A growing technology in renewable energy is the utilization of wood and plant biomass, which is used to generate electricity and produce heat. Biomass includes forest and sawmill residue, such as bark, sawdust, wood chips, agricultural residues, organic waste and dedicated crops. The emerging bioenergy industry has the potential to significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels (a non-renewable resource). The raw materials sequester carbon themselves, making bioenergy a cleaner power alternative.

Bioenergy technologies from wood waste can:

• Produce heat, power or combined heat & power;
• Process biomass into solid fuel;
• Refine biomass into liquid fuel; or
•  Collect or concentrate wood waste to be used as fuel

Although research is continuing to explore the many ways bioenergy can be utilized, progress has been made for using wood waste to achieve efficiency and energy.

The lumber industry aims to get the most out of every tree; the industry in B.C. is taking the lead, converting more than 90 per cent of every tree harvested and brought to the mill into valuable products with minimal waste.