Inside this issue

From the Editors

A New Industry In the Northwest

The woody biomass industry has dominated the news cycle for the wrong reasons with Eastern U.S. industrial wood pellet producer Enviva filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections and as reports continue to come out with exactly how much trouble Enviva finds itself in. We never want to see businesses closing, but it especially feels like a bit of the blow to the industry, as Enviva was constantly being flogged by The Dogwood Alliance.

Meanwhile, coming off the Pacific Ocean like a warm breeze is a wave of industrial wood pellet production plant announcements. This breath of fresh air could be the solution to a fair number of problems that have plagued the Northwestern U.S. for many years as wildfire, excessive regulations and mill closures are the norm. These troubles are starting to slide by the wayside as a “new” industry could be emerging as industrial wood pellets have begun coming on quite strong in the region.

As this issue reports: A final notice and approval for an air quality permit has been issued for Pacific Northwest Renewable Energy in Hoquiam, Wash. that has been over a year in the making, when supplier Prodesa drew plans for the 60-acre site that will produce approximately 440,000 tons/year.

Then of course, there is the previous announced Drax facility in Longview, Wash. which appears to be moving forward after overcoming the usual song and dance with a variety of environmental “interest” groups cropping up to “fight.” The deadline for submitting public comment to the Washington Southwest Clean Air Agency (SWCAA) was March 29, 2024.

Lest we not forget the two proposed pellet mills in California from the Golden State Natural Resources (GSNR), that during a Board of Directors meeting February 28, 2024 ratified a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between GSNR and Drax US BECCS Development, LLC regarding exploration of sustainable biomass development opportunities. This MOU provides a framework that allows GSNR and Drax to assess opportunities for joint action and confirms each party’s commitment to the vision of developing sustainable biomass initiatives that strengthen forest resilience and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. This cooperative effort underscores the GSNR and Drax shared vision for developing creative solutions that sustainably strengthen forests and advance carbon negative green power solutions to combat global climate change.

Once again, industrial wood pellets seem to be the answered prayer for a region stressed by little to no markets for low value timber. Only time will tell if these projects will see production or not—we’re crossing our fingers.

From Left: Jessica Johnson, Managing Editor; Dan Shell, Senior Editor; Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief; David Abbott, Senior Associate Editor

Cover Story: Best Practices For Biomass Harvesting

In the 2023 General Assembly session of the Commonwealth of Virginia, HB2026 and SB1231 amended the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) to enable woody biomass to continue to be used as a source of electric power generation in Virginia and for specific biomass energy facilities to be included as eligible sources in the renewable energy standard. This legislation reflects the importance of biomass energy as a critical market for residual woody material from timber harvesting and from forest products manufacturing and addresses the need to ensure that woody biomass is produced and utilized sustainably.