Bio energy needs frontier attitude

Everybody involved in the forestry bio energy sector needs to actively push for public policy that backs the industry.
John Deere international forestry marketing manager Nate Clark set the challenge for attendees at the Forestry Industry Engineering Association Residues to Revenues conference in Rotorua last week.
He compared the industry to the American frontier, saying there needed to be economic, social and environmental benefits for development to build and maintain momentum in this relatively new domain.
"Historical analysis of frontiers can give us some clues about what we need to do to propel forest bio energy forward."
Clark said the industry had been badly hit by the economic crisis as priorities had changed and the emphasis on developing renewable energy sources had diminished.
"Work on policy is critical to the industry. We must think of ourselves as pioneers in that frontier. We must demand that economic, social and political benefits from the forests and the people who work in them are recognised."
Clark said now, more than ever, the industry needed to quantify and raise awareness of the wider benefits, such as the carbon sequestering, anti-erosion and water quality improvement roles of forests and the economic advantages of putting traditional wastes and residues to use, as well as the environmental benefits of renewable energy sources.
He pointed to figures showing Oceania accounted for about 5 per cent of the world's total forest area of more than 4 billion hectares, saying the value placed on global forests was an estimated US$121 billion ($159 billion) in 2005.
"Almost 450 million people live in forest eco systems, relying on that entirely for their food, medicines, building materials and clean water."
Globally, an estimated 2.5 billion people depend on biomass for cooking and it makes up two thirds of cooking and heating energy in developing countries.
Biomass, fuel from plants, is the fourth highest renewable energy resource in the world and Clark said its availability and flexibility made it one of the most important.
"Some estimate it has the potential to exceed energy demand by 2050, with forest bio energy making up more than half of that."
But he stressed there was an "extreme range" of projections and not all were as promising.
Clark said New Zealand and Australia, with large forest areas per capita, had  the potential to lead the  field, but significant mineral resources meant development of that potential was "anaemic".
"New Zealand is a world leader in renewable energy, with 73 per cent of production coming from renewable sources - largely hydro, geothermal and wind. But development of petroleum and coal resources are still the first priority. We need to recognise and promote the benefits that can be harvested from our forests."
He urged attendees to think about what they have done to push for economic, social and political policy that influences bio energy.
"We are all so busy in our daily grind, but we need to look at how we can change that environment."
About 150 people from around the country  attended the Residues to Revenues conference at the Distinction Hotel. The conference ended Thursday.