A well-informed letter writer to the Herald suggested that slash should be utilised to make wood pellets as a better alternative for making energy than coal and the jury is still out on that one.
The actual burning of wood is assumed by the EU to be zero emissions and Italy, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and France collectively use 11.1 million tons of it to produce energy annually.
Virginia Dale, a research professor – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, said her research showed that the growth of forests in the US absorbs and offsets the carbon emitted during burning of wood pellets when the land is sustainably managed.
The payback time [for] forests to offset that carbon ranges from 44 to 104 years depending on the type of forest and whether it is harvested sustainably or by clear cutting and is able fully to regrow.
On the other hand, according to a study by Professor John Sterman and colleagues of Massachusetts Institute of Technology claim burning wood for energy releases between 15 per cent and 35 per cent more CO2 than coal.
European countries are currently producing more electricity from wood pellets than the combined forces of wind turbines and solar panels which might indicate the professor is wrong.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay
