From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 5 13:11:56 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 13:11:56 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Forest Biomass in the News Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E119341B@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> These news stories about forest biomass appeared in the media within the past few days... Oregon forestry department offers grant money to move Douglas County slash piles to biofuel plants http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/01/oregon_forestry_department_off.html The Oregon Department of Forestry is offering grant money to help Douglas County landowners move woody debris to energy production facilities. A year of burning issues for biomass energy http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/01/a_year_of_burning_issues_for_b.html A key project is off the ground in Lakeview, but tax incentives are imperiled and the EPA is about to close the damper on turning woody debris into energy Iberdrola opens US Forestry co-generation biomass plant in Oregon Global Energy Magazine http://www.globalenergymagazine.com/?p=2630 Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Mon Jan 10 12:54:43 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:54:43 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Forest Biomass Research News 1-10-2010 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1A32B7B@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Here are some recent research, grant funding and policy links related to forest biomass and biomass energy: New Zealand plan pitches pine plantations for biofuels: www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/northland/dargaville-districts/4481824/Fill-her-up-with-super-pine California approves cap 'n trade program: www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/science/earth/17cap.html Third in series on California LCFS looks at carbon accounting: biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/01/06/popping-the-hood-on-california%E2%80%99s-low-carbon-fuel-standard-pt-3-the-ca-lcfs-electricity-fair-or-foul/ WaterSMART - Western U.S. The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office, requests proposals for WaterSMART: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants. Through this RFP, the Bureau seeks West U.S. projects that save water, improve energy efficiency, address endangered species and other environmental issues, and facilitate transfers to new uses. Individual awards NTE $1 million. Responses due 2/17/11. For more info, contact Michelle Maher at mmaher at usbr.gov or go to: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=59091. Refer to Sol# R11SF80303. (Grants.gov 12/13/10) Energy for Sustainability The National Science Foundation requests proposals for Energy for Sustainability. This program supports fundamental research and education in energy production, conversion, and storage and is focused on energy sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable. Sources of sustainable energy include: Sunlight, Wind/Wave, Biomass, and Geothermal. Responses due 3/3/11. For more info, contact Gregory Rorrer at grorrer at nsf.gov or go to: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=58929. Refer to Sol# PD-11-7644. (Grants.gov 11/30/10) Woody Biomass Utilization The U.S. Forest Service requests proposals for the 2011 Woody Biomass Utilization Grant Program. Proposed projects should use woody biomass material removed from forest restoration activities in a bioenergy facility that uses commercially proven technologies to produce thermal, electrical or liquid/gaseous bioenergy. $3.7 million expected to be available, up to 15 awards anticipated. Responses due 3/1/11. For more info, contact Susan LeVan-Green at slevan at fs.fed.us or go to: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=58881. Refer to Sol# USDA-FS-TMU-2011. (Grants.gov 12/8/10) Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 12 11:18:30 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:18:30 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Forest Biomass in the News 1-12-2011 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1A32F24@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> These stories appeared in the news media recently regarding forest biomass issues? BCAP: New and (Maybe) Improved Biomass Power and Thermal - Anna Austin - ?Jan 5, 2011? ... but she is hopeful that FSA will work with her and other state officials, and the forest products industry, to determine certain program details such as Guest columnist EPA decision could put Washington jobs at risk Seattle Times - Jeff Morris - ?1 hour ago? A new study released by Brooks Mendell of Forisk Consulting, one of the nation's leading forestry researchers, shows the economic impact of the Greenhouse Gov. John Kitzhaber calls first press conference to outline initial steps to create more jobs Oregonian ? Jan 12, 2011 (Governor references forest biomass and school energy/weatherization package) http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/01/gov_john_kitzhaber_calls_first.html Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 12 14:12:44 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:12:44 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Forest Biomass transition report available Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1A32F7D@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> The Forest Health & Biomass Energy Transition Team Recommendations to Governor-Elect Kitzhaber are now available through the Governor's Transition Team site: http://transition.johnkitzhaber.com/biomass/ Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Tue Jan 18 11:07:06 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:07:06 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Forest Biomass in the News 1-18-2011 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1A334B3@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> These articles related to forest biomass appeared in the news recently... Biomass