Biomass Burning has Large Costs and Tiny Benefits
Tuesday, 09 March 2010

Photo: “Biomass producing energy”, Andrew Ciscel  © 2010, Used under Creative Commons - Attribution License Biomass burning is dirtier than coal when it comes to the emissions that matter most to public health and climate change. Smoke stack emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and soot particles (known as Particulate Matter) per unit of power generated by burning wood are higher than from burning coal.

Existing biomass power production is already having considerable negative impacts on our nation’s forests.  Additional tax incentives will make this problem worse. In Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and many other states,existing biomass power plants burn whole trees to make electricity. Congress unwisely provided federal financial assistance to cut down our forests for burning in biomass plants. Those trees would not have been cut without the public subsidies driving biomass power production; those trees would be cleaning polluted air, storing carbon, providing wildlife habitat, replenishing soil, and providing families with a place to play and explore.

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Prescribed Burn Position Statement
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Buckeye Forest Council - Executive Summary
Adopted October 2009

The Buckeye Forest Council (BFC) is a membership-based, grassroots organization dedicated to protecting Ohio’s native forests and their inhabitants. The BFC opposes the use of prescribed burns in Ohio’s public forests.

  • Fire is not a common natural occurrence here, and particularly on the large scale—covering lowlands as well as ridgetops—of recent prescribed burns.
  • Fire is harmful to many species, to the forest as a whole, to Ohioans’ health, and to the global environment.
  • The stated rationales for the practice are either unnecessary and inappropriate (fuel reduction, biodiversity enhancement) or supported by insufficient scientific evidence to justify the large-scale burns that are being conducted (promotion of oak regeneration).
  • Conducting prescribed burns in the second half of April, after the herb layer has emerged and grouse and turkeys are nesting, is a particular concern and should be stopped immediately.

If prescribed burning projects on public land continue, they should be required to undergo environmental impact studies, and there should be an opportunity for meaningful public input.

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New Study: Economic Analysis of the 2006 Wayne National Forest Plan
Thursday, 05 February 2009
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