BRANCHING OUT Biomass Emerging as a Market for Wood Chips


Opportunity could be knocking on the door of tree-care contractors interested in profiting from the biomass business, but there are plenty of pieces of the puzzle that need to fit together to produce income-generating results.


“The biomass growth cycle for the tree-care industry is just beginning,” says Mark Rieckhoff, environmental sales manager for Vermeer Corporation. “I believe tree-care contractors have a chance to do well in this market. It could turn into a solid alternative profit center.”


Burning wood as a fuel source for heat, electricity and steam power has been around for a long time. In the past few years, however, as the number of plants that use biomass as a fuel source has grown, more opportunities have been created for the tree-care industry to market its by-products, such as wood chips, to meet the increased demand.


“Many in the tree-care industry struggle at times to get rid of chips cost-effectively,” says Rieckhoff. “Some pay to take the material to landfills, others give it away to landscapers to use as mulch and some just dump it on the back 40.”


FOR A TREE-CARE CONTRACTOR WHO WANTS TO SELL WASTE MATERIAL TO THE BIOMASS MARKET, RIECKHOFF OFFERS THESE SUGGESTIONS:


• Research, research, research. Don’t jump in without making some educated decisions.


• Get involved with your local biomass association to keep up to date on what’s going on and to develop contacts in the business.


• Encourage government officials to support research and development of the biomass industry.


• This is very much a regional business. Evaluate the local situation. In most areas there is only so much business to go around. And realize that not all biomass facilities are the same (different intake methods and chip sizes are just two of the factors that come into play).


4 | vermeer.com


What is biomass?


Biomass is the energy from the sun that has been captured and stored in plant cells of any kind (wood, corn, grass, etc.). This stored energy can be transformed into heat, electricity or ethanol. Biomass is a clean, renewable energy source that can produce cost-competitive, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts and biopower.


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