Community Decisions and Public Perceptions about Using Wood for Energy

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


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


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?


Public Perceptions Inform Outreach Materials

• Alachua County is discussing new wood to energy facility

• Interviewed people to understand concerns


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


A Hypothetical Town Meeting with Green Electric Utility

Company


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”


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 26Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy


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%


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


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 disagree4= strongly agree


Sources of Wood

• 71% support using waste wood• 61% support using wood grown for energy


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


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


Public Trust

• Barriers to Trust– Uncertainty– Exclusion

• Building Trust– Education– Communication


Public Involvement• 53% believe that the community would be influential in a

proposed project.

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


Factors in outreach

1) local forests and air quality are important

2) waste wood is okay3) 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.


Questions?


Community Decisions and Public Perceptions about Using Wood for Energy

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