The Wood Pellet Association of Canada commissioned a study of the greenhouse gas impacts of transitioning from fossil fuels to the sustainability of wood pellets, which in part discovered the following:

“The study provides credible data to support the ongoing demand for wood pellets. While both fossil fuels such as coal and biological materials like wood pellets emit carbon dioxide (CO2), it’s ultimately the source of that CO2 which determines the impact it will have on the atmosphere.

Coal is a very efficient fuel, in that it provides more energy per kilogram than biomass, but it is not a renewable fuel. Coal is mined from carbon sinks that took millions of years to form, so when it is burned to produce energy it increases the total amount of CO2 and other potent GHGs in the atmosphere.

Energy made from woody biomass comes from burning carbon drawn out of the atmosphere by trees within the last 150 years; much of the carbon from those trees remains locked in long-life forest products, such as lumber or mass timber.Western Canada’s government oversight of forest management activities ensures harvested areas are reforested and newly-planted trees start drawing in CO2 from the atmosphere, most within a year or two of harvesting. Those factors make woody biomass a renewable energy source and an important alternative in the transition away from fossil fuels.”

Read the full study commissioned by WPAC at: Verifying Sustainability