tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-377614252024-03-14T01:34:50.709-07:00BIOstock BlogThe 1st of 4 BIOenergy Blogs, this one covers mostly farm and forestry feedstock issues. The other three related blogs are the <a href="http://bioconversion.blogspot.com"><b>BIOconversion Blog</b></a>, the <a href="http://bioconversion.blogspot.com"><b>BIOoutput Blog</b></a>, and the <a href="http://biowaste.blogspot.com"><b>BIOwaste Blog</b></a>. Related <a href="http://twubs.com/biostock">#biostock tweets</a> @BIOblogger.C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-66977698225502484542011-11-30T08:39:00.000-08:002011-11-30T10:58:31.576-08:00Planting Thoughts Using Social MediaI found a fascinating video visualization of the fractal growth of ideas that derive from social media. The Ecosphere Project video (above) is titled "Plant a Thought, Watch it Grow". CNN is using it to track the breadth and depth of discussion on Twitter concerning the Climate Change talks in Durban, South Africa (#COP17). Anyone who writes a tweet that includes "#COP17" in the message will be C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-5814610090960345852011-08-22T10:01:00.000-07:002011-08-22T10:08:14.633-07:00Increased global forest density necessitates more forest managementEnvironmental Research Web published a report last month based on U.S. and European research concluding that global "Forest Density is Increasing." This substantiates the argument that Indirect Land Use Change is a speculative theory because increased forest density can mitigate the impacts of deforestation - particularly in large forests like Brazil's. If we can sustainably grow and manage C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-8688858596033650512011-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:002011-05-27T12:26:58.289-07:00Open Letter Defending REAP and BCAPYesterday the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee voted to eliminate USDA BCAP and REAP funding - this in the name of frugality. Biomass Magazine's Lisa Gibson has written an excellent article that accurately depicts the situation. I encourage readers to contact their House Congressional Representatives immediately to express their desire to keep these programs intact.Cutting these C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-27525052052487337322011-05-18T08:05:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:59:06.031-07:00Carbon Accounting and the Titanic AnalogyIn a Forest Business Network article May 15th, it was reported that:The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today that they support the proposed rule to defer the regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biomass for three years while the agency studies the science and policy of regulating biomass energy the same as fossil C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-35051717885470561522010-03-03T08:59:00.001-08:002010-03-03T08:59:55.310-08:00Southern Forests for the FutureCheck out this SlideShare Presentation created by World Resources Institute concerning the history and current status of Southern Forests. It addresses questions concerning how to maintain our forest health in the face of a dwindling forest products industry and urban/suburban development in the South. Southern Forests for the FutureView more presentations from World Resources Institute (WRI).C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-29337955734466340892009-07-01T18:41:00.000-07:002009-07-13T12:19:42.658-07:00Ag and Forestry Provisions in Waxman/Markey ACES billThe Waxman/Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) narrowly passed through the House vote on June 26. It would not have passed if the authors had failed to accede to the amendments insisted upon by Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN). What are the provisions?Below is a condensed explanation of the key provisions agreed to by bill sponsor Henry Waxman (D-CA) as C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-53460722185482583162009-07-01T12:04:00.001-07:002009-07-01T12:23:13.111-07:00Advanced Wood Combustion: Rekindling Wood Energy in AmericaOpened in February 2009, the new biomass power plant at Vermont's Middlebury College is expected to burn 20,000 tons of wood chips each year to provide heat and electricity for the campus.The plant uses an "advanced wood combustion" system. Such plants hold great potential to save energy, cut costs, and even fight global warming, a March 2009 study says. Photograph by Brett Simison, courtesy C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-20026670825403598442009-06-01T17:34:00.001-07:002009-06-06T11:36:12.744-07:00NACD's Woody Biomass Desk Guide and ToolkitIt seems like every bioenergy and conservation conference I go to drives toward the same conclusion... "What we need is education, education, education." Of course, determining which messages should be communicated is key - which is why the credibility of the authors is paramount. Who is writing