A nonprofit environmental group is teaming up with Arapahoe Basin to explore the
idea of using bark-beetle affected timber as an energy source.
A-Basin
chief operating officer Alan Henceroth called the alternative fuel source
“fascinating.” However, before moving forward, A-Basin will conduct an energy
audit and feasibility study, he said.
The Blue Knight Group, a nonprofit
specializing in alternative fuel infrastructure, promotes biomass as a
sustainable and economically feasible solution to the surplus of
timber.
“The U.S. Forest Service doesn't know what to do about the dead
timber — they're talking about burning these piles of timber when we could be
utilizing it as an energy source,” said Rich Dziomba, director of the
BKG.
Dziomba, Henceroth and Rob Davis, president of Forest Energy
Corporation, toured a biomass setup Wednesday at Fairplay High School, a
120,000-square foot building heated entirely by biomass.
“We're on a
fact-finding mission,” Henceroth said. “A few things have caught our eye: The
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and our reductions in heating costs are
very attractive, and I think anything that can take advantage of locally
produced or available resources is good — there appears to be no shortage of
biomass available in Summit County.”
The biomass system at Fairplay High
School, which was installed in February, has been successful, according to
school officials.
“We're looking at a seven-year payback on the initial
investment,” said Foss Smith, the Park County School District facilities
committee member. “It's the economic advantage of biomass versus propane that
makes this a great energy source — plus it's all local forestry being
utilized.”
Part of the biomass broiler installation requires a
feasibility study and energy audit through which businesses may be required to
add insulation and other energy-saving features to ensure maximum
efficiency.
Along with a broiler, a business needs a wood chip storage
bin. Available space at Arapahoe Basin is the main concern with a biomass energy
makeover, as the ski area's base area is limited.
Jan Burque, the forest
vegetation program manager for the U.S. Forest Service, said the availability of
timber suggests such biomass systems are indeed sustainable in the long
term.
“Trees are renewable, but at a slower rate,” Burque said. “There
are a lot of potential products for these types of projects. What's good about
biomass energy is that broilers can burn parts of the tree that are not
typically useful, so there is actually a lot of sources for biomass-energy
projects to be sustainable for the long term — it may take creativity and
pursuing a variety of sources.”
Davis said such small, start-up biomass
projects, like the proposed system at A-Basin, would alleviate economical
barriers in forest health management.
“If someone would pay for this
available material, it would help the Forest Service's economics and allow them
to do more work as opposed to having to pay someone to do work and then it just
gets piled into teepees on Swan Mountain Road,” Davis said. “Now we have someone
that would give us something for the timber, and that enables the Forest Service
to do more in their management plan.”
Forest Service officials say
mitigating bark beetle-affected timber and creating a market for trees removed
for forest thinning will bolster current efforts of the agency.
“The bark
beetle epidemic has sparked a lot of creativity among environmentalists and
entrepreneurs that are in a hurry to utilize the timber,” Burque said. “It's
great food for thought.”
Henceroth still has his reservations
though.
“It's very impressive equipment and there's obviously a lot that
can be done with it,” Henceroth said. “But it appears to be complicated.”
