1. Community Decisions and Public Perceptions about Using Wood for Energy
Martha C. Monroe, Annie Oxarart, and Jessica Tomasello
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

2. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
What’s Coming
Why bother
Overview of our study
How the public might perceive woody biomass for energy
What this means for outreach efforts
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

3. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
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
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

4. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
What We Heard
Provide some questions and snippets of how people think about using wood
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

5. Public Perceptions Inform Outreach Materials
Alachua County is discussing new wood to energy facility
Interviewed people to understand concerns
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

6. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Our Survey
1517 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
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

7. A Hypothetical Town Meeting with Green Electric Utility Company
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

13. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
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”
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

14. Preferred Energy Source
Energy Resource
Somewhat 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%
Forest waste
59%
29%
12%
Nuclear
31%
63%
Coal
24%
69% 7%
Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy

15. Preference for Renewable Energy
Resource
Percent “very favorable”
Percent choosing in top 3 preferred energy choices
Solar 69 58
Wind 61
Biomass 32 26
Farhar 1999, U.S. Department of Energy
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

16. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Climate Change
How does wood compare to fossil fuels in terms of climate change?
Coal
Natural Gas
Wood 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%
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

20. Attitudes toward using wood
Concerns
Loss 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
Benefits
Use 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
2.99
1 = not at all important;
5 = extremely important
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

21. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
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 disagree
4= strongly agree
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

22. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Sources of Wood
71% support using waste wood
61% support using wood grown for energy
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

23. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
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
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

25. Put in animations

26. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
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
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

27. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Public Trust
Barriers to Trust
Uncertainty
Exclusion
Building Trust
Education
Communication
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

28. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Public Involvement
53% believe that the community would be influential in a proposed project.
54% are interested in participating in the decision-making process.
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

29. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Factors in outreach
1) local forests and air quality are important 2) waste wood is okay 3) 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.
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007

30. Woody Biomass Outreach Training
Questions?
Woody Biomass Outreach Training
September 11-12, 2007