gets some slack Mail Tribune "Oregon is poised to grow into a world leader in biomass energy production," ... putting people back to work thinning forests at high danger of wildfire. Editorial: Allow biomass (Albany Democrat-Herald (c) 01/12/2011) [cid:image001.gif at 01CBB6FE.F378A6B0]Save Indexed Jan 12 2011 3:32PM (Article ID 504674291) want the rule changed. But so far, apparently, no luck. The notion that burning wood residue should not count is discounted by environmentalists as unrealistic. But even if it is, so what? If forest thinnings and logging slash can't be turned into energy at biomass plants, we are foreclosing on yet another way to generate work from our forests. To prevent such a waste, Congress ought to am 1. Forest Biomass Initiative to take next step: Aviation biofuel 6 days ago - Forest Biomass Initiative to take next step: Aviation biofuel ... "The Forest Biomass Initiative has a unique opportunity to help new, ... www.dnr.wa.gov/BusinessPermits/.../2011_01_11_biomass_nr.aspx - Cached 2. 3. Washington's Forest Biomass Initiative to pilot bio-aviation ... 6 days ago - Peter Goldmark, commissioner of Public Lands for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, didn't conceal his pride while discussing his Forest ... biomassmagazine.com/.../washingtons-forest-biomass-initiative-to-pilot-bio- aviation-fuel - Cached 4. 5. Washington State announces forest biomass pilot project proposal ... 4 days ago - Wed 12 Jan 2011 - Legislation has been proposed to establish a Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forest biomass pilot project that ... www.greenaironline.com/news.php?viewStory=1029 - Cached 6. [PDF] Washington State Department of Ecology Forest Biomass Information ... File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat 2 days ago - However, burning a ton of forest biomass in a controlled bo ... carbon dioxide from industrial burning of forest biomass a greenhouse ... www.co.thurston.wa.us/.../biomass/.../ Dept%20of%20Ecology%20Forest%20Biomass%20in%20Washington.PDF 1. In Our View: Boosting Biomass | The Columbian 2 days ago - Goldmark said: "EPA is commended for committing to a science-driven process that can credibly distinguish renewable forest biomass from other sources. ... www.columbian.com/news/2011/jan/16/boosting-biomass/ - Cached Adage withdraws from Oregon mill project: www.democratherald.com/news/local/article_fce3dfcc-1a2b-11e0-a5d6-001cc4c03286.html Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 358 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 19 09:57:15 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:57:15 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Forest Biomass Research News 1-19-2011 Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1A3367B@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> These research and policy items about forest biomass appeared recently on the Web: Mascoma and Valero sign first off-take agreement for wood-derived distillate fuel: biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/01/13/valero-invests-in-mascoma-signs-cellulosic-ethanol-offtake-agreement-signs-loi-for-up-to-50m-in-equity/ Impacts of the revised Biomass Crop Assistance Program: www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2011/01/the-practical-effects-of-the-revised-bcap1 Economics of next-gen gasification: www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/01/the-new-economics-of-next-gen-gasification-clearfuels-technology Consequences of increasing prices in biofuel markets: biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/01/07/the-big-price-build-up-are-you-ready/ Kevin Weeks Public Information Officer Oregon Department of Forestry Agency Affairs Office (503) 945-7427 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Tue Jan 25 14:06:41 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:06:41 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Audio from State Forester Q&A Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1B62AE0@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Greetings - The three finalists for the position of Oregon State Forester are meeting with the public this afternoon for question & answer forums at the Oregon Department of Forestry's (ODF) Salem campus. We are making recordings of the session available online for those who are interested, and also providing an opportunity for you to provide feedback to the Board of Forestry through an electronic survey. We have now posted audio from the first portion of the forum, with finalist Paul Bell, on the ODF web site, at http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/stateforesterrecruitment.shtml We expect to post audio of the second portion, with finalist Doug Decker, shortly after 3:00pm, and the third, with Jim Paul, at about 4:00pm. If you're interested in providing feedback to the Board after listening to the recordings, you'll find a link to the survey in the same place on our web site. The survey will be available until 9 p.m. Tuesday. Also posted for your reference are profiles of each finalist, as well as recent ODF news releases about the recruitment process. The Board has set aside time during its executive session Wednesday morning to review the public feedback received through the survey. The Board is scheduled to begin an open session at 2 p.m. Wednesday to make its final selection. Thanks for your interest and participation in this process. Dan Postrel Agency Affairs Director Oregon Department of Forestry 2600 State Street Salem, OR 97310 (503) 945-7420 www.oregon.gov/odf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Wed Jan 26 16:23:22 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:23:22 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Doug Decker selected as new Oregon State Forester Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1B62D02@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> Oregon Department of Forestry - NEWS RELEASE January 26, 2011 Contacts: Dan Postrel, Oregon Department of Forestry, (503) 945-7420 Twyla Lawson, Oregon Department of Administrative Services, (503) 