Pilot project studying willow for biomass fuel in PEI

And the PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry is holding a half-day seminar for anyone who wants to hear more about willow production in Charlottetown on Feb. 28.

“What we need to do is find a farmer who might be interested in exploring it further, I think that’s where we’ll get some real hard numbers. That's really part of the reason for this session next week — to see what the interest would be in exploring this type of work,” Tyler Wright, a soil and water engineer at the (PEI) Department of Agriculture and Forestry, told Farm Focus on Atlantic Canada .

Since 2006 Wright has been part of an ongoing pilot project on P.E.I. designed to test the viability of introducing willow production to Island farmers.

A pilot project on P.E.I. is designed to test the viability of introducing willow production to produce biomass.

Three organizations teamed up for the pilot: the P.E.I. Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

The upcoming meeting is all about seeing if there is enough interest in expanding the project – and to help inform the public.

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