Joel Ens, a grad student from the University of Saskatchewan, has proposed willow as a potential biofuel and biomass feedstock. The willow offers characteristics of growing long consistent branches rapidly. The full article available by stopping by the Biobased News.
I've never heard of a pruning a fast growing tree. Looking this direction might have real potential for Oregon. Oregon being a highly productive nursery tree state, the Willamette Valley having a great deal of rain fall, and the idea of landscaping trees serving a dual purpose should be promising.
I have heard similar proposals around bamboo as a great perennial crop. The big difference with willow being a twenty year scope of rotation versus a few years for bamboo. The bamboo root ball become to dense after a few years but bamboo as a crop should allow multiple harvests a year. The great consistent rain fall of the Willamette Valley in Oregon also contributing a great deal to the productive potential for a bamboo biomass crop.
3 comments:
Mark, Willow looks like a great option in your area. Interesting comments on Bamboo, as an alternative. Have you found anyone that is considering research on it's potential?
Niles Fiber was a company kicking around the Pacific Northwest with a proposal around bamboo.
They had a patented bamboo perenial that they wanted to demonstrate commercially. The plant currently being grown on a much smaller scale for saxophone and claironet reeds.
You can find some research at
www.globalfuelsalte.com
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