the content and what is their motivation?Whenever I come across material that I think is credible and C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-26945202151992596902009-05-23T09:29:00.000-07:002009-05-23T11:27:08.547-07:00Evergreen no more?"We must always consider the environment and people together, as though they are one, because the human need to use natural resources is fundamental to our continued presence on Earth." - Jim Petersen, Editor, Evergreen Magazine 1989So opens the Evergreen website, an online resource for archives of the the Evergreen magazine. Started in 1986, articles about forestry, biological diversity, forest C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-66965614454287057272009-04-25T11:03:00.000-07:002009-05-07T16:25:25.424-07:00New RES Bill Repeats Biomass Restrictions of RFSThe passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 included mandates for the production of billions of gallons of "advanced biofuels" including 16 billion gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol by 2022. This is an important investment and technology development driver for this emerging industry. But it is significantly undercut by the restrictions on the sources of qualifying C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-74478981631274259312009-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:002009-04-17T08:50:39.224-07:00New Report Challenges Searchinger ILUC StudyCoinciding with the National 25x'25 Summit earlier this month the alliance has just inaugurated their own blog full of news, reports, and commentary relevant to the mission of the organization - to get 25 percent of our energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by the year 2025.A blog article published yesterday titled "New Report Challenges Searchinger ILUC Study" provides C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-6186421943678840802009-04-14T09:44:00.000-07:002009-04-15T14:39:13.251-07:0025x'25: Agriculture and Forestry in a Reduced Carbon EconomyThe 25x'25 Alliance held their National Summit March 31-April 2 in Arlington, VA. The theme this year was "Agriculture and Forestry in a Reduced Carbon Economy" which is significant because of the relatively equal footing given to forestry in an organization that has, up to this point, reflect a more agricultural emphasis. Last year the organization's National Steering Committee chartered a C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-64951863186937754802009-03-09T10:23:00.000-07:002009-07-06T15:27:18.318-07:00EESI: Briefings on Woody Biomass and Renewable EnergyJuly 6, 2009 - After two years development, EESI has just released a new policy paper titled Sustainable Forest Biomass: Promoting Renewable Energy and Forest Stewardship . EESI convened a discussion series bringing together scientists, community groups, foresters, environmental advocates, federal agencies, and other experts to explore the opportunities and problems associated with greater use ofC. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-50631434831056342182009-03-08T20:17:00.000-07:002009-03-09T08:48:57.183-07:00A New Social Contract for ForestryHere is an article that I didn't write but it offers an approach to solving the communications problem that currently stymies the deployment of forest management programs. I have written several articles about the sad state of affairs of the environmental litigation process in this blog. If you wish to participate in a dialog on this subject or contact the author, David Atkins, then visit this C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-46625389114277695262009-01-20T10:39:00.000-08:002009-01-22T09:07:04.423-08:00Integrating biorefineries with paper & pulp millsOne prominent feature of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) is its renewable fuel standard that sets the trajectory for satisfying America's newfound thirst for alternative fuels. 36 billion gallons per year production by the year 2022. Considering that the U.S.' current annual production of biofuels is about 8 billion gallons that is a considerable amount of growth being C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-9974112661089428472008-10-25T20:36:00.000-07:002008-11-01T10:32:18.445-07:00Analysis of Woody Biomass Case StudiesAfter every thinning operation of forest management (see the before/after picture above) there is an accumulation of woody biomass (see below).Woody biomass is the lowest-value material removed from the forest, usually logging slash, small-diameter trees, tops, limbs, or trees that can not be sold as timber. However, in the emerging renewable energy paradigm shift, this biomass has suddenly C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-21502542368558096862008-09-15T12:11:00.000-07:002008-09-15T17:40:44.081-07:00Raven Biofuels allies with Price BIOstockPrice BIOstock and Raven Biofuels announced the signing of a strategic alliance that will help them usher in the new era of biofuel biorefinery deployments. Raven