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

A joint statement from various organizations advocating for the use of domestic biomass—including forest residues, agricultural waste, and animal manures—to reduce wildfire risk, sequester carbon in building materials, and provide renewable energy for rural communities in the United States.

• Sustainable biomass utilization is presented as a tool to maintain forest health and provide economic incentives to keep land forested, particularly as U.S. forests face threats from urbanization, pests, and climate change.
• Many U.S. forests are currently overstocked due to years of wildfire suppression and the spread of invasive species and pests, creating a scenario where too little biomass is being removed.
• In California, the combination of drought, pests, and climate change has caused 129 million trees to die since 2010; leaving this excess biomass in forests increases wildfire risk to unacceptable levels.
• The current primary method for dealing with excess biomass is open burning, which is described as the worst possible approach because it costs taxpayers millions and emits carbon dioxide and other air pollutants.
• The document highlights several beneficial applications for biomass, including the production of long-lived building materials like cross-laminated timber for carbon sequestration, and the use of woody biomass for baseload power and heating in rural communities to reduce dependence on fossil-based heat.
• The statement references an IPCC 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} }