Projects
Feedstock Supply
- Integrate field plot data, remote sensing and geospatial layers to estimate feedstock supplies and produce digital feedstock atlas.
Feedstock Logistics & Processing
- Develop cost and production models for forest operations that will guide sustainable, economic harvest of forest biomass for bioenergy
- Establish guidelines for preparation and quality of beetle-killed wood feedstock
System Performance & Sustainability
- Quantify ecological impacts of harvesting beetle-killed trees
- Assess impacts of biochar amendments in managed ecosystems
- Analyze environmental impacts in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Evaluate financial feasibility of beetle-kill and waste wood conversion
- Assess economic, social and policy constraints; develop solutions for overcoming barriers
- Develop web-based decision support tools to assess feedstock availability, GHG emissions, and environmental footprints for beetle-kill feedstocks
Education
- Promote bioenergy literacy for middle school and high school students and teachers, undergraduate and graduate students
Extension, Outreach, Health and Safety
- Provide information to communities and stakeholder groups on all aspects of a potential beetle-kill industry in the Rockies
- Understand and address concerns of communities regarding the health and safety aspects of biofuel and biochar production and transportation