Upcoming Webinar: The Carbon Accounting of Modern Wood Heat

[semipro]

I thought that others here might be interested in attending.
-Andy

Date & Time
Jan 17, 2024 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Description
Join the Northern Forest Center and Alliance for Green Heat on January 17 from 12:00-1:30 PM for a discussion on carbon emissions and modern wood heat systems. We will be joined by researchers studying this question and will dive into what several life cycle assessments tell us about the climate impacts of modern wood heat, from the forest to the flame. Panelists include:- Dr. Alexandra Kosiba, Extension Assistant Professor of Forestry, University of Vermont- Dr. Robert Malmsheimer, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Forest Policy and Law, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry- Dr. Thomas Buchholz, Senior Scientist, Spatial Informatics Group

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zf7WiK-HRrafIUvLF-zxnA#/registration

 

[NHWS]

Hopefully someone will summarize it for those of us who can't attend.

 

[Rusty18]

Wonder how many spots are available?

 

[Pinesmoke]

Carbon accounting?

Sooooooo unless I have this sideways in my head I think....

A tree collects X amount of carbon through its life.
It dies and as it rots releases its carbon.
I burn said tree and I release its carbon with the benefit of heat.
This heat makes me able to not create heat with the evil hydrocarbons.


?

 

[semipro]

Seems simple enough but harvesting and cutting/spitting that firewood also produces carbon via equipment/food production, and equipment/body operation, respectively. That's why the "accounting" part is important.
In the end, is it better than burning gas, oil, coal, damming rivers, or splitting atoms to make heat for our homes?
I've always worked under the assumption that burning wood from our property or nearby is more efficient carbon balance-wise.
I'd like to know if that's true when all aspects of doing it are considered and accounted for.

 

[Pinesmoke]

In that deep of detail the data could be interesting to read through for sure.

 

[Eman85]

climate impacts of modern wood heat, from the forest to the flame.

That sentence is what will be interesting to hear about. Modern wood heat compared to? I guess the difference will be the carbon used in harvesting, transporting and processing. I'd think the carbon release today is the same as yesterday only change might be the slight gains in efficiency of the stoves or the need for less heat due to better homes being heated.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

Probably compared to a heat pump running from a distant windmill, I'd guess.

The wood around my home is going to get burned anyway to keep the forest fires at bay, or it'll get burned all at once along with my house . I can burn it cleanly in my stoves, or put it in a pile and burn it less cleanly. That stove route should be positive for carbon, since it offsets other fuel sources, but it might be warming for the climate, since it's producing less light reflecting smoke that way. ??

And compared to the vacation homes that continue sprouting up around me, burning 1-3,000+ gallons of propane a year just keeping them from freezing while no-one is there, how much does my little carbon balance really make a difference?

It's complicated, so complicated that you can probably parse the data to arrive at any conclusion that's convenient. Might be fun to watch, hopefully the webinar will be cached so that I can spectate at a time when I have nothing better to do.

 

[begreen]

I'm surprised they don't have an expert from the stove industry on the panel.

 

[otsegony]

The webinar was recorded and is available here: