As conveners
of this meeting, and of the larger dialogue process of
which it is a
part, the Pinchot Institute and the Heinz Center
approached this
question from a neutral standpoint, and managed
discussions at the
meeting to provide a fair hearing for all points
made by the interested stakeholders.
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The workshop was intended to explore common views of how bioenergy
expansion might increase forestland value for landowners, safeguard
conservation values, avoid unnecessary controversy over forest
management and biomass procurement, and identify opportunities to
maximize the net public benefit of this developing sector. More specifically, the
dialogue at the Great Lakes workshop focused on: Defining data and
information needs for current and future supplies of biomass;
Identifying opportunities to adaptively manage biomass harvesting and
supply logistics; Identifying regional assets, such as the significant
amount of certified forestland; Illuminating potential synergies between
the energy and forest industries; Enhancing regional stakeholders'
ability to evaluate policy options; and, Identifying areas for strategic
collaboration between jurisdictions.
Introduction. Ensuring Sustainability in the Development of Wood-based Bioenergy in the Great Lakes Region, V. Alaric Sample, Pinchot Institute for Conservation, and Robin O'Malley, H. John Heinze III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment [
Download .pdf]
Panel 1: Providing reliable estimates of sustainable biomass supply. What are the recent developments in methodologies for producing consistent, reliable estimates of how much woody biomass can be sustainable supplied (nationally, regionally, locally) as a basis for siting new or expanded bioenergy/biofuels capacity? What longer-term opportunities are there to increase inventory and net growth over current levels?
Speaker:
Discussants:
-
Dennis Becker, University of Minnesota
-
Joe Maure, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources [Download .pdf]
-
Steve Betzler, Minnesota Power
Panel 2. Sustainability safeguards. How is forest management expected to evolve to accommodate long-term increased use of wood for energy? What biomass harvesting and/or procurement guidelines have been developed? What is the potential role for certification and other nongovernmental sustainability programs?
Speaker:
- Paul DeLong, Wisconsin Division of Forestry
Discussants:
Panel 3: Options for build-out of a sustainable wood bioenergy/biofuels industry in the Great Lakes. What is the range of near-term options for developing the wood bioenergy/biofuels industry, and what factors determine the choice of type of facility? What factors should be considered in matching the choice of facility to local circumstances, in terms of community economic development goals and sustainable management of forest resources? How can a regional bioenergy strategy maximize the contribution of woody biomass to achieving renewable energy goals, while minimizing the additional demands on forest resources?
Speaker:
- Donna LaCourt, Michigan Economic Development Corporation [Download .pdf]
Discussants:
Panel 4: Great Lakes regional bioenergy strategy and lessons for renewable energy policy. What is the continuing role of state/provincial renewable energy, economic, and natural resource policy in guiding development along optimal lines [vision/principles framework as springboard for regional action plan?]; regional “lessons learned” that need to be reflected in flexible national renewable energy policies.
Speaker:
Discussants:
-
David Donovan, Excel
-
Cara Boucher, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- TJ Morice, Marth/Biomass Thermal Energy Council [Download .pdf]
Additional Documents:
- Ensuring Forest Sustainability in the Development of Wood Biofuels and Bioenergy in the Great Lakes Region Agenda [Download .pdf]
