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The community of Vernonia, Oregon, along with the Kelly Family Foundation, Oregon State University, and federal and state agencies, are partnering with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation to turn misfortune into an asset by helping Vernonia become a model community for demonstrating a shift to renewable energy that is based on the sustainable utilization of local forest resources. The community of Vernonia, flooded out in 2007, is in the process of completely rebuilding itself with sustainability as a fundamental platform. All public buildings are to be rebuilt utilizing a central wood-based thermal energy system. This integrated community-scale biomass energy project will also test and demonstrate production and handling of bulk wood pellets in residential use.

In the process, new markets are being created for small diameter wood, resulting in improved management on nearby forests, and increased income to private forest owners striving to keep their working forests intact. This provides a basis for also demonstrating the potential value to private forest owners from carbon credits earned through forest land conservation and improved silviculture, and how this can help reduce instances of private forest owners being forced to convert or fragment their lands to cover unexpected major medical expenses.

Proposed activities

In November 2009, the citizens of Vernonia passed a $13 million bond initiative to begin the Rebuild Vernonia project, incorporating green building (LEED) design, net zero energy goals, and low-carbon footprint. Vernonia will become a ‘living laboratory’ for sustainability in rural America. Governor Kulongoski deemed the Rebuild Vernonia project an Oregon Solutions project in 2009, and in January 2010 the Governor’s Advisory Council on stimulus funding project priorities selected Vernonia Rebuild as one of three projects designated for Oregon fast-tracking for national competitive grant stimulus funding. It is the only one of the three fast-track projects focused on a forest-based rural community working with woody biomass.

The central focus of this project will be the development of a fully integrated community-based energy system that begins with the sustainable management of local working forests, and ends with the delivery of reliable, locally-produced renewable energy to homes, businesses, and public buildings throughout Vernonia. To accomplish this, the Pinchot Institute will cooperate with state and local governments, and other key partners contributing both financially and through in-kind services, to design, implement, and demonstrate proof-of-concept.

Phase 1. Estimate locally available and sustainable wood biomass supply, and potential financial implications for private forest owners.

• Senior Fellow Catherine Mater, in cooperation with local private forest owners and public forest managers (i.e., Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests), is conducting a detailed study to estimate the volumes and types of wood biomass that would be available and sustainable over the long term, to support wood bioenergy facilities in Vernonia.


• Estimate potential financial implications for private forest owners committed to maintaining their intact working forest for at least 15 years through a series of rolling 5-year agreements, taking advantage of multi-year contract premium. Commitment may also qualify forest owner for participation in a program currently under consideration by a major regional health care provider that would provide forest owners with catastrophic medical expense insurance and a health saving account in return for carbon credits based on a forest conservation commitment. (Note: there are 75 private forest owners of a total of 52,000 acres that are currently ATF-certified, all within a 25 mile radius of Vernonia).


• Depending on available resources, develop a demonstration-scale hybrid poplar plantation in the vicinity of Vernonia to augment local wood biomass supply. As in similar short-rotation wood biomass plantations, fertilization could be accomplished using municipal wastewater residues from Vernonia’s of new the wastewater treatment plant.

Phase 2. Design, finance, and construct municipal thermal-energy system, and demonstrate feasibility of residential bulk wood pellet storage and utilization.

• In cooperation with the Oregon State University College of Engineering, OSU College of Forestry, and International Woodfuels, install and monitor EPA-approved pellet stoves and automatic bulk fuel storage systems. Depending on available funding, this could involve purchasing and installing this equipment in ~20% or more of all homes in Vernonia (~150 of 720 homes ).


• In cooperation with International Woodfuels LLC, develop a proposed design for:
  
  • an appropriately-scaled district energy system to utilize locally-produced wood biomass. The Vernonia Thermal Energy Center (VTEC) would include rebuilt public facilities (140,000 sq. ft. K-12 school campus; 25,000 sq. ft. municipal center, that will include city hall, public library, senior citizens center, public health clinic) all to be located in close proximity.
  
  
  • A wood pellet manufacturing facility designed to a scale and capacity to meet the requirements for both the central thermal energy facility and residential demand, and demonstrate the feasibility of bulk pellet distribution.
  
  
  

Phase 3. Establish Vernonia Natural Resource Center as continuing education facility

• The Vernonia Natural Resource Center would serve as a hub for continuing research and education on sustainable wood bioenergy, and to facilitate replication and adaptation in other forest-based communities.


• The center itself would demonstrate energy-efficient building design and new technologies for renewable energy in residential and commercial heating.

Timeline

Year 1:
1) Completion of wood biomass availability study, including projected biomass flow on a rolling five-year basis from all public and private industrial/non-industrial forestlands within a 50-radial mile distance of Vernonia.
2) Planning and design of local wood biomass and pellet manufacturing and distribution facility
3) Evaluation, planning and design of central thermal energy center to provide woody biomass heating to public buildings (VTEC)
4) Planning and design of residential bulk wood pellet storage, use monitoring, and delivery system.

Year 2:

1) Securing of funding to construct VTEC and pellet manufacturing facility
2) Securing of funding for purchase and installation of the residential pellet storage, monitoring, and delivery technologies

Year 3:

1) Completion of biomass long-term supply MOUs between VTEC and biomass suppliers
2) Completion of facilities construction
3) Launch of beta test site research program (VNRC and OSU)