expects to build several acid hydrolysis bio-refineries over the next five years. Each biorefinery is being designed to produce an initial capacity of more than 10 million gallons per year (10 MPGY) of ethanol and high value furfural C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-77179378421362998312008-09-04T15:17:00.000-07:002008-09-04T16:27:14.647-07:00Woody Biomass Removal Case StudiesHere are a series of publicly accessible case studies that point to the conscientious work being performed and meticulously documented by forest managers and academia "so that managers, land- owners, business entrepreneurs, communities, and industry partners can easily access information to help them remove and utilize woody biomass from forests in an efficient and ecologically responsible mannerC. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-57792129302703213842008-08-25T17:38:00.000-07:002008-08-25T17:47:26.690-07:00The Forest Service and Climate ChangeThe Forest Service has put together a 12 minute video titled The Forest Service and Climate Change that encapsulates some of the mounting concern for the impact of global warming on the health of our forests, the ability of forests to counteract its progress, and how the Forest Service plans to deal with it.----------------technorati biomass, forestryC. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-32736197436814352162008-08-11T19:04:00.000-07:002008-08-11T20:00:07.674-07:00Authority returned to the Forest ServiceI am convinced that one of the hardest jobs in the government is to work in the USDA Forest Service. It is not that it is dangerous work... it's that it must be so frustrating. Here is an organization entrusted with a gargantuan challenge, with what should be a more than adequate budget, and more responsibility than should be expected of any governmental agency - safeguarding the health of one ofC. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-88008538733919719682008-07-24T16:59:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:12:41.108-08:00Redefining "renewable biomass" in EISAAs we strive to find sustainable alternatives to the demonstrably unsustainable fossil fuel paradigm the definition of "renewable biomass" is critically important. It is not just biofuels, biopower, or bioproducts that are (or are not) environmentally sustainable. Sustainability is a function, too, of the feedstock - and it may vary by region. Corn grown in the midwest might be sustainable while C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-27857016314510792772008-07-21T16:22:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:12:41.655-08:00Flambeau River BioFuels trailblazes Paper & Pulp Mill ConversionsIt is always life-affirming to see the good guys win one. In this case the good guys are the participants of the Flambeau River Biofuels project led by strategic consultant Ben Thorp whose vision, persistence, and professionalism has been an inspiration to all who know him. It has been a labor of love for Ben who has seen the industry he has devoted so much of his career (at Georgia Pacific) be C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-10267351585287808272008-07-11T09:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:12:41.824-08:00Are Marginal Farmlands the Key to Sustainable Bioenergy?There are many aspects that need to be considered when comparing the sustainability of different feedstock. We are all familiar with the feed vs. fuel debate. Then concern arose about land use change - deforesting to create land for growing biofuel feedstock. Ideally, the highest yielding, most sustainable energy crops would be grown on available land not already being used for any other C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-40486035235048458162008-07-03T07:29:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:12:42.594-08:00CA Draft Scoping Plan comment: Sustainable ForestsThis is one of a series of comments submitted to the California Air Resources Board for their draft version of the California Climate Change Draft Scoping Plan. Other BIOenergy BlogRing comments are linked here: • Challenge the Status Quo • Recycling and Waste • Sustainable Forests----------------The ill health of our forests is a statewide catastrophe. We are witnessing deforestation byC. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37761425.post-67176755147048827462008-06-27T21:05:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:12:42.999-08:00California's Target for Forest Carbon ReductionThe California Air Resources Board is responsible for implementing the state's AB32 Global Warming Solutions Act. It's first step is to provide a Climate Change Draft Scoping Plan that outlines the reduction goals for achieving a reduction in statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. One of the goals is the reduction of 5 million tons/year of CO2 from forests using sustainable C. Scott Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752517798894140353noreply@blogger.com0