Introduction
INTRODUCTION:
Key
Findings
KEY FINDINGS:
The success of a forest residual based biofuels
industry in Washington State would depend on a
large and constant supply stream. Small familyowned forests make up over 3 million acres of
Washington’s forest land, making this
demographic a key interest in the search for
biomass resources. This study surveyed family forest
owners to gain understanding of their perceptions
and acceptance level of the potential woody
biofuels industry.
 Respondents expressed acceptance or
conditional acceptance (framed favorably,
but with concerns they would want resolved)
with almost equal frequency, while
respondents who were concerned to the point
of disapproval were less than half as frequent
as either of the above categories. (Figure 1)
Figure 1 Frequency of expression of general acceptability of biofuels to respondent. Some
respondents did not clearly express their personal opinion of the potential industry.
METHODS:
Methods
“I am very much in favor of viable alternatives to dependence on foreign oil.”
We surveyed a random selection
of 865 family forest owners across
Washington State. Surveys included
both open ended and fixed
response questions, to holistically
capture the breadth of stakeholder perceptions.
Question wording was informed by
results of focus group research by
Hanna Lee for her masters thesis.
Several mailings and reminders
were sent, resulting in a 32%
response rate.
The first question was: “What do you think
and/or how do you feel about this whole idea of making
biofuels* from forest residuals and other woody materials?
Please, do not hold back, your opinion is important. Express
yourself in the space provided below. *For this survey, Biofuels
refer to a liquid, solid, or gaseous fuel produced from wood
material. A biorefinery is the facility where wood material is
converted to biofuels. This questionnaire is about biofuel made
from forest residuals and similar wood products.”
The 255 responses to this question
were examined using grounded
theory thematic analysis with the
NVivo program to gain insight of
both the general favorability
towards woody biofuels and the
emergent themes present in the
responses.
by Haley Lane, advisor Stanley Asah
School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, 2013
“The more markets we have for our wood products the better.”
 The most commonly expressed
themes were those of concern,
reflecting the fact that many
critical or conditionally
approving respondents
expressed several different
types of concerns, whereas
favorable respondents often
expressed fewer or no reasons
for their opinion. (Figure 2)
“In addition to hydro power, but not at the expense of hydro power.”
 A different pattern is visible
when the approval groups are
divided by the income levels of
the respondents. At low to
medium incomes, the largest
percentage of each group is
approving of woody biofuels.
At higher income levels, more
respondents have concerns.
(Figure 3)
“I am not familiar with the biofuel term.”
“We are not willing to have any logging or clearing activity done here.”
“I would like to see the bug killed areas used before they go up in fire.”
“I like the idea of making biofuels from natural materials that are otherwise going unused.”
“… But if the cost outways the benefits we are wasting our time.”
“I think it is better to leave residual material on the forest floor and nutrients can go into or add to the soil.”
Figure 2 Number of expressions of top themes expressed, representing both reasons
for approval and for concern. Sample quotes taken from real survey responses.
Figure 3
Number of
expressions of
general
acceptability
of biofuels,
compared
across
respondent
groups of
different
income levels.
Conclusion
These findings demonstrate that while
family forest owners are generally
favorable towards the idea of wood
residual based biofuels, their key concerns
could limit their participation unless these
conditions are accounted for in the
development of the industry.
This study was funded in part by the UW Royalty Research Fund.
Thanks to Stanley Asah, Hanna Lee, Miku Lenentine, Cassandra Garcia
Sources: Family Forest Owners and Bioenergy: Toward a blueprint "buy-in" plan for feedstock production. Hanna F. Lee. University of Washington 2013.
Washington Forest Protection Association Website (Forest Area statistics): http://www.wfpa.org/page/about-washingtons-forests/