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AHB Newsletter – Volume 3, No. 4 [Winter 2014]

Editor’s Notes

It’s been a busy fall for the AHB team! Successful harvests at the California and Washington poplar demonstration sites attracted policy makers, stakeholders, researchers, and individuals interested in bioenergy. In this edition of the AHB Newsletter we focus on pests that can damage poplars and the monitoring by GreenWood Resources to keep the trees healthy. Another article examines industrial microbes playing a vital role turning wood into acetic acid and, as a high-value chemical,helping to spur a new bio-economy. A third feature provides insight into the harvests at the Clarksburg, California and Stanwood, Washington sites. Finally, find out what motivates and intrigues Oregon State University grad student Kimi Grzyb about the world of bioenergy!

Betsy Fradd
Washington State University Extension
bfradd@wsu.edu

A moth on a poplar leaf

Poplar Demonstration Sites Show Few Pests

Many types of pests can plague poplar plantations. Monitoring for pests is an important research component for the four poplar bioenergy demonstration sites managed by GreenWood Resources, Inc (GWR). Fortunately, leaf-eating insects such as moths, weevils, and bugs are present in AHB’s bioenergy demonstration sites but are not posing serious problems.
Visit Poplar Demonstration Sites Show Few Pests
A woman and a man working in a lab.

Industrial microbes: The key to the new PNW bio-economy

A new bio-economy is emerging in the Pacific Northwest with the help of microbes that turn wood into acetic acid, a high-value chemical used in many everyday products. These industrial microbes may also be part of a conversion process that could produce other bio-based chemicals and biofuels.
Visit Industrial microbes: The key to the new PNW bio-economy
A man looking at the harvester.

Diverse Stakeholders Attend Initial Poplar Harvests in California and Washington

In a successful bioeconomy, diverse stakeholders will need to come together in support of budding renewable energy industries. To learn more, landowners, policy makers, students, and Extension professionals gathered to watch the first harvest of poplar trees in California and Washington.
Visit Diverse Stakeholders Attend Initial Poplar Harvests in California and Washington
Kimi Grzyb

Graduate Student Spotlight: Kimi Grzyb

Kimi Grzyb is a PhD student in the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program at Oregon State University (OSU) and is a Graduate Research Assistant for the recently-established Bioenergy minor at OSU. Her doctoral research includes using the Delphi technique to determine the essential components of a college-level bioenergy curriculum.
Visit Graduate Student Spotlight: Kimi Grzyb