Biomass – plant matter that can be burned or converted into liquid fuel – is an important source of renewable energy that augments more common sources such as wood and heating oil. Ideal biomass crops can be grown quickly and cheaply on marginal agricultural lands.
Two decades of development work at SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse has led to new strains of the shrub willow that show great promise as biomass feedstock. The shrub willow is a familiar fast-growing tree that has provided the world with wicker baskets for centuries.
Shrub willow grows 10 to 15 times faster than natural forest. It takes only a few years to reach sufficient size for profitable harvesting, and at that point the tree grows to a height of 30 feet and lasts for 20 years. An acre can produce five tons of biomass that can even be harvested with a foot of snow on the ground. The improved strains of the willow are more productive and more resistant to cold and pests.
The Celtic Energy Farm in Cape Vincent, New York now has 1,200 acres of shrub willow planted, making it the largest commercial plantation in the US. The crop could have a bright future as a replacement for at least some of the wood burning in the north country. Some industry experts believe that shrub willow will make up as much as 5% of the fuel supply in Upstate New York when its commercial development is completed.
**********
.
Web Links
Is Shrub Willow a Viable Biomass Feedstock for the US?
Photo, taken on June 7, 2006, courtesy of Jason Sturner via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.