373-7677 Doug Decker selected as new Oregon State Forester The state Board of Forestry Wednesday selected Doug Decker, a Department of Forestry executive and leader of several major agency initiatives in recent years, as Oregon's next state forester. Decker will assume his duties on Feb. 1, succeeding Marvin Brown, who resigned effective last Dec. 31. "Doug is an excellent communicator and understands the challenges facing the Oregon Department of Forestry," Blackwell said. "He has the skills to bring ODF into better alignment with a multitude of stakeholders, and to keep the department focused on its mission. "Doug understands the leadership role required of the state forester, and is deeply committed to building on the agency's 100-year legacy of forest protection and management." Decker, of Portland, most recently has been acting chief of the department's state forests division. He began with the agency in 1987 as a public affairs specialist, and served as public affairs director from 1990 to 1996. He led development of the Tillamook Forest Center, an interpretive facility in the Tillamook State Forest, from 1996 to 2006. Most recently, he oversaw acquisition in Central Oregon of the Gilchrist State Forest, Oregon's first new state forest in more than 60 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Montana. "I am deeply honored to be selected for this job and look forward to working with the board, the Governor and our many stakeholders and partners to shape the conversation about forests and forestry," Decker said. The selection followed a recruitment process, coordinated by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, that included a nationwide search. Decker was selected from a field of 12 candidates who met qualifications for the position. On Wednesday, the board chose Decker from among three finalists. Although the vote was 4-2, all members expressed support for Decker, and said all three finalists were well qualified. The others were Paul Bell, associate state forester at the department and chief of its fire protection division, and Jim Paul, an assistant director at the Oregon Department of State Lands and former Department of Forestry executive. Oregon's state forester carries out the board's overarching policies through leadership of the Department of Forestry. The state forester serves as director of the department, which provides services including preventing and fighting wildfires, managing state-owned forests, enforcing natural resource protection laws on private forestlands, advising landowners, and providing urban forestry assistance. The agency has about 650 employees and a two-year budget of about $303 million. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Thu Jan 27 07:07:31 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 07:07:31 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] Request for USDA Oregon grant proposals Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E1B62D42@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> From: Deiss, Jeff - Portland, OR Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 11:23 AM To: Jeff Deiss (jeff.deiss at or.usda.gov) Subject: Request for Oregon RBEG proposals Dear friend of rural business development in Oregon! USDA Rural Development-Oregon is now seeking concept papers for our general Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program in Oregon. THE RBEG PROGRAM: Through our RBEG program, USDA Rural Development (RD) provides grant funds for PRECISELY-TARGETED technical assistance, training, feasibility studies, and other activities that support the development of SPECIFICALLY-IDENTIFIABLE, privately-owned, small business enterprises in rural areas. Eligible applicants are nonprofits, public bodies, and tribes. DEADLINE! If you are interested, please review the following guidance and submit a proposal as outlined below by March 4, 2011. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: Everything you need to know about the RBEG program and to respond to this opportunity is available on RD-Oregon's RBEG web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/or/rbeg.htm FUNDS AVAILABLE: Although the exact amount of RBEG funding available is not yet certain, it is likely that there will be about $400,000 of RBEG funds allocated to Oregon (roughly the same amount as last year). Although the RBEG program is relatively small, it can still be an invaluable tool in rural business development. Last year our office received 107 Oregon RBEG proposals seeking just over $2,000,000, out of which we awarded 40 grants, with sizes ranging from $5,000-$25,000. TYPES OF PROPOSALS WE ARE SEEKING: In order to distribute the limited RBEG funds among as many worthy proposals as possible, we are encouraging proposals seeking not more than $25,000. However, in order to provide a meaningful level of assistance, we would generally not encourage proposals for less than $10,000. Technical assistance/problem-solving proposals are encouraged over real estate and revolving loan fund projects. In developing your proposal, please pay particular attention to the priority scoring system described in the "RBEG program overview" link on our web site. It is used by USDA to select among RBEG applicants. Design your project to maximize your project's priority score and thereby improve your prospects of success. Note that in order to be competitive, a minimum 1:1 match with nonfederal funds is advised. In FY2011, USDA's State Director discretionary points will be awarded to projects emphasizing: Baseline Priority #1: Projects likely to lead to immediate job creation Priority #2: Projects with a regional approach, leveraging regional resources Economic development strategies Food & Value-Added * Value-added processing * Local foods & food hubs * Healthy Foods Financing Initiative * Rural groceries * Food deserts * USDA's Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices Energy * Energy efficiency assistance for small business & farmers * Renewable energy for small business & farmers * Biomass (especially involving US Forest Service) * Ethanol pump deployment