1. FORESTS:
USFS push to promote biomass could encourage overharvesting, critics say

This biomass-to-energy project at Camp Lejeune converts wood to electrical power. EPA says added benefits are waste utilization and pollution alleviation. Photo courtesy of EPA.

A recent Forest Service announcement indicating that it will spend $57 million in economic stimulus funds to promote the use of thinned trees as a renewable fuel source is raising concerns among some who believe the agency's new emphasis on biomass could encourage overharvesting.

Forest Service officials, however, say there is no need to worry. Ed Gee, the head of the Forest Service's biomass utilization team, said the agency plans to pursue biomass development with an eye on ecological sustainability.

The agency is encouraging the development of small biomass plants that would not need copious amounts of wood, both to limit effects to forests and to increase the likelihood of a successful venture, Gee said.

At issue are 30 projects involving biomass harvesting or wood-to-energy facilities funded under the Forest Service's $1.15 billion largesse from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The focus on biomass in the new round of projects -- the third stimulus project list issued by the agency so far -- is part of a broader agency effort to encourage biomass harvesting and use, both on Forest Service lands and beyond. Go to story #1