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June/July 2016

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US South Wood Fuel Prices: 1Q2016 Wrap-Up

EPA Releases Proposed RFS Volumes for 2017

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		US South Wood Fuel Prices: 1Q2016 Wrap-Up By Daniel Stuber Wood fuel prices have decreased over the last three quarters to an average of $20.74 per ton in 1Q2016. The market is on a declining trend as prices for substitute energy sources (i.e. natural gas and electricity) have declined and recent supplies of wood fuel have increased. Purchasers have reacted opportunistically by decreasing delivered prices. Continue reading → ...�

		USDA Announces Millions in Payments to Support Production of Advanced Biofuels By John Greene In late May, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be investing $8.8 million to boost the production of advanced biofuels and sustain jobs at renewable energy facilities in 39 states. While we took note of the disappointing RFS volume proposals recently issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the exclusive development of liquid biofuels, for its part, USDA is actively making monetary commitments to encourage the production of all advanced biofuels. Continue reading ...�

		Western Hemisphere Benchmark: New Insights into Global Wood Fiber Supply Chain By Daniel Stuber Forest2Market's mission has always been to empower its participants to make exponentially better decisions through the application of industry expertise and unique datasets. We believe that market price transparency and transaction-based benchmarking are vital to optimizing and stabilizing the supply chain between producers and consumers. Demand and capital will always flow to the lowest cost producer, and with wood fiber being the largest variable cost input for the pulping process, it is imperative for producers in various regions to know their wood fiber price positions in the global market. Continue reading → ...�

		EPA Releases Proposed RFS Volumes for 2017 By John Greene The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published proposed volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2017. The proposed volume requirements and associated percentage standards are for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. Continue reading → ...�

		Renewable Energy Directive Update: European Commission to Scrap Biofuels Post-2020 By John Greene While the advanced and cellulosic biofuels sector in the US has struggled to gain market footing to adequately compete with fossil-based fuels, the situation is equally disappointing in the European Union (EU) at present. Per national targets set from the beginning of the 2001 Renewable Energy Directive initiated for EU member states, the overriding goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% (compared to 1990 levels), increase renewable energy production by 20% and achieve at least 10% renewable energy use in the transportation sector by 2020. Continue reading → ...�

		What Does It Take to Move Pulpwood from Western Russia to Scandinavia by Water? By Pete Stewart As many of you know, Forest2Market recently started operating in Europe and western Russia. We have named the new product the Baltic Rim/Russia Timber Price Index, which basically covers Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Poland and western Russia. On a recent trip to western Russia, I visited with some of the new customers, as well as potential customers of the benchmark service, and of course learned some very interesting things about the regional market. Continue reading → ...�

		US South Leads Growth in Biomass Electricity Generation; Costs Remain High By John Greene Per two recent publications from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity generation from biomass across all sectors grew from 56 terawatthours (TWh) in 2010 to 64 TWh in 2015, which represents a 14 percent increase. Much of this growth occurred in the US South due to the region's dense concentration of forestland and availability of wood raw materials and wood waste. In 2015, electricity generation from biomass across all sectors accounted for 11.3 percent of renewable electricity generation, but just 1.6 percent of total electricity generation across the United States. Continue reading →...�

		Clear as Wood? Swedes Develop Transparent Wood Material for Solar Panels and Windows By John Greene Wood is one of the Earth's most trusted and sustainable natural resources. From building materials and industrial heating pellets, to food additives and jet fuels, wood raw materials are used to manufacture a growing number of products in the new biobased economy. Now, researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new transparent wood material that's suitable for mass production of windows and solar panels. The project is financed by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the finding was published in the American Chemical Society journal, Biomacromolecules. Continue reading →...�

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