Success Stories

Ashland, Maine is home to J.D. Irving Sawmill, ReEnergy Ashland biomass facility, Morris Logging, Northeast Pellets, and countless other forestry-focused businesses. Bioenergy is an essential part of a thriving forestry industry that employs hundreds of Mainers – and keeps the forests healthy.

Koda Energy, a biomass energy facility in Shakopee, Minnesota, provides energy to the grid as well as heat and energy for neighbor Rahr Malting’s beer malt manufacturing. Koda is fueled by spent grain, urban lumber scrap, and oat hulls from General Mills derived from the manufacture of breakfast cereals at such as Cheerios. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Rahr Corporation, owners of the facility, generously contributed to the production of this video, along with the Heating the Midwest.

For many years, the U.S. Forest Service has partnered with the American Biomass Energy Association to promote National Bioenergy Day and produce an educational video to showcase the importance of local renewable wood energy markets to sustainably manage forests, prevent forests from being permanently converted to non-forest uses, and create rural jobs.

California is experiencing a drought and, along with it, significant tree mortality across the state. An estimated 66 million dead trees pose safety hazards and fire risks – and biomass can help alleviate the problem. U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore discusses the benefits of biomass.

Bioenergy is a crucial part of Northwest Montana’s economy and forest management strategy. Bioenergy is used to provide energy for the FH Stoltze sawmill, which also sells 2 MW of energy to Flathead Electric Coop. RBM Lumber uses bioenergy in its production of high-end wood products, and its leftover wood fibers heat Glacier High School. SmartLam uses bioenergy in its manufacturing of cross-laminated timber (CLT), an innovative building material. The U.S. Forest Service discusses the need for more bioenergy in the area.

The Eagle Valley Clean Energy facility in Gypsum, Colorado, generates clean and green energy from the otherwise unusable parts of trees diseased by the widespread pine beetle blight that has devastated 5 million acres of Colorado’s forests. The model bioenergy project was made possible by a public-private partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.