Localized economic contributions of renewable wood-based biopower generation

Dahal, Ram P.; Aguilar, Francisco X.; McGarvey, Ronald G.; Becker, Dennis R.; Abt, Karen L.

doi:10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104913

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The SE US pellet supply chain is important for forestry activities and investments in communities and ports servicing pellet processing mills [59]. While the supply chain represents a tiny share of the total biomass processed by SE US forest industries, sustainability requirements for pellets influence wider forestry practices and contribute to increased conservation investments in regions where feedstocks are harvested, e.g., [96].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jobs involve sustainable forest management planning, harvests, planting, grading, processing, transportation, and maintenance in the mills, with spillover effects and investments in ports and corollary industries. It is estimated that 20% more value is added to local economies from bio-based pellet power systems than from coal-based systems, with the more important difference being that the former is sustainably managed while a fossil fuel option relies on destructive, boom-and-bust resource extraction [59]. An input-output assessment of the potential for sustainable expansion of wood pellet industries in the SE US found that over 100,000 jobs and $16 billion in economic output could be supported [60].…”

Section: Sdgs Relevant To Production Of Woody Pellets In the Se Usmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the ILO, low-carbon economies, such as those supported by the SE US pellet supply chain, have the potential to generate decent jobs, advance social inclusion, and enhance resilience. While some studies find that pellet supply chains support such goals, e.g., [59,60], some stakeholders raise questions about environmental justice. We recommend that stakeholder engagement strategies be inclusive of all perspectives and consider potential costs, benefits, and tradeoffs associated with wood pellet production from the perspectives of those most directly impacted.…”

Section: Opportunities For the Pellet Industry To Make Progress Toward Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Production of Woody Pellets in the Southeastern United States on the Sustainable Development Goals

Kline

Dale

Rose³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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Wood-based pellets are produced in the southeastern United States (SE US) and shipped to Europe for the generation of heat and power. Effects of pellet production on selected Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) are evaluated using industry information, available energy consumption data, and published research findings. Challenges associated with identifying relevant SDG goals and targets for this particular bioenergy supply chain and potential deleterious impacts are also discussed. We find that production of woody pellets in the SE US and shipments to displace coal for energy in Europe generate positive effects on affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), industry innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and life on land (SDG 15). Primary strengths of the pellet supply chain in the SE US are the provisioning of employment in depressed rural areas and the displacement of fossil fuels. Weaknesses are associated with potential impacts on air, water, and biodiversity that arise if the resource base and harvest activities are improperly managed. The SE US pellet supply chain provides an opportunity for transition to low-carbon industries and innovations while incentivizing better resource management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sdgs Relevant To Production Of Woody Pellets In the Se Usmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Opportunities For the Pellet Industry To Make Progress Toward Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Production of Woody Pellets in the Southeastern United States on the Sustainable Development Goals

Kline

Dale

Rose³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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“…Indirect effects are those associated with inter-industry transactions in the supply chain. Induced effects include the effects stemming from household spending of labor income via goods and services purchased due to the direct and indirect spending by industries in the study region [2,3,[11][12][13][14][15]. Economic effects can be presented using various economic measures such as industry output (or total sales), employment generated, value added, labor income, taxes paid, and so on.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Methodological Framework for Decomposing the Value-Chain Economic Contribution: A Case of Forest Resource Industries of the Lake States in the United States

Gc,

Thapa,

Pokharel

et al. 2024

Forests

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The forest products industries play a vital role in the economic, social, and environmental well-being of the Lake States in the United States. While various economic contribution analyses of forest products industries have been conducted to highlight the importance of such industries to regional economies, little effort has yet been made to parse out the contribution of activities in the value chain. The value chain is a series of steps involved in producing goods or services. This study used a matrix decomposition approach to estimate the economic contribution along the value chain through multiple pathways of four forest resource-based industries using wood as inputs: biomass power generation, sawmills, paper mills, and the construction of new single-family residential structures in the Lake States. The direct and indirect economic output values in 2017 resulting from the construction of new single-family residential structures were $19.1 billion, sawmills were $2.5 billion, paper mills were $17.6 billion, and the biomass power generation industry was $759 million. Of the direct and indirect economic output contributed by each industry, the highest percentage of output attributable to the logging industry was observed from the sawmills industry (12%), followed by biomass power generation (9%), paper mills (1.4%), and the construction of new single-family residential structures (<1%), respectively. The percentage of total economic output attributable to the stumpage industry in the region followed a similar trend as commercial logging for all value-chain industries. The relative economic contribution of the value-chain industries to the total economic contribution of the final industry varied based on whether the industry was a primary or secondary forest products industry and the pathways used for sourcing wood inputs.

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“…Strong inverse association of increases in population density and cropland areas with level of the timberland attributes shows the significance of the land cover changes to more developed and agricultural areas [166] across the analysis areas. The substantial value added to local economies by producing wood-based biomass [44] can play a key role in preventing forest land cover changes. If the investments and jobs associated with biomass production can help sustain rural communities, the presence or expansion of biopower plants can incentivize rural communities to maintain forests and decelerate forest conversion to agriculture or developed land.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of woody biomass production and biopower generation on US forests

Mirzaee¹

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[EMBARGOED UNTIL 6/1/2023] This dissertation presents a study of environmental impact of woody biomass production and consumption on the eastern US forests. The first part is concerned with the impact of the exponential growth in trading of US pelletized wood fibers triggered by implementation of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive. We develop a panel data model with spatially dependent sample to assess variability in fundamental attributes for timberland structure and carbon stocks within procurement landscapes of wood pellet mills in the eastern US. In addition to the booming export market for US wood pellet, there has been a growing woody biomass domestic market for electricity generation in recent decades. The second part is a systematic assessment of associations between biopower generation, and selected timberland structure indicators and carbon stocks across areas surrounding wood-using and coal-burning power plants in the eastern US. Woody biomass is considered as a carbon neutral and sustainable source of energy that can be used in many coal-burning facilities to reduce the carbon footprint in the electricity sector. The last section provides a multi-objective optimization model to find the minimum cost of generating biopower that satisfies sustainability constraints as well as projected biopower demands under multiple policy scenarios in the eastern US. We studied potential federal policy interventions in 2035 that could be considered for decarbonization of the US power sector, including policies aimed at supporting an expanded role for biomass co-firing at existing coal-fired electric generating units.

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Localized economic contributions of renewable wood-based biopower generation

Cited by 15 publications

References 23 publications

Effects of Production of Woody Pellets in the Southeastern United States on the Sustainable Development Goals

Effects of Production of Woody Pellets in the Southeastern United States on the Sustainable Development Goals

A Methodological Framework for Decomposing the Value-Chain Economic Contribution: A Case of Forest Resource Industries of the Lake States in the United States

Impact of woody biomass production and biopower generation on US forests

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