Growing Sustainable
An Overview of the Forest-to-Energy Part of Georgia’s Forestry Industry
Spring 2023
Georgia is increasingly a player in forest biomass, the energy derived from renewable organic material, including trees, plants and plant-derived materials. The generation of electricity using biomass in the state has grown by more than 80% since 2010. Georgia is home to at least six wood-pellet manufacturing plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and combined, they can produce more than 1.8 million tons annually, most of which go to Europe, where they are burned for energy.
“Biomass is, I would say, the second most reliable resource compared to fossil fuel to provide energy,” said Dequan Xiao, an Associate Professor at the University of New Haven. “Trees have been growing on Earth for millions of years. They have a great potential to produce all these bioresources... If one day the fossil fuels really are depleted, I think the next major source of energy could be biomass because of the availability.”
“Biomass is, I would say, the second most reliable resource compared to fossil fuel to provide energy,” said Dequan Xiao, an Associate Professor at the University of New Haven. “Trees have been growing on Earth for millions of years. They have a great potential to produce all these bioresources... If one day the fossil fuels really are depleted, I think the next major source of energy could be biomass because of the availability.”
A Growth Industry
“One of the things that makes Georgia very logistically [important] is just port access,” said Christopher Fagan, manufacturing and distribution practice leader at Moore Colson. “You’ve got your woody biomass within a very close proximity to the [Savannah] port. So a lot of these pellet mills in South Georgia have rail spurs and these pellets are going straight onto the train, directly to the port. It becomes cost prohibitive if you have to ship too much on rail, and most of the pellet mills [are] centered in Southeast Georgia, and they’re an hour-and-a-half rail ride to Brunswick.”
In Waycross, Enviva Biomass, the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, operates the largest wood pellet plant in the world. The company sources “low-value fiber,” including forest byproducts like commercial thinnings, limbs and tree tops.
“Enviva chooses our facility locations based on a combination of business factors, primarily driven by proximity to low-grade fiber baskets, accessible workforce, transportation logistics and supportive communities,” said Craig Lorraine, senior vice president of fiber and sustainability operations.
“The U.S. Southeast provides a combination of tremendous terminal and port access to the Atlantic as well as access to a skilled workforce and raw natural resources, which is healthy, growing forests,” Lorraine added. “In general, Enviva’s facilities are strategically located to decrease transportation time, costs and energy expenditure through the supply chain.”
The Waycross plant has been operating since 2011 and was designed with a production capacity of approximately 800,000 metric tons per year (MTPY). Enviva works with wood suppliers and consultants in the region that connect the company with landowners and sources wood within a 75-mile radius of its wood pellet production plants.
“With more capacity to produce a renewable substitute for fossil fuels, Enviva has been able to provide sustainably sourced woody biomass to our growing list of utility customers as well as to hard-to-abate industries looking to accelerate their path to net zero this century,” Lorraine said. “As global economies seek to reduce their carbon emissions footprint by 2050, Enviva’s sustainably sourced wood pellets have been proven to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 95% on a lifecycle basis compared to coal, and over 70% as compared to natural gas.”
Last year, Enviva and Alder Fuels, a clean tech developer and green crude producer, reached a deal for the long-term, large-scale supply of woody biomass from Enviva to “further commercialize the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” the company said in an announcement. “
All sectors — including energy, construction, transportation, aviation and food systems — are looking to rapidly reduce their carbon footprint, and sustainably sourced biomass is one of the only technologically advanced, scalable and market-ready products poised to substantially mitigate climate change today,” Lorraine said.
Reducing Emissions
One of the benefits proponents point to is net-zero carbon emissions.
New research from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources found that a mixture of torrefied pulpwood and logging residue could provide both economic and environmental benefits in comparison to coal over the next half-century.
