MAINE MONITOR • May 28, 2023
Researchers at this pilot-scale plant in Old Town, part of UMaine’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, have spent years developing alternatives to fossil fuels by using wood that might otherwise go to waste. The goal is to fight climate change by working toward replacing oil with a “renewable fuel source” — renewable because unlike coal and oil mined from underground, trees regrow over decades. This eventually helps offset the carbon they emit when burned. Many climate scientists disagree with the claim that burning wood for energy, as opposed to fossil fuels, has an advantage in slowing the climate crisis. It’s a controversial strategy that hinges on a lot of tricky assumptions about forest management, timelines and more.