Biomass Energy – Helping Sustain America’s Forests

It’s the alliance of the abbreviations today as NAFO – The National Alliance of Forest Owners delivered a letter (PDF) to the USDA – US Department of Agriculture, supporting the purposes of the BCAP – Biomass Crop Assistance Program. You with me so far?

If done right, BCAP will foster investments in private forests

David P. Tenny, President and CEO of NAFO, said, “We strongly support the BCAP as a means of providing carbon neutral energy from renewable forest biomass as part of our contribution to cleaner energy and a better climate. If administered properly, BCAP can help provide these important benefits, while developing vital new markets that give forest owners the financial means to maintain their forests in a working condition for the long term.”

NAFO has pledged to work with the Secretary of Agriculture to make sure that BCAP is implemented effectively and meets the nation’s renewable energy and climate change objectives while also sustaining private forests on rural land.

The letter sent from NAFO to USDA highlighted that the BCAP program should be organised in a way that fosters a level playing field for all potential sources of biomass energy. I must also recognise that new markets for energy from forest biomass help sustain working forests as forests. It must also make sure it doesn’t arbitrarily limit or otherwise allocate the use of renewable forest biomass in the market place and lastly the program must be fiscally responsible.

Tenny explained that, “As an emerging market, energy from renewable forest biomass can add that extra revenue stream that helps maintain the economic viability of private forests and preserves the many environmental and social benefits they provide in rural America. The resulting investment by forest owners makes forests more productive and the raw materials they produce more plentiful for all end users. That is good for the environment, for forest owners and for the economy.

If done right, BCAP can provide the incentives to create a new, sustainable marketplace for renewable forest biomass, capturing the full benefit of this renewable, carbon neutral energy source.”