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In FY 2001, the Forest Service received a special appropriation for a Biobased Products Initiative into: 1) process technology, 2) technology to diversify the range of products produced from biomass, and 3) research aimed at ensuring the environmental performance and economic viability of biobased industrial products and their raw material input. RWU-4802 research will focus on: 1) evaluating current and future biomass resource availability; 2) developing and analyzing land management practices and alternative biomass systems that ensure the sustainability of biomass production and harvesting; 3) developing and analyzing strategies to enhance the economic viability of biobased industrial products; and 4) improving technologies for the harvest, collection, transportation, storage, and handling of residue feedstocks. Initial research will have two major features. First, because so much of the raw material referenced in the Biobased Products Initiative consists of small-diameter and other material frequently discussed in the context of hazardous fuels, this line of research will be pursued in conjunction with hazardous fuels research, where the land management practices described above are associated with fuels reduction. Second, FIA databases will be investigated to assess the characteristics of small diameter materials on public and private ownerships with regard to both biobased products and hazardous fuels.
Principal Investigators and support:
Krista Gebert
Ervin Schuster
Sharon Woudenberg (FIA)
Charles Keegan (UM-BBER)
Carl Fiedler (UM-FOR)
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