Home Grown Bioenergy Contributes to Forest Health and Rural Jobs Across America

A joint statement signed by numerous organizations advocating for the sustainable use of domestic biomass in the United States to improve forest health, mitigate climate change, and support rural economies.

• The signatories argue that many U.S. forests are currently overstocked and unhealthy due to invasive species, pests, and years of wildfire suppression, creating a scenario where too little biomass is utilized.
• In California, a combination of climate change, pest infestations, and drought has resulted in the death of 129 million trees since 2010, which increases wildfire risk if the wood is left in the forest.
• The document claims that current methods of dealing with excess biomass, specifically open burning, are costly to taxpayers and release carbon dioxide and other air pollutants like smog precursors and particulate matter.
• Sustainable biomass utilization is presented as a way to provide economic benefits to rural communities, such as creating local jobs and reducing dependence on volatile fossil-based heating fuels like propane and heating oil.
• The statement references an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report stating that Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) will be necessary to keep global warming significantly below 2 degrees Celsius.

APA

Cassidy, C., Khalsa, A. K., & Valachovic, Y. (2018). Home Grown Bioenergy Contributes to Forest Health and Rural Jobs Across America. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/home-grown-bioenergy-contributes-to-forest-health-and-rural-jobs-across-ame

Chicago

Cassidy, Chris, Akasha Kaur Khalsa, and Yana Valachovic. Home Grown Bioenergy Contributes to Forest Health and Rural Jobs Across America. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2018. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/home-grown-bioenergy-contributes-to-forest-health-and-rural-jobs-across-ame.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cassidy |first1=Chris |last2=Khalsa |first2=Akasha Kaur |last3=Valachovic |first3=Yana |title=Home Grown Bioenergy Contributes to Forest Health and Rural Jobs Across America |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=24 October 2018 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/home-grown-bioenergy-contributes-to-forest-health-and-rural-jobs-across-ame |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cassidy2018home, author = {Cassidy, Chris and Khalsa, Akasha Kaur and Valachovic, Yana}, title = {{Home Grown Bioenergy Contributes to Forest Health and Rural Jobs Across America}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/home-grown-bioenergy-contributes-to-forest-health-and-rural-jobs-across-ame}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }