Wood Energy & Wood Products

Wood Energy & Wood Products

Wood Energy & Wood Products. I'm Greg Martin with Lacy Gray for Colorado Ag Today.

Colorado is set to receive funding as part of USDA's expansion and acceleration of wood energy and wood product markets.

GRAY: $9 million dollars in federal funds will leverage $22 million in investments from partners, resulting in a total investment of $31 million in 23 states. This year over 100 proposals were received for the Wood Innovations grant program, highlighting the expanding use of wood as a renewable energy source and as a building material. The awarded funds will stimulate the use of hazardous fuels from National Forest System lands and other forested lands to promote forest health while simultaneously generating rural jobs.

MARTIN: The Colorado companies, Western Excelsior Corporation and Renewable Forest Energy, LLC are both recipients and while Western Excelsior is utilizing biochar to sequester carbon, fortify local agriculture , reduce soil and water pollution, and improve land management - Renewable Forest Energy is working on the Pagosa Springs biomass power project.

GRAY: A new partnership agreement between USDA and the Softwood Lumber Board was announced to help coordinate research, demonstration and market development for innovative wood building technologies in the built environment. USDA and SLB will create jobs in rural communities, expand wood use in the built environment and stimulate demand for forest products.

And that's Colorado Ag Today. I'm Greg Martin, thanks for listening on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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