Sept. 15: Field tour of Jefferson poplar bioenergy site

By Betsy Fradd, WSU Extension

AHB-logo-100JEFFERSON, Ore. – Join researchers in the field for a free tour of the Advanced Hardwood Biofuels (AHB) Jefferson poplar demonstration site in the Willamette Valley noon-3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Lunch is included. Register at http://hardwoodbiofuels.org/event/poplar-for-biofuels-jefferson-field-tour/.

AHB is a consortium of educational and industry partners, including Washington State University, working to prepare northern California, Oregon, Washington and northern Idaho for a sustainable hardwood biochemicals and biofuels industry. Learn more at http://hardwoodbiofuels.org/.

Poplar-field-in-Jefferson
Poplar field in Jefferson, Ore.

The hybrid poplars will be showing much of their full regrowth potential as they continue into their second growing season after they were initially harvested in 2013 on the 85-acre site.

Topics addressed by researchers and extension professionals will include: growing poplar as a short rotation woody energy crop; sustainable production and environmental impacts on soil, water and wildlife; the best areas to develop biofuel and bioproduct industries; and biomass production with operational and research poplar plots.

Speakers will include:

Brian Stanton, chief science officer at GreenWood Resources, and Rick Stonex, westside tree farm manager for GreenWood Resources. They will address poplar for biomass, why the Jefferson site was selected, site design and layout, crop care and harvest.

Curtis Stultz, wastewater treatment for the City of Woodburn. He will speak about water quality benefits of growing poplar.

Jay Well, Oregon State University bioenergy education and science and math investigative learning experiences. He will discuss how the OSU program is impacting students of all ages in the state.

Marina Heppenstall, AHB, WSU Extension. She will provide background on the AHB project, the project teams, the institutions and industries involved and the funding source.

 

Contact:
Betsy Fradd, Advanced Hardwood Biofuel, 253-241-5043, bfradd@wsu.edu