Future Forests + Jobs’ mission is to advance the conversation around renewable wood energy and the forest products sector. We will use facts and research, and we will hold accountable those who spread misinformation about the industry. FFJ agrees with the scientific consensus that sustainably-sourced wood biomass is a vitally important tool for replacing coal, growing more trees, and helping mitigate global climate change – all while promoting good-paying jobs in rural communities.
The world’s leading climate scientists agree that biomass is a key component of any strategy to limit climate change and reduce carbon emissions. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s foremost authoritative body on climate science, specifically highlights sustainable forest management to produce wood biomass energy as a necessary mitigation measure the world should employ in its effort to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Growing forests and building a stronger economy, that’s what FFJ stands for.
Future Forests + Jobs (FFJ) is an initiative of the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA), a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade association which advocates for the renewable wood energy sector as a sustainable, low-carbon power source.
For media inquiries, please contact us at press@futureforestsandjobs.com.
Facts:
About Wood Biomass
Wood biomass is a low-carbon, renewable energy source that comes from one of America’s most plentiful and stable resources – our working forests. It’s made from wood fiber that is unsuitable for, or a byproduct of, sawmilling and lumber industries including chips, sawdust and other low-value wood and parts of trees such as tops and limbs. These wood sources are dried and compressed into pellets in a no-chemical process done in accordance with stringent air quality regulations from federal, state and local governments. These pellets can be used as a drop-in substitute for coal in existing power plants and enable an orderly transition to a renewable economy.
Why Switch to Wood Pellets?
Sustainably sourced wood pellets are a renewable resource that can replace coal and other non-renewable fossil fuels. Wood biomass helps countries reach carbon emission reduction targets, while encouraging private landowners to grow more trees. It also helps support other renewables like wind and solar, by providing baseload power needed when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining.
How Does It Work?
It’s all about the carbon cycle. When fossil fuels like coal are burned, carbon that would have remained in the ground is released into the atmosphere. By contrast, biogenic carbon is a cycle whereby wood absorbs carbon over its lifetime. But unlike fossil fuels, carbon emitted by biomass is simultaneously reabsorbed by the growing forest landscape. Nationwide, privately owned forests are growing some 40% more wood than they harvest, capturing more carbon than is released by all wood product uses, including biomass.