BLM Wyoming Biomass and Bioenergy

Wyoming’s forests provide potential to generate renewable energy from woody biomass. Wood-to-energy projects can support forest restoration and stewardship, expand economic opportunities, and encourage greater energy independence that benefits rural communities across the state.

Woody biomass is defined as the trees and woody plants, including limbs, tops, needles, leaves, and other woody parts, grown in a forest, woodland, or rangeland environment, that are the by-products of forest management. Woody biomass utilization is the harvest, sale, offer, trade, or utilization of woody biomass to produce bioenergy and the full range of biobased products including lumber, composites, paper and pulp, furniture, housing components, round wood, ethanol and other liquids, chemicals, and energy feedstocks.

Based upon a 2014 DOI/BLM economic analysis, the BLM forestry program contributed $1.3 million in direct and indirect value to the Wyoming economy.  This figure does not take into account the sale of special forest products and the value from ecological services, including clean water, that a healthy well managed forest offers.  

With these resources, BLM Wyoming sold 4.2 million board feet of timber in 2015.  Additionally, BLM Wyoming sold over 1,000 cords of firewood and treated, through a combination of forest health thinning and timber sales, approximately 800 acres of forested land.