Biomass shortage?

Oct. 27, 2009 – Almost 25 per cent of www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca visitors feel that the emerging forest biomass sector will compete with Canada’s traditional forest products sector for fibre, according to an informal poll conducted between late August and mid October. Still, over 63 per cent of respondents felt that there are regions where traditional forest operations have left a gap for biomass operations to slide right in, or areas where underutilized wood types may provide fibre for new biomass operations. Beyond that, an additional 12 per cent felt the whole debate is pointless – In a free market economy, competition is good, so let the best business model win.

In other words, over three-quarters of our respondents see real opportunity for the forest biomass and bioenergy sector to emerge as a partner or competitor to the existing forest products sector. In the face of shuttered mills and under-utilized forest resources, we see that as a good thing.