Environment

In Canada, the interest for energy production from residual forestry biomass is increasing.

This situation is fuelled by the noticeable augmentation of fossil fuels, by the preoccupation of greenhouse effect gases as well as climate changes.

By substituting combustibles by residual forestry biomass, it could become possible to reduce greenhouse effect gases, which could be a direct support in reaching Canada's objectives according to the Kyoto Protocol.  Indeed, the usage of forestry biomass as heat or to produce energy allows to lower the emission of carbon gases.  During combustion, the carbon gas released is compensated by the fixed carbon gas during the tree's growth.  It is said that its cycle is neutral in carbon.

Wood pellets by their characteristics, allow us to obtain a much more efficient and less polluting combustion than that of wood logs.  Technology used in pellet stoves allow to burn almost integrally the combustible and this at a temperature of 850 degrees Celsius, thus burning the gas matter that, in an ordinary stove would be dissipated in the atmosphere (Source: Schweizer bau Dokumentation PHD Thomas Nussbaumer (56) 10100600.01 October 2002).  This way, wood combustion does not participate in accentuating the green house effect.  Furthermore, wood energy is a renewable and local energy that also contributes to reducing the national energy dependency.

Wood energy allows a better exploitation of forest and better management of scenery and natural spaces by using woods of little value and by eliminating swaths left along forestry roads, by increasing their value instead of burning them which avoids rejecting carbon directly in the air.

A Worhwhile Energy Source for the Environment
 
The use of biomass plays a determining part for the protection of the environment since it allows the use of waste, avoids burning, and in doing so, the contamination of grounds and of water.

The possibilities of forest bio-combustibles could allow the freeing of considerable volumes of chips and sawdust for the making of paper as well as panelling industries.

(Source: FERIC, Biomasse forestière résiduelle inventaire des méthodes et équipements de récupération ainsi que des systèmes de combustion les plus courants 2006)