Wood burning power plants eye North Florida forests

[civil42806]

Welcome to the 15th century

[Sportmotor]

It's still bad for the environment.  Doesn't help the global warming issue, etc.

"HU"

Explain with fact.

[mtraininjax]

Will we run out of trees? Please.......Remember North America has the most abundant supply of forestry resources in the world. We actually EXPORT paper and paper products to China, since they don't have the resources we have. Also, anyone taken a plane ride lately? Get outside a city and what do you have? Forests and farmland. If the forests become a viable source of revenue, land owners would gladly plant trees instead of leasing the land to farmers. Gotta think about the economics here too.

[north miami]

The biggest threat to "professionally maintained pine plantations" is the "vision" charrette,the concept of "inevitable development",public hearing and 'rezone' sign........development.
Many thousands of acres of Northeast Florida timber lands have been lost to development.When Mr.Gilman passed away a few years ago many Gilman acres were pulled out.I bet most are unaware of the positive Northeast Florida Timberlands Reserve public lands plan.
So this current proposal could in fact lodge yet even more demand/support for forest lands.
However- this could likely go down as yet another unfolding example of the realities of exponential growth and demand that overpower "alternative" approach,or at best yields diminishing returns at increasing monetary and social costs.
I am well versed on a particular forest tract-former Gilman lands no under (happily!!) long term Wachovia timber production.This tract has just completed scheduled harvest,a thinning.The amount of 'waste' clearly evident.
Everglades restoration got a jump start with the concept of the "mental model' of the 'system'- my mental model of produced system 'waste' in this multi thousand acre operation regard suggests to me that there will be more limits than imagined,or simply hoped for.
Pine straw harvests from the forest floor (also $$$lucrative" have been shown to impact future tree growth.
Remember too that,in the case of a harvest eye towards state conservation lands,state forest lands are managed according to rule and policy's step up excessive "harvest" or remove "waste" could in fact render those forests no longer fit for the purpose for which they were purchased.This argument would be the proper basis for legal challenge and perhaps spur a first ever Constitutional challenge-the 1998 amendment to Florida's Constitution creating the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (sunsetting  Game & Fish and joining fresh & salt water fishery)....and......safeguards against disposal of state conservation lands.

[mtraininjax]

The eight projects together could produce 600 megawatts of power

Could people, COULD. These are boutique energy solutions, just as Wind and Solar are. The real power is in Natural Gas where emissions are half than of coal and we have enough for more than 90 years. Solar and Wind and wood plants are in beta version 1. Natural Gas is much further advanced, and we have more natural gas in the US than the saudis have oil. Use what we have, refine the new techs and get our kids and grandkids into the 22nd century better than we had it in the 21st.