25x25 a pressure group in the US is warning that some proposed legislation in the US could severely restrict the amount of cellulose available for biofuels in what is effectively a call for managed woodlands. I can see why the Waxman-Markley proposal wants to ensure that the forests are not completely denuded of trees or cover for wildlife. But I am at a loss to see why so much Federally owned woodland should be excluded.
I whole heartedly agree with this sentiment from 25x25:
Much better to convert at least some of it into automotive fuel before converting it to carbon dioxide.
I whole heartedly agree with this sentiment from 25x25:
It is incredibly short-sighted to not include as a renewable energy resource the millions of acres of dead and dying trees that, with one spark, could go up in wildfires, releasing billions of tons of greenhouse gases.
Much better to convert at least some of it into automotive fuel before converting it to carbon dioxide.
Comments (2)
Simon,
On paper (no pun intended), using decaying biomass looks like a good idea, but from what I have seen hiking in Penn's woods (that is Pennsylvania), very little trees logged are taken out on a large scale. Doing that would mean creating managed logged areas which means running into all kinds of special interest groups: hunters, conservationists, and so on.
Posted by Pradeep | May 21, 2009 12:54 AM
Posted on May 21, 2009 00:54
Old growth timber looks pretty, but it is not very productive of either wildlife or oxygen.
Selective logging is simply harvesting the mature trees, like you would corn, so young trees can replace them. Young trees provide much more wildlife food, wildlife cover and oxygen for us than do old growth forests.
larry
Posted by larryhagedon | June 22, 2009 4:12 AM
Posted on June 22, 2009 04:12