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Friday, 9:45am

This session will provide an introduction to woody biomass heating applications including sources of supply, conversion technologies, uses, and markets.  Presenters will introduce three basic analytical tools (simple payback, supply assessment, and pre-feasibility study) to help participants understand the elements of a successful project.  The group will review an innovative project example to learn from one community’s successes and challenges.

Speakers

• Phil Chang, Program Administrator, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
  Pre-feasibility Analysis
• Gareth Mayhead, Academic Coordinator - Forest Products, UC Berkeley
  Biomass Heat Overview
• Nils Christofferson, Executive Director, Wallowa Resources
  Enterprise Wood Chip Boiler Project
  

Moderator

Marcus Kauffman, Program Manager, Resource Innovations

Recommended Readings

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Phil Chang

Phil Chang is the Program Administrator for Natural Resources for the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council.  He has worked with communities in eastern California and Oregon for over 9 years to build collaborative natural resource management initiatives that enhance local economies and the environment.  As staff coordinator for the Central Oregon Partnerships for Wildfire Risk Reduction (COPWRR) project, Phil works to promote utilization of small diameter timber and woody biomass to accelerate restoration thinning and fuel treatments in the region.  This work has included pre-feasibility and feasibility analysis, assistance with both financing and fuel supply development, and other technical assistance for several biomass thermal energy projects in Central Oregon.  Phil holds a masters degree in public policy and natural resources management from U.C. Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

Gareth Mayhead

Gareth has a Masters in Forest Industries Technology from the University of Wales, Bangor, UK.  He worked for 5 years at the BioComposites Center, at the University of Wales, in a number of research roles, carrying out contract research and development in the utilization of natural fibers.  

Five years were spent as a project manager at a community forest in the UK.  This involved project development and management delivering support and assistance to the timber sector in North West England.  Projects focused on utilization of waste wood, development of added value products, streamlining forest certification, biomass for energy, business and financial support tools.  

He is currently Academic Coordinator for Forest Products within the Center for Forestry at the University of California Berkeley.  In this role he works under a USDA Forest Service grant coordinating outreach in woody biomass and forest products issues in California, Oregon and Washington.  

He is an associate member of the Institute for Wood Science and Treasurer/Secretary for the Forest Products Society Pacific Southwest Section. 

Nils Christofferson

Nils currently serves as Executive Director for Wallowa Resources. He has a Bachelors in Economics from Williams College (honors in Environmental Economics), and a Masters in Forestry from Oxford University. His work experience includes 6 years in Eastern and Southern Africa on forestry and wildlife management issues, with an emphasis on community based natural resource management. Previously, Mr. Christoffersen has served as Executive Director for the US Office of Africa Resources Trust, Regional program Coordinator for the IUCN Regional Office in Southern Africa (Zimbabwe), Training Officer for Wildlife Division in Tanzania, and Field Supervisor for Forestry Department in Botswana. Other work includes policy work with the European Commission on matters related to CITES and natural resource management, and short term field work in Australia (livestock), UK (forestry), Norway (forestry and fishing), and Israel (agriculture).

Marcus Kauffman

Marcus Kauffman has extensive experience working with rural communities in the Pacific Northwest. His work focuses on developing public-private collaborations with rural communities to improve natural resource and economic development opportunities. He has developed collaboratives that have addressed ecosystem restoration, sustained yield units, community fire protection planning, stewardship contracting, and more recently woody biomass utilization.

Marcus is a long-time Oregonian. He was raised in rural southern Oregon where he worked in his father’s post and pole construction and log furniture business. Among the many skills he learned from his father was horse-logging. He earned a bachelor’s in international studies from the University of Oregon, including a year abroad in Poitiers, France. He served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic where he worked with community leaders to provide more potable water and coached a youth baseball team.

After the Peace Corps, Marcus worked in his hometown of Cave Junction, Oregon for two years with the AmeriCorps program. His efforts to develop sustainable businesses and eco-tourism opportunities helped him realize the complexity of the challenges rural communities face and the inadequacy of his training. He returned to University of Oregon where he earned a Master’s of Community and Regional Planning with an emphasis on rural community development.

Prior to joining Resource Innovations Marcus worked for Sustainable Northwest and the Watershed Research and Training Center. He lives in Eugene with his wife and energetic three-year old daughter Eleni. His interests include mountain biking, woodworking, gardening, and spending time with friends and family.