Offering a Smart Fuel Choice

http://michiganwoodenergy.org/

With rising energy costs placing a burden on Michigan's communities, the Southeast Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council set out to study how Michigan's abundant wood resources could offer a smart choice for affordable, renewable and sustainable energy.

The emerald ash borer has killed millions of trees in the state, and the volume of wood waste has grown. Removed urban trees and industrial wood residues created about 7.5 million cubic yards of wood waste in southeastern Michigan in 2005 alone. While sawmills and communities are now working together more often to create lumber and other high-value products from these trees, a tremendous amount of lower-value wood is still generated from traditional and urban forestry efforts, the manufacturing sector and other industries. What if all of this wood could be put to good use?

You can take a first step in doing just that by visiting this website. You'll find an online Wood Energy Calculator to see if switching your boiler to wood fuel makes economic sense. You can also learn more about biomass energy, see successful examples, identify sources of technical assistance, and find funding opportunities for converting your boiler.