Wood Bulletins and Fact Sheets

In this publication we provide information for foresters, landowners, and loggers on ways to communicate with municipalities that are considering creating timber harvesting ordinances.

This fact sheet explains the most widely used method for treating wood, examines the possible risks from gardening uses of treated lumber, and makes recommendations for reducing any such risks.

This report was prepared by an ad hoc committee to evaluate the practice of clearcutting in the hardwood forests of Pennsylvania. The report consists of an introduction and separate chapters on the effects of clearcutting on six forest resources - aesthetics, fisheries, soils, timber, water, and wildlife.

One way to make Pennsylvania more energy independent is to purchase and use locally produced biomass fuel for heating. Doing so would not only support the local economy, but it is also relatively inexpensive and can be ecologically beneficial.

A biomass combustion system burns renewable biomass fuel (e.g., wood, field crops) to produce heat. Commercial-scale systems are different from smaller residential systems in that they typically (1) incorporate automated feed and control systems and (2) require emissions control equipment to ensure that strict emissions regulations are met.

Pennsylvania farmers and foresters that are interested in growing biomass as an energy crop have a wide variety of potential markets for their product. One of the more promising options is to sell your biomass for co-firing with other fuels, especially coal.

This fact sheet presents some of the more important characteristics of solid biomass fuel and explains their significance.