Monday marked the first day of two of the Wood-Based Alternative Energy Conference held at the McKimmon Center.

The day’s events included presentations and speeches from numerous speakers and experts from both national and local scales about using woody biomass renewable resources as substantial sources for energy in the future.

At the conclusion of the discussion, a response panel consisting of four speakers from four different perspectives provided their take on the potential risks and major factors of using woody biomass to generate energy.

The consensus of the group indicated woody biomass technologies for making energy, especially in North Carolina, can be beneficial for the state and its residents on many different levels as long as the research, development and implementation of the systems are done correctly.

Carl West, a representative for Weyerhaeuser, provided the audience with a forest industry perspective.

He continually emphasized the sustainability of new woody biomass technologies and what the importance of paying attention to the effect of a new type of demand for forest resources will have on the economy and environment.

“Weyerhaeuser supports responsible, science-based positions on climate change that balance environmental, social and economical sustainability elements and that embrace all aspects of the economy,” West said.

Among the concerns West had with pursuing woody biomass technologies as primary sources of energy, especially from a business standpoint, were the economical implications.

“A cost cap should be placed on power purchased from alternative energy resources,” he said.

Although West came across as having an abundance of concerns and cautions for using the new technologies, he assured the listeners “biomass should be a preferred form of renewable energy.”

He also pointed out that with new renewable resource technologies, “new regulations should look at the impact on climate.”

To conclude, West reemphasized the importance of protecting the economy.

“We need to do the right thing for the economy — we need to have a balanced approach,” he said.

Next to speak was Bob Goodson, the COO of TSE services, to give a utility and power perspective.

As the chairman for N.C. GreenPower, he said, “We are interested and very committed to using renewable energy.”

Goodson also made the point that it makes sense to engage in the use of biomass for energy because “most of the resources are in our [North Carolina] backyard.”

He was careful to warn people of the dangers of over-estimating the potential of using biomass for high amounts of energy.

“We have to keep in mind who pays for the renewable energy,” he said. “As we look at renewables, woody biomass must be competitive with other sources — agra waste, primarily from poultry, and sources of methane gas. It is really a combo of all these things that we are trying to achieve.”

He continued to discuss the importance of being “practical in presenting the realities of biomass.”

Goodson also made the point of discussing the effect woody biomass energy plants could have on rural N.C. areas and “how do we help these economies grow?”

He also made note of the progress of the idea of using woody biomass for making energy by stating two and a half years ago, nearly all environmental groups were opposed to using wood burning methods, but recently there has been some shifting of beliefs.

Will McDow of the Environmental Defense Fund was the next to speak, giving an environmental perspective.

He stated there is a “tremendous market” for woody biomass resources and if done right, the use of this new technology could be beneficial to most areas of our forests.

He emphasized the need to assist private landowners to “keep their forests as forests” and the importance of the size and locations of potential plants.

“An essential question is how to ensure the scale of biomass doesn’t become problematic,” McDow said.

He also touched on public support and the fact that once a new technology is introduced, their will be an “expectation of increased public benefits.”

The last speaker on the panel represented landowners across the state and provided some very interesting facts.

“North Carolina ranks 4th nationally in total forest land with 18 million acres, which is 60 percent of the state,” Stephen Whitfield of NCWoodlands said.

He also hinted a new market for usable wood is important to the state because “most private forestland in N.C. produces usable wood at a rate less than half its potential.”

He said this was due to poor forest management, apathetic attitudes of some landowners, and a “taking the best — leaving the rest” mentality, referring to the harvesting of only top quality wood.

Whitfield provided many examples where, for the benefit of the forest, land needed to be harvested, but there were no people willing to buy.

“New biomass markets could only help,” he said. “The potential use of woody biomass for fuel has enormous economic and environmental significance for N.C.”