Your editorial against the use of clean renewable biomass represents a minority view across the state. Thousands of homeowners, businesses, schools, and even hospitals utilize wood energy in the form of firewood, wood pellets, and wood chips. I have a BS degree in forestry from UMass and over 30 years’ experience practicing forestry.
My son and I help landowners protect and manage thousands of acres across the state. We’re creating jobs, improving forest land, producing many different forest products we all use, and providing a source of clean locally produced real renewable energy. But forests in our state are in serious trouble due to a variety of insect, disease, and other agents. Tree mortality has greatly increased and millions of tons of timber are dying every year. The only way we can help restore the health and productivity of our forests is to support more markets for low grade timber and that means biomass.
The official Massachusetts Climate Policy for our forests includes: increasing forest diversity (species, structure, and age classes); and encouraging active forest management for renewable wood products and to promote local wood products to keep working forest landscapes economically viable. This is impossible without low grade biomass markets. Thus in order to carry out this codified climate policy, then we need more markets for forest biomass.
Many communities have right-to-farm bylaws and support local farmers. Well it’s about time we had the right to practice forestry and support for our forest products industry. DOER must get it right this time and support more markets for forest biomass, otherwise our forests will continue to decline.
Mike Leonard, Consulting forester, North Quabbin Forestry
Petersham