Wood Biomass Boost to New Zealand Economy

At the ForestWood Conference, the Wood Council of New Zealand (Woodco) released the New Zealand Forest and Wood Products Industry Strategic Action Plan (Forestry Action Plan), which included increasing high value product manufacturing through biochemical, biofuel and bioenergy options.
The strategy sets out benefits to forest growers of ‘creating additional revenue streams, for example through greater use of forest residues for bioenergy and biochemical products’.
The Forestry Strategy sets targets for increased use of bioenergy by 30 per cent to provide heat and electricity in pulp and paper and wood processing plants by 2022, and for 20 per cent of pulp and paper revenue to come from biochemicals. In addition there is an objective of having transport biofuels coming from wood within the same time period.]
It is envisaged that around 25 per cent of consumer energy can come from biomass sources by 2040 according to the Bioenergy Association of New Zealand (BANZ).
Wood is a viable and low cost alternative as well as being sustainable. It will also create jobs and is carbon neutral. The New Zealand Bioenergy Strategy has identified that by 2040 30 per cent of transport fuel may be from biofuels.