Use of wood energy for lumber drying and community heating in southeast Alaska

The inadequate transportation infrastructure and undeveloped markets for sawmill residues in southeast Alaska are among the factors that limit the use of this forest resource. This study considers the potential use of sawmill residues to supply two bioenergy systems that would produce thermal energy for (1) community heating and (2) a lumber dry kiln in Hoonah, Alaska. The proposed community heating system would be a direct combustion system, burning approximately 1,450 green tons (1.315 green metric kilotons) of wood fuel per year to provide heating for seven centrally located buildings in Hoonah. Additional sawmill residues would be used in another system to provide process heat for a proposed 25,000 board foot (41.3 m) dry kiln. The Hoonah sawmill typically produces as much as 5 million board feet (8,255 m) of lumber per year, primarily from western hemlock and Sitka spruce. The processing of this amount of lumber would result in an adequate volume of residue to provide a fuel source for the heating requirements of the proposed projects. Wood residue from the sawmill is assumed to be available at no cost other than for transportation.