Southeast Alaskan forests previously harvested for timber are currently re-growing and require thinning to maintain ecosystem service benefits such as wildlife habitat and hunting. Thinned material presents a potential biofuel source. Together with The Nature Conservancy and USFS staff, SIG presents a network approach to evaluatingmultiple energy delivery pathways, and a calculation of carbon, energy, and dollar savings presented by each pathway. Our findings suggest substantial greenhouse gas emission savings of over 70% as well as heating cost savings for all bioenergy scenarios compared to fossil fuel scenarios.
Full Citation with Download Link
Saah, D., Patterson, T., Buchholz, T., Ganz, D., Albert, D., Rush, K. (2014) Modeling economic and carbon consequences of a shift to wood-based energy in a rural ‘cluster’; a network analysis in southeast Alaska. Ecological Economics. 107: 287–298.
