A whitepaper published by FutureMetrics on June 23 explains how an executive order on wildfire mitigation signed by President Donald Trump could boost the production of wood pellets for use in domestic power production.&nbsp;The executive order, signed by Trump on June 12, focuses on wildfire prevention and response and includes language aimed at finding innovative uses of woody biomass and forestry products.&nbsp;FutureMetrics’ whitepaper offers a strategy for using the woody biomass that would be created as part of wildfire mitigation efforts.&nbsp;The whitepaper explains that the June 12 executive order is expected to result in a significant increase in forest thinnings, a low-grade material that has traditionally been utilized by the paper, packaging and tissue markets. These low-grade biomass markets are already oversupplied and will not be able to absorb additional material created by expanded wildfire mitigation efforts. As a result, “innovated uses” for that material must be found. FutureMetrics’ whitepaper demonstrates how utilizing that material for wood pellet production could benefit both wildfire mitigation efforts and domestic power production.The strategy focuses on “the production of upgraded coal-replacement solid fuel derived from the byproducts of the forest fire mitigation efforts.” The resulting wood pellets could be fired at existing coal-fired power plants, reducing emissions while maintaining baseload power.“Not only can this strategy be used to supply utility power grids with steady non-intermittent, on-demand, and frequency stabilizing power, but in some cases datacenters that are sensitive to the carbon impacts of their power consumption can be built near to the power station and can be supplied direct ‘inside-the-fence’ steady and reliable power produced from renewable fuel,” according to the whitepaper.&nbsp;According to FutureMetrics, the U.S. currently has 532 coal-fired power generation units with capacities of at least 150 megawatts (MW). These facilities, all of which use pulverized coal (PC) technology can be easily modified to burn wood pellets. &nbsp;FutureMetrics estimates 28 of those coal-fired power plants are less than 15 years old. If each of those facilities was modified to cofire 15% pellets, it would create 9 million metric tons of domestic wood pellet demand.While the strategy described by FutureMetrics would help create a market for the low-value biomass material created as part of expanded wildfire mitigation efforts, the whitepaper stresses additional action would be required of policymakers to make the strategy a reality. This includes financial support to help cover the costs of harvesting and transporting woody biomass and a mandate that would require certain coal-fired facilities to cofire biomass.&nbsp;Cofiring wood pellets would not only support the goals of the executive order, FutureMetrics notes it would also spur billions of dollars of investments into new manufacturing facilities in areas of the U.S. that need industry and jobs.&nbsp;A full copy of the report is available on the FutureMetrics <a href="https://www.futuremetrics.info/FutureMetrics/June%2012%202025%20Excutive%20Order/Trump%20signs%20an%20executive%20order%20that%20encourages%20federal%20efforts%20to%20find%20innovative%20uses%20for%20woody%20biomasss%20-%20This%20Paper%20Outlines%20a%20Strategy%20to%20Support%20the%20Order.pdf">website</a>.

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A whitepaper published by FutureMetrics on June 23 explains how an executive order on wildfire mitigation signed by President Donald Trump could boost the production of wood pellets for use in domestic power production. 

FutureMetrics: Executive order offers opportunity to boost pellet production

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