Frank welcomes guest Carlton Owen of the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities. With 30% of the United States in forest, and many of those forests suffering from decades of fire suppression, insect attacks, and drought, the need has never been greater for the creation of markets for small diameter wood products. Carlton explains the efforts of the US Endowment to help develop these markets, with a particular focus on wood biomass energy. He explains the reason why the market seems dominated largely by government projects, and breaks down the nature of the economic “valley of death” the industry currently finds itself in. He concludes with a call for a new method for collaboration to prevent the loss of large extensions of land and wood resources to catastrophic wildfire.
The US Endowment for Forestry and Communities
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2 responses to “Episode #167: The US Endowment for Forestry and Communities”
While I found what Carlton Owen said was interesting the one thing he said that I really have a problem with is believing that base load still matters like it use to.
Busting the baseload power myth:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/12/02/3081889.htm
Baseload power is a myth: even intermittent renewables will work
http://theconversation.com/baseload-power-is-a-myth-even-intermittent-renewables-will-work-13210
Speaking of forestry – perhaps Frans Vera would be someone to interview for the podcast. I’m amazed that his name (and that of his book) never seems to come to mind when the interrelations between forest, foresters and forest animals are discussed. Edge effect, overstorey, trampling effect, guilds – nice terms which get thrown around, yet remain unexplained by an overarching theory. Vera has one, and it should perhaps get the recognition it derserves.