SEATTLE – The Northwest Wood-Based Biofuels + Co-Products Conference is set for April 28-30 at the Red Lion Hotel Fifth Avenue in Seattle.
View the conference website here.
It has been just over two years since the U.S. Department of Agriculture invested $80 million to facilitate development of a sustainable wood to biofuels and co-products industry in the northwest United States. This investment created the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) and Advanced Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB): two projects with multiple partners focused on softwood and hardwood feedstocks respectively.
These projects are proceeding amid efforts from other Northwest-based organizations (state government, research labs, industry, non-governmental organizations) that also contribute to developing wood biomass as a resource for fuel and novel products.
With so much activity devoted to wood-based biofuels and co-product development in the Northwest, this conference will provide a timely opportunity for the region to assess developments and form strategic partnerships.
“Northwest stakeholders will come away from this conference with a clear understanding of what is needed to develop a supply chain for this industry and the role that they could play in making it a success,” says Peter Moulton of the Washington Department of Commerce, a conference steering committee member. “In addition, there are many outside the northwest United States with similar challenges to developing feedstocks, fuels, supply chains and products who we hope to attract to share our ideas and learn from their experience.”
Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark will be the keynote speaker. Additional speakers are listed here.
This event will bring together the global, national and regional communities of researchers, business leaders, government agencies and economic development personnel to share research findings, ideas and strategies that promote the sustainable development of a wood-based biofuels and co-products industry in the northwest United States. Feedstocks of interest for this conference include forest slash, purpose-grown woody crops and small diameter timber from hazardous fuel treatments and forest health restoration projects.
NARA is the lead sponsor for the conference. The website can be accessed here.
Contact:
Vikram Yadama, Washington State University, 509-335-6261, vyadama@wsu.edu