The torrefaction of wood is like roasting coffee. Wood is heated in a controlled environment, usually around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat removes moisture and chemically alters the wood. This process reduces the biomass of the wood by around 25%, turns it into a charcoal-like substance, and gives it a similar energy density to coal.
The study from the University of Georgia noted that Georgia is one of the largest coal consumers in the Southeast, burning more than 7 million tons annually. Torrefied wood could reduce emissions by 43%, and it would require an additional 100,000 acres of forestland harvested yearly from six Southern states. With Georgia growing 48% more wood volume than is harvested annually on over 24 million acres of forests, the increased demand would be easily met.
“Georgia is unique because you have a very steady state of Southern yellow pine that’s being grown in South Georgia, but you also have a significant amount of hardwood,” Fagan said. “So you’re able to meet both the demands of hardwood and softwood consumers, and the only real difference, frankly, is hardwood takes 30 years to regrow, softwood takes 12 years to regrow.”
“One of the things that makes Georgia very logistically [important] is just port access,” said Christopher Fagan, manufacturing and distribution practice leader at Moore Colson. “You’ve got your woody biomass within a very close proximity to the [Savannah] port. So a lot of these pellet mills in South Georgia have rail spurs and these pellets are going straight onto the train, directly to the port. It becomes cost prohibitive if you have to ship too much on rail, and most of the pellet mills [are] centered in Southeast Georgia, and they’re an hour-and-a-half rail ride to Brunswick.”
In Waycross, Enviva Biomass, the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, operates the largest wood pellet plant in the world. The company sources “low-value fiber,” including forest byproducts like commercial thinnings, limbs and tree tops.
“Enviva chooses our facility locations based on a combination of business factors, primarily driven by proximity to low-grade fiber baskets, accessible workforce, transportation logistics and supportive communities,” said Craig Lorraine, senior vice president of fiber and sustainability operations.
“The U.S. Southeast provides a combination of tremendous terminal and port access to the Atlantic as well as access to a skilled workforce and raw natural resources, which is healthy, growing forests,” Lorraine added. “In general, Enviva’s facilities are strategically located to decrease transportation time, costs and energy expenditure through the supply chain.”
The Waycross plant has been operating since 2011 and was designed with a production capacity of approximately 800,000 metric tons per year (MTPY). Enviva works with wood suppliers and consultants in the region that connect the company with landowners and sources wood within a 75-mile radius of its wood pellet production plants.
“With more capacity to produce a renewable substitute for fossil fuels, Enviva has been able to provide sustainably sourced woody biomass to our growing list of utility customers as well as to hard-to-abate industries looking to accelerate their path to net zero this century,” Lorraine said. “As global economies seek to reduce their carbon emissions footprint by 2050, Enviva’s sustainably sourced wood pellets have been proven to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 95% on a lifecycle basis compared to coal, and over 70% as compared to natural gas.”
Last year, Enviva and Alder Fuels, a clean tech developer and green crude producer, reached a deal for the long-term, large-scale supply of woody biomass from Enviva to “further commercialize the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” the company said in an announcement. “
All sectors — including energy, construction, transportation, aviation and food systems — are looking to rapidly reduce their carbon footprint, and sustainably sourced biomass is one of the only technologically advanced, scalable and market-ready products poised to substantially mitigate climate change today,” Lorraine said.
Reducing Emissions
One of the benefits proponents point to is net-zero carbon emissions.
New research from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources found that a mixture of torrefied pulpwood and logging residue could provide both economic and environmental benefits in comparison to coal over the next half-century.
The torrefaction of wood is like roasting coffee. Wood is heated in a controlled environment, usually around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat removes moisture and chemically alters the wood. This process reduces the biomass of the wood by around 25%, turns it into a charcoal-like substance, and gives it a similar energy density to coal.
The study from the University of Georgia noted that Georgia is one of the largest coal consumers in the Southeast, burning more than 7 million tons annually. Torrefied wood could reduce emissions by 43%, and it would require an additional 100,000 acres of forestland harvested yearly from six Southern states. With Georgia growing 48% more wood volume than is harvested annually on over 24 million acres of forests, the increased demand would be easily met.
