Community Decisions and Public Perceptions about Using Wood for Energy

 

Martha C. Monroe, Annie Oxarart, and Jessica Tomasello

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

What’s Coming

• Why bother

• Overview of our study

• How the public might perceive woody biomass for energy

• What this means for outreach efforts

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Why Bother?

• Public support can keep projects alive

• Lack of public support can destroy projects

• Public participation can improve project design

• Public agencies need public support

• But it requires education and outreach

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

What We Heard

• But what will happen to our forests?

• Haven’t we progressed beyond wood?

• As long as you only burn waste material, that would be fine.

• Burning wood puts more carbon in the air.

• What will prevent a farmer from planting an invasive exotic just to make money?

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Public Perceptions Inform Outreach Materials

• Alachua County is discussing new wood to energy facility

• Interviewed people to understand concerns

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Our Survey1517 residents of single-family and mobile homes in

Alachua County, FL in fall 2006, 19.6% response rate

22 questions:

(1) Awareness and knowledge

(2) General impressions

(3) Misconceptions

(4) Trust

(5) Community participation

(6) Demographic questions 

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

A Hypothetical Town Meeting with Green Electric Utility

Company

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Energy Illiteracy

• 12% of Americans can pass a basic energy quiz

• Our respondents: 54% “not at all knowledgeable” about using wood for energy

• 5% “very knowledgeable”

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Preferred Energy SourceEnergy

ResourceSomewhat or

strongly favor Somewhat or

strongly oppose Don’t know

Solar 93% 5% 2%

Wind 91% 9% --

Natural gas 83% 11% 6%

Landfill gas 64% 18% 18%

Forest waste 59% 29% 12%

Nuclear 31% 63% 6%

Coal 24% 69% 7%

Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy

Preference for Renewable Energy

RenewableResource

Percent “very favorable”

Percent choosing in top 3 preferred energy choices

Solar 69 58

Wind 61 69

Biomass 32 26

Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Climate Change

How does wood compare to fossil fuels in terms of climate change?

Coal Natural GasWood is Better 18.8% 11.6%About the same 30.7% 24.2%

Wood is Worse 6.5% 23.1%

Don’t know 45.8% 43.9%

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Attitudes toward using woodConcernsLoss of local forests 4.10

Increased air pollution 3.95

Higher cost of electricity 3.81

Increased traffic for wood delivery

3.59

Increased competition for wood 3.37

Increased noise from plant operations

3.25

BenefitsUse wood that would go to waste

4.23

Maintain local forests 4.20

Renewable energy source 4.11

Not contributing to global climate change

3.99

Reduce dependence on foreign energy

3.95

Keep dollars in the community

3.46

Addition of entry-level jobs 3.06

Provide better markets for wood

2.991 = not at all important;5 = extremely important

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

More evidence

• If we are going to use wood for energy, it is most important that we manage the forest sustainably for wildlife, water quality, and wood production (3.71).

• As long as waste wood is being burned, we should collect it and use the energy (3.27).

1=strongly disagree

4= strongly agree

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Sources of Wood

• 71% support using waste wood

• 61% support using wood grown for energy

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Questions Remain

• What species would be grown?• How would forests be managed?• How much more frequently will harvests occur?• Can the ecosystem sustain the increased

pressure on forests?

• Bioenergy could bring changes to Southern forests and forest management as significant as pine plantations were to natural forests

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Public Trust

Sources of information about woody biomass that survey respondents consider most reliable are:

• local foresters (2.2)

• environmental groups (2.2)

• extension agents (2.1)

Least reliable sources:

• local businesses• industry(both scoring 1.6)

3-point scale where 1 is not at all reliable and 3 is very reliable

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Public Trust

• Barriers to Trust– Uncertainty– Exclusion

• Building Trust– Education– Communication

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Public Involvement

• 53% believe that the community would be influential in a proposed project.

• 54% are interested in participating in the decision-making process.

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Factors in outreach

1) local forests and air quality are important

2) waste wood is okay

3) solar and wind are best

4) burning wood increases CO2,

5) healthy forests have no management,

6) foresters, environmental groups, and extension agents are reliable sources of information.

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007

Questions?

Woody Biomass Outreach TrainingSeptember 11-12, 2007