Report Shows Trade Of Wood Pellets With EU Is Positive For U.S. Forests

A new international study examining 12 years of data on Southeastern timberlands found that the wood pellet industry has had a net positive effect on American forests.

Since the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive went into effect 11 years ago, demand for wood pellets from the U.S. has skyrocketed, with more than a third of the 18 million tons of wood pellets traded in the EU coming from the U.S.

The rapid rise in wood pellet manufacturing drew concern that it would have a negative impact on forests, but the study finds the opposite to be true.  Among other trends, the study found there was a net expansion in the amount of carbon stored in trees in the Southeastern United States.