“Georgia is unique because you have a very steady state of Southern yellow pine that’s being grown in South Georgia, but you also have a significant amount of hardwood,” Fagan said. “So you’re able to meet both the demands of hardwood and softwood consumers, and the only real difference, frankly, is hardwood takes 30 years to regrow, softwood takes 12 years to regrow.”
“Enviva’s sustainably sourced wood pellets have been proven to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 95% on a lifecycle basis compared to coal, and over 70% as compared to natural gas.”
— Craig Lorraine
Self-Sufficient Manufacturing
Graphic Packaging International has seen success with using biomass to power its operations. In 2010, the company approved an $80 million plan that included a high-efficiency biomass boiler and a 40-megawatt turbine generator to expand its use of biomass energy in its Macon paperboard mill.
“The project was initially started as a way to reduce our carbon footprint, and we saw an opportunity to use some untapped renewable resources that we had not used in the past,” said Heather Dummitt, technical services manager at Graphic Packaging International’s Macon mill. “I see the investment, and I know we’re doing it for the right reasons, not because we have to.”
In the harvesting process, limbs and tops of trees are often underutilized due to a lack of markets for the product. The Graphic Packaging International team quickly jumped on the opportunity to chip wood waste and use it to power its plant. The company has continued to expand its fuel source, using sawmill and municipal yard waste.
“The downside of a biomass boiler is that it is more expensive to install than a gas or coal fi re boiler; there is more initial capital involved,” Dummitt said. “When you look at the pros of it, you can reduce greenhouse emissions, it is renewable and sustainable, we’re able to reduce our carbon footprint ... and it does reduce the wood waste going to landfills.”
The company uses between 1,300 and 1,350 tons of biomass daily and has eliminated more than 200,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.
Graphic Packaging International has seen success with using biomass to power its operations. In 2010, the company approved an $80 million plan that included a high-efficiency biomass boiler and a 40-megawatt turbine generator to expand its use of biomass energy in its Macon paperboard mill.
“The project was initially started as a way to reduce our carbon footprint, and we saw an opportunity to use some untapped renewable resources that we had not used in the past,” said Heather Dummitt, technical services manager at Graphic Packaging International’s Macon mill. “I see the investment, and I know we’re doing it for the right reasons, not because we have to.”
In the harvesting process, limbs and tops of trees are often underutilized due to a lack of markets for the product. The Graphic Packaging International team quickly jumped on the opportunity to chip wood waste and use it to power its plant. The company has continued to expand its fuel source, using sawmill and municipal yard waste.
“The downside of a biomass boiler is that it is more expensive to install than a gas or coal fi re boiler; there is more initial capital involved,” Dummitt said. “When you look at the pros of it, you can reduce greenhouse emissions, it is renewable and sustainable, we’re able to reduce our carbon footprint ... and it does reduce the wood waste going to landfills.”
The company uses between 1,300 and 1,350 tons of biomass daily and has eliminated more than 200,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.
200,000 TONS OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ARE ELIMINATED YEARLY
BY GRAPHIC PACKAGING USING BIOMASS POWER
The California Effect?
One of the most signifi cant hindrances to growing domestic biomass production is the misguided public opinion that it needlessly harms trees and forests.
“The ongoing challenge that we have in forestry is the perception that every tree that’s cut is harmed somehow,” said Dr. Ann Bartuska, senior advisor for Resources for the Future (RFF). “People’s perceptions are pretty strong. If we let people harvest one tree, they’re going to harvest 10, or they’re going to harvest 100.”
According to RFF’s analysis of the growing wood products sector in the southeastern United States, historical growth of markets for timber has led to greater investment. Between 1953 and 2017, timber harvests in the Southeast region more than doubled. The result was indeed increased harvesting, but land use and management responses to markets led to strong growth in the standing trees and carbon content of the region’s forests.
