In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Francisco X. Aguilar, a professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and leader of the Team of Specialists on Wood Energy of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Aguilar and coauthors recently published a study on the environmental effects of the rapid growth of the wood pellet industry. Because wood pellets are viewed as carbon neutral, the boom in wood pellets may help meet climate targets in Europe. This conversation focuses on how the wood pellet industry’s growth has affected the number of trees and carbon stocks in the southeastern United States, where most wood pellets are produced. The key questions are whether wood pellets are truly renewable and whether they truly produce net-zero emissions. Aguilar helps us make sense of it all.

References and recommendations:

“Expansion of US Wood Pellet Industry Points to Positive Trends but the Need for Continued Monitoring” by Francisco X. Aguilar, Ashkan Mirzaee, Ronald G. McGarvey, Stephen R. Shifley, and Dallas Burtraw; https://www.rff.org/publications/journal-articles/expansion-us-wood-pellet-industry-points-positive-trends-need-continued-monitoring/

“Wood Energy in America” by Daniel deB. Richter Jr., Dylan H. Jenkins, John T. Karakash, Josiah Knight, Lew R. McCreery, and Kasimir P. Nemestothy; https://science.sciencemag.org/content/323/5920/1432

“Wood Energy Efficiency: More Heat with Less Wood” by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; https://unece.org/node/20841

“Net-Zero America” by Eric Larson, Chris Greig, Jesse Jenkins, Erin Mayfield, Andrew Pascale, Chuan Zhang, Joshua Drossman, Robert Williams, Steve Pacala, Robert Socolow, Ejeong Baik, Rich Birdsey, Rick Duke, Ryan Jones, Ben Haley, Emily Leslie, Keith Paustian, and Amy Swan; https://environmenthalfcentury.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf331/files/2020-12/Princeton_NZA_Interim_Report_15_Dec_2020_FINAL.pdf

“The Overstory” by Richard Powers; https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393356687