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NC State Conference Answers President’s Call For Alternative Energy Research

Submitted by: John Warner on Mar 01, 2006 at 2:13 am Tagged with: Next Energy Source:

National and regional leaders in forestry and wood products will join scientists from North Carolina State University at a conference that will explore the technical and economic viability of using wood as a way to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. The conference, “Energy from Wood: Exploring the Issues and Impacts for North Carolina,” will be held March 13-14 at the McKimmon Center on the NC State campus in Raleigh.

The conference will feature speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Division of Forest Resources, N.C. Cooperative Extension Forestry, North Carolina Solar Center, Environmental Defense, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, the N.C. Woodlands Association, and various private sector companies who will share success stories about using wood to produce energy.

“We have an existing supply of abundant, historically unmarketable waste wood that has the potential to meet a good portion of our energy needs and to provide a revenue stream for our
nation’s forest landowners,” says J.B. Jett, dean of the NC State College of Natural Resources .
“When President Bush brought increased attention to this subject in his State of the Union
address, we were ready.” “NC State is actively exploring multiple facets of sustainable bio-based
products and energy of which this conference is just one example. We believe that this is the
kind of forward-thinking leadership that the citizens of North Carolina deserve from their land
grant university.”

Conference presentations will conclude at noon, March 14, followed by an optional tour
of a nearby energy facility that has been burning wood-chips since 1979.

Both the public and the media are invited. Conference information, and registration is
available at www.ncsu.edu/feop/Agenda2006/energy/. The registration fee is $50 for both
days, $30 for March 13 only and $25 for March 14 only. There is a $10 fee for the optional field
trip. Information is also available from Dr. Dennis Hazel, Cooperative Extension forestry
specialist at NC State University, at 919/515-5573 or via email at dennis_hazel@ncsu.edu.

Meeting sponsors include the N.C. Cooperative Extension, N.C. Division of Forest
Resources, the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and College of Natural
Resources at NC State University, Southern Forest Research Partnership, Southern Regional
Extension Forestry, N.C. Biotechnology Center, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Solar Center,
Environmental Defense and the N.C. Electric Membership Corporation.

Co-sponsors are the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, N.C.
Forest Landowners Association, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, N.C.
Association of Consulting Foresters, N.C. Woodlands, Society of American Foresters-N.C.
Division, Southern Center for Sustainable Forests, N.C. Forestry Association, and the Southern
Forests Network.

Media Contact:
Tilla Fearn, College of Natural Resources, 919/513-4644
Tracey Peake, News Services, 919/515-6142

Feb. 28, 2006