Biomass - You have got to be kidding me!!

Happy New Year everyone! Did you see the full moon on New Year’s Eve? That was the second full moon of the month of December and therefore is called the blue moon. That was just an interesting tidbit of information for you.

At the end of my last column for the year (2009) I mentioned our forests being used for biomass – You have got to be kidding me.

Nova Scotia is not ready to add an increase in harvesting trees for biomass to our already stressed forests. Our forests have already been degraded by the abundance of harvesting and clearcutting. Also, the diversity and of both trees and wildlife is at risk in many areas including the Chignecto Game Sanctuary and other wooded areas here in Cumberland County.

Burning wood to produce energy is not inherently detrimental, and can in fact provide environmental benefits over the use of fossil fuels. The available science is clear that stand-wide whole-tree harvesting and removal of deadwood has significant detrimental impacts on soil nutrients, wildlife habitat and forest carbon storage.

In the Maritimes, fossil fuels may be replaced as existing companies introduce biomass energy into their power supply, as home owners switch to wood-based heating, and as new companies emerge to create wood pellets and other products to supply the growing demand for biofuels.

However, the aggressive harvesting of trees for biomass from forests poses a fundamental threat to the health and productivity of forest ecosystems. In terms of sustainable forest management, leaving tree tops, branches and foliage, left after logging, in the forest, along with maintaining standing and fallen dead trees, are two of the easiest and most effective actions forest managers can take to promote biodiversity and sustain a healthy, resilient and productive forest.

Forestry officials use forest fires as a reason to clear out deadwood and other logging waste left behind. Forest fires are actually a natural part of a healthy forest. Forest fires get a bad rap. Too often, with all the focus on the damage they could cause, we forget that they're actually necessary to keep the forest healthy and growing. The build-up of vegetation in the forest can prevent seeds from germinating and stop the growth of new trees.

No forest has ever existed without having to cope with periodic fires. The most common natural cause of forest fires is probably lightning, though globally most fires are started by people. Fires are a natural way of clearing old growth, causing organic matter to decompose rapidly into mineral components which fuel rapid plant growth, and recycling essential nutrients, especially nitrogen.

Allowing and encouraging a market for forest biomass will accelerate the degradation of our forest, reducing both the economic and ecological value of our forests for the next generation.

Lisa Emery, B.A. is currently living in Amherst. Lisa invites comments to her column. You can contact Lisa at: emeryvine@gmail.com or view her blog at http://emeryvinegrapevine.blogspot.com