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Published on: 4/16/2009
Last Visited: 5/18/2009
Thinning operations are expensive, so it's unlikely trees would be culled solely for energy production - unless the government subsidizes such uses, said Loren Kellogg, forest engineering professor at Oregon State University.
However, if there is a greater market for biomass, it will be easier to economically justify habitat restoration and fire prevention projects, he said.
"We're not doing it just to feed the biomass plant," Kellogg said.
Alternative products, like heating pellets and animal bedding, may also become viable consumers of culled trees, he said.