Underserved Groups * Hispanic business development * Native American business development Main Streets & downtown revitalization * Linking historic preservation & economic development * Energy efficient Main Streets * Electric charging stations supporting rural tourism * Smart growth New Capital Markets * Angel investment network development * Ecosystem financing General Business Assistance * Legal aid * Remote rural TA * Entrepreneurship development Workforce Development that increases employment opportunities or job security Innovative financing * Microlending best practices * Peer lending * New Market Tax Credits International Markets and Export Development Sustainable Forestry * Projects receiving support from US Forest Service's Collaborative Landscape Restoration Grant Natural resource-based tourism Business development utilizing telecommunications & broadband New and creative approaches to rural business development A CONCEPT PAPER IS REQUESTED: Since we expect to receive many more RBEG proposals than we can fund, instead of seeking full, detailed applications, we are only seeking a brief "concept paper" from prospective applicants. This will save everyone time and effort while still allowing USDA to survey the field of candidate projects. The RBEG "Concept Paper" can be downloaded from our RBEG web site (see above). Please be succinct and clear in completing it. When finished, a "Concept Paper" should not need to be more than 2 pages, and no advantage will be given to longer proposals. Remember, we are soliciting concepts, not full RBEG application packages. DEADLINE FOR CONCEPT PAPERS: Your RBEG "Concept Paper" should be submitted to the Oregon Rural Development State Office - preferably by e-mail to julie.stedman at or.usda.gov by not later than March 4, 2011. If you wish to send it by regular mail, our address is: USDA Rural Development, Attn: Business & Cooperative Programs, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Ste. 801, Portland, OR 97232. THE REVIEW & SELECTION PROCESS: This year we will again use a geographic allocation of RBEG funds within Oregon corresponding to RD's organizational structure of four Area Offices - one in eastern Oregon (Pendleton), one in central Oregon (Redmond), one in northwestern Oregon (Corvallis), and one in southwestern Oregon (Roseburg). 20% of the RBEG funds will be allotted to each area, with the remaining 20% used as either a state reserve or for projects that transcend area boundaries. Concept proposers are strongly encouraged to discuss their proposals with the RD Business Programs Specialist in the Area Office responsible for the part of the state where the project will focus. Contact information for these individuals is online at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/or/bizcontact.htm Feedback will be provided to all Concept Paper proposers. Proposals that appear to be most competitive will be especially encouraged to submit full applications, though of course everyone will be welcome to apply formally. Tentatively, we will be asking for full applications by around April 4. This should allow us to make RBEG award announcements in May so that projects can start by not later than June. (This estimated timeframe is based on the assumption that the FY2011 Federal Budget will be finalized in the next month or so.) QUESTIONS? If you have questions or concerns, please contact anyone on Oregon's Business & Cooperative Programs staff. Our contact information is on-line at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/or/bizcontact.htm Thanks for your efforts in Oregon rural business development. We look forward to working with you on your innovative proposals! Jeff Deiss, Business & Cooperative Program Director USDA Rural Development, Oregon State Office 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Ste. 801, Portland, OR 97232-1274 jeff.deiss at or.usda.gov 503-414-3367 phone; 503-414-3397 fax Visit our web site, http://www.ruralOregon.biz For energy programs, http://energy.ruralOregon.biz -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kevin.weeks at state.or.us Mon Jan 31 11:31:04 2011 From: kevin.weeks at state.or.us (WEEKS Kevin) Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:31:04 -0800 Subject: [Forest_Biomass] OFRI 2011 Forest Facts and Figures now available Message-ID: <2659B04496B9C544A0CB26155C1FD1B601E237FFE6@WPODFEXCL01.ODF.STATE.OR.US> OREGON FOREST RESOURCES INSTITUTE News Release Jan. 31, 2011 Contact: Dave Kvamme, OFRI - 971-673-2948 Available now from OFRI:"Oregon Forest Facts and Figures 2011" PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Forest Resources Institute has published the 2011 edition of "Oregon Forest Facts and Figures," which can be downloaded or ordered from OFRI's website. The publication offers 32 jam-packed pages of current, accurate forestry information at a glance. Repeated and updated from the first version are basic statistics such as Oregon's total forestland area (30,472,000 acres), forestland by owner (60 percent federal government) and potential biomass acreage (4.25 million acres), as well as many other up-to-date statistics. Changes in the new 2011 edition focus on economics and jobs. For example, additional topics provide data regarding loss of infrastructure, decline in forest-sector employment during the recession, and the forest sector's ranking in Oregon's total payroll. On the positive side, numbers document progress on watershed restoration and how the green economy offers high-paying blue-collar jobs. "Oregon Forest Facts and Figures" offers a snapshot of the state's forest sector at a crossroads. On one path are at-risk forests and loss of jobs. Down another path is a nimble forest sector with the assets to supply good-paying employment, thriving ecosystems and healthy communities. To order a copy, please visit Oregonforests.org. Under the pull-down menu for "Facts & Resources," choose "Publications." Scroll down to "Oregon Forest Facts and Figures 2011" and download a PDF version or order a copy to be shipped to you at no cost. -30- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: