The Near-Term Market and Greenhouse Gas Implications of Forest Biomass Utilization in the Southeastern United States

Author(s): Robert C. Abt, Christopher S. Galik, and Jesse D. Henderson

Published: August 2010

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The following analysis explores the potential near-term impacts of expanded forest biomass use in the Southeastern United States. We estimate the boiler-specific amount of energy that could be potentially met from forest biomass when maximizing co-fire potential in existing coal-burning facilities across ten Southeastern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. We aggregate this demand both regionally and subregionally to account for spatial differences in both demand and supply of forest biomass. We then model the impact that this increased demand for forest biomass has on resource pricing, forest inventory, harvest removals, and by extension, on existing users of the wood resource. Finally, we examine the greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of such a scenario and identify areas of further research necessary to build upon the initial findings relayed here.