The United States is covered by approximately 595 million acres of forestlands. These forests have the capacity to supply 368 million dry tons of biomass annually from pre-commercial and non-merchantable trees, harvesting residues and fire-prevention thinnings (11).

Yet, even with such a large available resource in the United States, only 9% of our domestic energy production is in the form of renewable energy.  Consider the following numbers:

• Almost ½ of the renewable energy we do produce is generated from some form of biomass.

• Almost ¾ of that biomass is woody (2).

Our consumption of renewable energy is even lower, with only 6% of our total consumption being from renewable sources. Biomass accounts for approximately 47% of the renewable energy consumed in the U.S.(see Benefits of Biomass, on the next page). The forest products industry is probably the largest user of forest biomass, generating more than 70% of its energy in-house, most of which comes from by-products of its manufacturing process.

For more information on current trends visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service website or for U.S. population census data visit the U.S. Census Bureau website.

In order to increase the production and consumption of bioenergy in the U.S. we need to develop a process for harvesting woody biomass that is as efficient as the merchandising of traditional wood products. Take a closer look:

(Roll your mouse pointer over the image and the media player controls will pop up.)

In some cases, residual logging debris, under-sized trees, and other woody biomass are converted into wood chips by an in-woods chipper. These residue materials can be used for the production of electricity or bio-based products like dyes, inks, adhesives, fuels, and chemicals. However, this material is most frequently left on site and not utilized because of handling and transportations costs as well as the lack of markets. Efficient systems for harvesting and transportation can increase the utilization of this biomass while protecting the forest site.

(See Module 3: Harvesting Biomass for Bioenergy Production for more information on this topic.)