Bioenergy Workshop

Interest in wood-based bioenergy is greatly increasing as people look for renewable and alternative forms of energy.  This is especially true in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where nearly 80% of land is in forest. This workshop, held on 10 March 2009, brought together foresters, natural resource professionals, loggers, forest industry members, conservation districts, government organizations, and others to explore the future of woody biomass utilization in the region and what that might mean for local forests, economies, and communities.
Funding for this project was provided by the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Outcomes

Workshop Presentations and Materials

• Agenda (pdf)
• Energy, Woody Biomass & Other Abstract Ideas
  Bill Cook, Michigan State University Extension
• Centers of Energy Excellence Update and the Feedstock Supply Chain (pdf)
  Donna LaCourt, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
• Woody Energy Crop Production Systems: Adding Another Log to the Fire (pdf)
  Ray Miller, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, Michigan State University
• Forest Biomass: Inventory, Potential, and Realized Feedstock Availability (pdf)
  Robert Froese, Michigan Technological University
• Forest Residues as a Source of Woody Biomass: Issues & Opportunities (pdf)
  Charlie Becker, Plum Creek Timberlands
• Policies, Perceptions, and Wood-based Bioenergy
  Kathy Halvorsen, Michigan Technological University
• Biomass Harvesting Guidance for Michigan (pdf)
  Cara Boucher, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Additional Resources

• Biomass Utilization and Restoration Network of the Upper Peninsula (BURN-UP)
• Michigan Biomass Energy Program
• Michigan Technological University Wood-to-Wheels
• Michigan State University Forest Biomass Innovation Center
• Michigan Climate Action Council

Collaborators

• Robert Froese, Associate Professor, Michigan Technological University
• Bill Cook, District Forester, Michigan State University Extension
• Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development Council
• Marquette Conservation District