7:30 to 9:00 am

Registration Open

8:30 am to 12:10 pm

Plenary Sessions

8:30 to 8:40 am

Welcome, Conference Overview, Darren McAvoy, Extension Forestry Associate, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

8:40 to 9:10 am

Biomass Utilization: A Tool for Forest Restoration, Mike Dudley Director of State and Private Forestry, Regions One and Four, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, Utah

9:10 to 9:50 am

The History of Biomass Utilization in the West: From Tee Pee Burners to Woody Biomass Derived Aviation Fuel, Craig Rawlings, Forest Business Network, Missoula, Montana

9:50 to 10:30 am

Towards a Cohesive Federal Policy on Wood Bioenergy, Jay O’Laughlin, Professor of Forestry and Policy Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

11:00 to 11:30 am

Energy Regulatory Policies Encouraging Biomass Power in the West, Daniel R. Simon, Partner, Ballard Spahr, Washington D.C.

11:30 to 12:10 am

Woody Biomass Utilization Update for Natural Resource Managers, Mark Knaebe, Natural Resource Specialist, State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit, USFS Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin

1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Afternoon Break-out Sessions (2): Ecology and Utilization

1:30 to 2:00 pm

Can Biomass Use in Pinyon Juniper Woodlands be Considered Ecological Restoration?, Peter Weisberg, Associate Professor Landscape Ecology, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada

2:00 to 2:30 pm

Pinyon Juniper Restoration Ecology: Compatibilities and Incompatibilities of Biomass Harvesting in the Southwest, Douglas Shinneman, Supervisory Research Fire Ecologist, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems Science Center, USGS, Boise, Idaho

2:30 to 3:00 pm

Silviculture for Pinyon Juniper Ecosystems, Douglas H. Page, Southwest Utah Zone Forester, BLM, Cedar City, Utah

3:30 to 4:00 pm

Climate Change, Genetic Variability, and Associated Great Basin Woodland Dynamics: Implications for Long-Term Biomass Production, Robin Tausch, Science Leader, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Reno, Nevada

4:00 to 4:30 pm

Questions and Discussion with Session 1 Speakers

1:30 to 2:00 pm

The Economics of Biomass, Jared Abodeely, Research Engineer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho

2:00 to 2:30 pm

Biomass Business Principles of Success, Gil Miller, President, Economic Associates of Utah, Board Member Rural Life Foundation, Bear River City, Utah

2:30 to 3:00 pm

Marketing Strategies for Biomass Utilization, Dusty Moller, Wood Utilization Manager, Business Environmental Program, Small Business Development Center, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada

3:30 to 4:00 pm

New Developments in the World of Biomass Utilization, Christopher Wright, Senior Research Engineer, Biofuels and Renewable Energy, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho

4:00 to 4:30 pm

Questions and Discussion with Session 2 Speakers

4:30 pm

Adjourn

5:00 to 7:00 pm

Reception, Logan Country Club, Hors d’Oeuvres, Cash Bar

8:30 to 8:35 am

Welcome, Darren McAvoy, Extension Forestry Associate, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

8:35 to 10:00 am

Plenary Sessions

8:35 to 9:05 pm

Collaboration Successes Around the West and Why Collaboration is Important, Mary Mitsos, Vice President for Conservation Programs, National Forest Foundation, Missoula, Montana

9:05 to 9:35am

What Works for Biomass Harvesting in Pinyon Juniper, Lance Lindbloom, Owner, Bloomin Ranch Services, Beaver, Utah

9:35 to 10:05 am

The Need for PJ Restoration in Eastern Nevada, Jeremy Drew, Resource Specialist, Resource Concepts Inc., Carson City, Nevada

10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Morning Break-out Sessions (3): Ecology, Bioenergy, Biochar

10:30 to 11:00 am

Biomass Energy: Seeing the Forest Through the Trees, Chad Davis, Forest Stewardship Program Director, Sustainable Northwest, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

11:00 to 11:30 am

Native Utah Grasses for Biomass, Steve Larson, Research Geneticist, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Logan, Utah

11:30 am to 12:00 pm

Modeling Biomass and Canopy Fuel Attributes Using LIDAR Technology, Brent Mitchell, Remote Sensing Analyst, USDA Forest Service, Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC), Salt Lake City, Utah

10:30 to 11:00 am

Billion Ton Report, Anthony Turhollow, Economist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Logan, Utah

11:00 to 11:30 am

Bioenergy 101, Dallas Hanks, Director, Center for Agronomic and Woody Biomass, Utah State University Extension, Salt Lake City, Utah

11:30 am to 12:00 pm

Viable Bioenergy Options, Mark Knaebe, Natural Resource Specialist, State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit, USFS Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin

10:30 to 11:00 am

Biochar Basics, David Shearer, CEO/Co-founder, Full Circle Solutions, San Francisco, California

11:00 to 11:30 am

Land Reclamation and Restoration, John Gaunt, Director, Keysoil Ltd.

11:30 am to 12:00 pm

Biochar and Forest Ecology, Mark Coleman, Associate Professor of Forest Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

1:00 to 2:30 pm

Afternoon Breakout Sessions (3): Ecology, Bioenergy, Bio-products

1:00 to 1:30pm

Exploring the Biomass Accumulation Possibilities from Active Forest Management in Utah Forest Types, Justin DeRose, Research Ecologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, Utah

1:30 to 2:00 pm

Regional Trends in Biomass Volumes, Sara Goeking, Biological Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, Utah

2:00 to 2:30 pm

Restoring Fire and People to the Land: The 2010 South Umpqua Study, Bob Zybach, Program Manager, Oregon Websites and Watersheds Project, Inc., Eugene, Oregon

1:00 to 1:30 pm

Fuels for Schools, Angela Farr, Regional Biomass Utilization Coordinator, Regions 1 and 4, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, Montana

1:30 to 2:00 pm

Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals - Pyrolysis and Gasification, Ofei Mante, Visiting Research Scholar, Synthetic Bio-Manufacturing, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

2:00 to 2:30 pm

Q & A and Panel Discussion

1:00 to 1:30pm

Biochar: Financial Perspectives, Tom Etzel, Senior Vice President, Zions Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah

1:30 to 2:00 pm

Federal Funding Opportunities, Dave Conine, Utah Director, USDA Rural Development, Salt Lake City, Utah and Perry Mathews, Business Programs Director, USDA Rural Development, Salt Lake City, Utah

2:00 to 2:30 pm

Q & A and Panel Discussion

2:45 to 4:00 pm

Collaboration Panel, Moderator Ellen Drew
Mary Mitsos, National Forest Foundation
Mary O’Brien, Grand Canyon Trust
Bob Swandby, Payette Forest Coalition and Wood Utilization Partnership
Doug Martin, Nevada Tahoe Conservation District

4:00 to 5:00 pm

The Forestry/Bioenergy/Carbon Connection, Jay O’Laughlin, Professor of Forestry and Policy Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho

5:00 pm

Adjourn