The Redwood Region Logging Conference was held from March 17-19 2011 at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka.  The event was well attended despite the wet and cold weather.

Forestry and construction equipment greets visitors to the 73rd annual RRLC

Gareth Mayhead from the University of California Woody Biomass Utilization Group gave a class on Woody Biomass Utilization Opportunities on Friday morning.  We looked at the broad policy landscape, trends in California and grant opportunities including the FSA Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) and the Forest Service Woody Biomass Utilization Grant.  A pdf of the presentation is at the bottom of this post.

Registration is now closed for Thursday's (December 2nd) Woody Biomass to Energy workshop in Ukiah.  If you have registered for this workshop you will receive an e-mail with final details on Wednesday.

See you on Thursday.

General registration is now available for a woody biomass to energy field tour on November 17 2010.

**REGISTER HERE**

This field tour is the follow up to the Woody Biomass to Energy Workshop held in Oroville in September 2010.  Places on the field tour will be prioritized towards those attended the workshop.

We will visit the following woody biomass to energy conversion facilities in the Davis area.

• Sierra Pacific Industries sawmill and power plant, Lincoln
• West Biofuels, Woodland
• Dixon Ridge Farms, near Winters

The tour will start in the Lincoln area where we will board a motor coach. Lunch will be provided.  The registration fee is $20.00 payable in advance.

The focus is on showing you some practical examples of a number of the technologies discussed at the workshop.  Representatives from each site will show you the technology – questions and discussion are encouraged.  Rob Williams (UC Davis), John Shelly and Gareth Mayhead (UC Berkeley) will facilitate the tour and will also be available to answer questions.

Advance registration is essential for this tour – no walk-ins.  Attendees of the Oroville workshop will receive priority for this field tour so long as you register before November 1st 2010.  Please register before November 12 2010.

Tour Schedule
9.00 am Assemble at car pool location in the Lincoln area (TBA prior to tour)
9.15 am Board motor coach
9.30 am Arrive at the Sierra Pacific Industries sawmill in Lincoln.  Tour of sawmill and cogeneration facility (sawmill provides fuel for power plant and waste steam is used to dry lumber).  http://www.spi-ind.com

11.30 am Board motor coach.  Depart for Woodland.  Comfort break at rest area en-route.  Bag lunches and drinks available
1.00 pm Arrive at West Biofuels site near Woodland.  This is a biomass gasification to liquid fuels project.  http://www.westbiofuels.com/Main.html

2.00 pm Board motor coach.  Depart for Winters area. 
2.30 pm Arrive at Dixon Ridge Farms near Winters.  Tour Community Power Corporation Biomax 50 biomass to energy unit.  http://www.dixonridgefarms.com/farmingandprocessing/sustainability.html http://www.gocpc.com

3.30 pm Board motor coach and return to Lincoln
4.50 pm Arrive at Lincoln
5.00 pm Close

**REGISTER HERE**

Background:
This workshop is a follow-up to the Woody Biomass to Energy workshop held in Eureka in March 2010 (presentations from that workshop are online at http://ucanr.org/EurekaMar10_Energy).

Details:
The aim is to help the audience to understand the products in the densified wood fuels family and the opportunity for project development in Northern California.  Presentations will look at the manufacturing principles, suitable feedstocks, markets and challenges.

Products discussed will include:
- Pellets
- Fuel logs
- Bricks

We will also look at five examples of project approaches in California to see how businesses have attempted to enter the densified fuels market.  There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.  The presenter will be Gareth Mayhead from UC Berkeley.  Valerie Weyna and Ernie Schutlze of Red Rooster Heating Products, one of the few pellet mills in California, will also be talking about their experiences with manufacturing densified wood fuel products on the North Coast.

Location:
University of California Cooperative Extension Office,
5630 S. Broadway Eureka, CA

Time: 12:30pm-3pm

Logistics:
There is no cost to register if you sign-up online in advance

Registration and refreshments will be available at 12.30pm and the workshop will start at 1.00pm.

Presented by:

University of California Berkeley, Center for Forestry
University of California Cooperative Extension
USDA Forest Service, Region 5

Updates at:

http://ucanr.org/WoodyBiomass

http://twitter.com/WoodyBiomass