Page 16 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 2 - Spring 2023

1.76 million metric tons
OF WOOD PELLETS WERE EXPORTED FROM GEORGIA IN 2021
resource, and the demand for biomass has proved valuable for landowners seeking markets for their small diameter and cull trees and tops and branches of harvested trees. Rural economies have benefited from wood pellet mills through job creation, tax revenues and the multiplier effects that a new industry brings. Even urban wood waste has become part of the mix that fuels this sustainable fiber “recycling” process.
According to the US Energy Infor- mation Administration (EIA), 5% of Georgia’s own electricity resource mix comes from biomass — mostly wood and wood-derived fuels. These accounted for nearly half of the state’s total renewable electricity generation in 2020. The EIA
reported the state generated 5 million MWh of electricity from biomass, or 10% of the nation’s biomass-fired total net gen- eration. That’s more than any state except California.
The GFC was instrumental in provid- ing custom reports about forest resource availability to investors building a bio- mass-powered facility in Barnesville, GA. Launched in 2013, Piedmont Green Power owns the 55 MW facility, which annually utilizes approximately 500,000 tons of woody biomass, consisting of urban wood waste along with mill and logging residue. Piedmont Green Power services Georgia Power.
Another project taking shape in Adel, GA is Spectrum Energy’s wood-pellet manufacturing facility. A particleboard facility that closed in 2014 is being repurposed for the pellet plant, which created concern from local residents who argued community air quality would be affected by its operation. Following a somewhat contentious struggle centering on air quality permits and industry development patterns, an agreement was reached. Spectrum submitted to increased pollution control
limits that exceed GA Environmental Protection Division requirements and additional “good neighbor” provisions to increase transparency in the community. The plant is expected to be fully opera- tional by the fourth quarter of 2023.
As the forest industry continues to seek and develop new markets for Georgia timber, the GFC is embracing leading- edge technology and the latest science to enhance its services. Supporting a growing biomass market that benefits Georgia is key to those goals.
“It’s exciting to see how small-diameter trees and wood waste products can support a renewable source of energy,” said GFC Director Tim Lowrimore. “As the Commission, we look forward to continuing to play a critical role for Georgia’s economy, the environment, and especially our forest landowners.”
STASIA KELLY IS A MEDIA RELATIONS SPECIALIST WITH THE GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION. STASIA IS FOCUSED ON TELLING THE STORY OF FORESTRY AND THE IMMENSE IMPACT OF THE INDUSTRY ON GEORGIA’S ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY AND HERITAGE.
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