Tim Echols, a Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) member, said many people want to fund massive solar projects. However, not as many people see the value of using wood chips for energy, and states like California, which generally oppose burning trees, can help direct the national mindset, he added.
“California has a catalytic impact on the United States on everything from energy to automobiles to fashion and food,” Echols said. “California’s attitude about using biomass energy impacts the environmental community, who have an issue with burning wood chips. They prefer to chip them up or just leave the deadfall in the forest, which creates a fire hazard, and because they don’t like to do prescriptive burns, it makes it even more risky.
“So as a result, you see utilities bankrupted in California, you see massive settlements with people regarding wildfi res, you see extensive undergrounding of utilities in order to avoid these potential lawsuits and settlements,” Echols said. “So all of that has an impact on voters, on the media and on public opinion.”
Broader public opinion hasn’t stopped Georgia officials from prioritizing biomass.
In July 2022, when the PSC approved Georgia Power’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), commissioners mandated that the company issue a request for proposals (RFP) to develop up to 140 megawatts of renewable energy using biomass.
“The unique thing about this tranche of biomass is that companies will compete only against other biomass companies, not against solar arrays or any other kind of generation,” Echols said. “This gives biomass a guarantee of being in the Georgia energy mix for decades into the future.” ■
T.A. DeFeo is a freelance writer who has written several books about railroads. He is focused on telling stories, whether they are in Georgia’s forests, along the rails that crisscross this nation or anywhere in between.
One of the most signifi cant hindrances to growing domestic biomass production is the misguided public opinion that it needlessly harms trees and forests.
“The ongoing challenge that we have in forestry is the perception that every tree that’s cut is harmed somehow,” said Dr. Ann Bartuska, senior advisor for Resources for the Future (RFF). “People’s perceptions are pretty strong. If we let people harvest one tree, they’re going to harvest 10, or they’re going to harvest 100.”
According to RFF’s analysis of the growing wood products sector in the southeastern United States, historical growth of markets for timber has led to greater investment. Between 1953 and 2017, timber harvests in the Southeast region more than doubled. The result was indeed increased harvesting, but land use and management responses to markets led to strong growth in the standing trees and carbon content of the region’s forests.
Tim Echols, a Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) member, said many people want to fund massive solar projects. However, not as many people see the value of using wood chips for energy, and states like California, which generally oppose burning trees, can help direct the national mindset, he added.
“California has a catalytic impact on the United States on everything from energy to automobiles to fashion and food,” Echols said. “California’s attitude about using biomass energy impacts the environmental community, who have an issue with burning wood chips. They prefer to chip them up or just leave the deadfall in the forest, which creates a fire hazard, and because they don’t like to do prescriptive burns, it makes it even more risky.
“So as a result, you see utilities bankrupted in California, you see massive settlements with people regarding wildfi res, you see extensive undergrounding of utilities in order to avoid these potential lawsuits and settlements,” Echols said. “So all of that has an impact on voters, on the media and on public opinion.”
Broader public opinion hasn’t stopped Georgia officials from prioritizing biomass.
In July 2022, when the PSC approved Georgia Power’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), commissioners mandated that the company issue a request for proposals (RFP) to develop up to 140 megawatts of renewable energy using biomass.
“The unique thing about this tranche of biomass is that companies will compete only against other biomass companies, not against solar arrays or any other kind of generation,” Echols said. “This gives biomass a guarantee of being in the Georgia energy mix for decades into the future.” ■
T.A. DeFeo is a freelance writer who has written several books about railroads. He is focused on telling stories, whether they are in Georgia’s forests, along the rails that crisscross this nation or anywhere in between.
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Georgia Forestry Magazine is published by HL Strategy, an integrated marketing and communications firm focused on our nation's biggest challenges and opportunities. Learn more at hlstrategy.com
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