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Woody Biomass Tools and Resources

This page consolidates the Tools and Resources information found on the other Woody Biomass Utilization web pages.

  • Woody Debris Utilization

    • U.S. Billion Ton Update - Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry - The update provides feedstocks availability and potential estimates at the county level using supply cost curves under several scenarios from 2012 to 2030. Estimates range from about half a billion to 1.6 billion dry tons annually depending on the selected cost ans scenario. The data is also available at this website.
    • Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply - The purpose of the Billion Ton report is to determine whether the land resources of the United States are capable of producing a sustainable supply of biomass sufficient to displace 30 percent or more of the country’s present petroleum consumption.
    • Eastern Hardwood Forest Region Woody Biomass Energy Opportunity, October 2007 (PDF, 1.5 MB) - The report examines the woody biomass energy opportunity for the 35 states comprising the Eastern Hardwood Forest Region (EHFR), with the dual objectives of providing an educational overview of the market as it exists today, and offering a baseline reference resource for advanced, targeted feasibility studies within the wood fuel arena.
    • EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) - [EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) has changed its name to the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM).]
    • Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network (BFIN) - a gateway to a wealth of biomass feedstock information resources from the U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and other research organizations.
    • Regional Biomass Energy Feedstock Partnership Program - The U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture, in partnership with the Sun Grant Initiative universities and the members of the National Biomass State and Regional Partnership, have established the Regional Biomass Energy Feedstock Partnership. The Partnership consists of five separate regions: Southeast, North Central, South Central, Western, and Northeast. The overarching goal of the Partnership is to develop biomass feedstock resources on a regional basis in order to realize each region’s potential contribution to the 1.3 billion ton annual biomass feedstock goal, as identified in the joint study by Departments of Energy and Agriculture “Billion Ton Study”.
    • Coordinated Resource Offering Protocol (CROP) - The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has utilized the CROP model for pilot projects as a means of addressing the growing fuel load problem within major forest systems across the United States.

  • Cellulosic Biofuels

    • The National Biofuels Action Plan Workshop Summary Report Final (5-30-07) (PDF, 1.79 MB) is being prepared for the existing interagency Biomass Research and Development Board, established by the Research and Development Act of 2000 and revised by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The document is the result of a Federal agency workshop held November 28-29, 2006, in Washington, DC, to initiate the interagency coordination process. The main objectives of the workshop were to define current and future Federal agency and program roles and activities, identify gaps and opportunities to collaborate, and assess budgets related to biofuels production and use to meet the President’s Advanced Energy Initiative and the DOE’s “30x30” goals. (Note: at the time of this workshop, the President’s 2007 State of the Union “20 in 10” goal was not announced.) The goal of the Workshop Summary Report is to identify the overall administrative and management needs to meet the President’s goals that should be addressed by the Board, as expressed by the interagency teams. The Workshop Summary Report will also provide a focus for the interagency coordination teams in their future work, and will provide a framework for a more detailed National Biofuels Action Plan to be developed through the interagency teams’ future efforts.
    • Water Implications of Biofuels Production in the nited States (PDF, 1.4 MB)

    Biomass Power and/or Heat

    • Fiscal Year 2015 Biomass Crop Assistance Program - The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), created by the 2008 Farm Bill and reauthorized with modifications by the 2014 Farm Bill, is part of the national strategy to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil, improve domestic energy security, and reduce carbon pollution, by developing more agricultural products made in rural America. BCAP provides funds to assist farmers and forester landowners with growing, maintaining, and harvesting biomass that can be used for energy or bio-based products.
    • A Strategy for Increasing the Use of Woody Biomass for Energy (September 2008) - Prepared for the National Association of State Foresters, Forest Markets Committee by Innovative Natural Resource Solutions LLC, September 2008. The purpose of this report is to review the status of woody biomass as an energy resource, the tatus of the technologies for using it (particularly the new ones under development which could broaden the use of biomass), and to suggest a strategy to NASF for actions it and its members could take to increase the use of woody biomass for energy.
    • Fuels for Schools and Beyond - a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service State and Private Forestry and the Bitterroot Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area, Inc. There are currently six state forestry departments participating in this program providing technical and financial assistance to interested parties in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Fuels for Schools mission is to promote and encourage the use of woody biomass as a renewable, natural resource to provide a clean, readily available energy source suitable for heat and power generation in public and private buildings; and, to facilitate the removal of hazardous fuels from our forests by assisting in the development of viable commercial uses of removed material.
    • EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership - Provides technical assistance to candidate sites for Bioenergy CHP projects and maintains a number of tools and resources to assist those considering or implementing projects including a funding and regulatory/ rates opportunities database, an emissions calculator, information on strategic markets for biomass CHP, a project development guidebook and a biomass catalogue of technologies.
    • EPA’s Risk Management Research - Best practices for bioenergy production include effective control of emissions from the process. Modern industrial systems employ technologies that extract as much energy from the biomass as possible, which in turn minimizes the amount of unburned material that could be emitted into the air. These processes then use air pollution control technologies to reduce emissions as needed to meet applicable emission limits. Further information on control technologies and emission measurements can be found at EPA’s Risk Management Research web page.
    • EPA Sector-Based Information and Resources - Provides information, resource links, and analyses relating to manufacturing and business sectors in the United States.
    • Primer on Wood Biomass for Energy, January 2008 (PDF) - A paper by the U.S. Forest Service State & Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit explaining and describing the concepts of wood energy on a residential, commercial, and industrial scale in the United States so that the Forest Service can help meet the demands of communities involved in the forest-products industry.
    • Small Modular Biopower Systems - The DOE Small Modular Biopower Systems Project worked with industry to develop small modular biopower systems that are efficient and clean. A fact sheet about this past initiative is available: Small Modular Biopower Systems (PDF, 0.3 MB).
    • State Energy Program (SEP) Grants for Woody Biomass
    • The Southern Bioenergy Roadmap - Publication by The Southeast Agriculture and Forestry Energy Resources Alliance (SAFER).
    • USDA Forest Service Research & Development: Priority Areas: Biomass & Bioenergy
      Forest Service Research and Development has a long history of providing results in the area of bioenergy and biobased products.

  • Reports & Documents

    Training

    • Biomass Benefits 101 - This presentation provides basic information regarding benefits of woody biomass utilization.
    • UWTV Series: Denman Forestry Issues - Produced by the University of Washington Television (UWTV), University of Washington College of Forest Resources, a webcast providing information about timely forestry and natural resources issues. The Denman Forestry Issues series includes programs about bioenery, biofuels, and other related topics.

  • Reports

    Training/Outreach Materials

    • National Association of Conservation Districts - helps districts meet forestry needs on private forest, urban and agricultural land.
      • Woody Biomass Desk Guide and Toolkit - an overview of woody biomass production and utilization in the U.S., tips of how to provide effective outreach for your clientele, and educational handouts to share with your audiences. The purpose of this guide is to equip natural resource professionals and outreach specialists with the information and tools needed to increase awareness of the use of woody biomass for energy in the U.S.

    Financing Opportunities

    Contacts

    • California Biomass Collaborative - The mission of the California Biomass Collaborative is to enhance the sustainable management and development of biomass in California.
    • National Biomass State and Regional Partnerships - This Biomass Program primarily carries out state and regional partnerships through cooperation with the National Biomass State and Regional Partnerships which consists of five Regional Organizations: Coalition of Northeastern Governors Policy Research Center, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Southern States Energy Board, Western Governors Association, and DOE's Western Regional Office.