Maine study weighs impact of more wood heating

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Les Otten, chairman of a wood-to-energy task force formed by Gov.John Baldacci, suggested that a 10 percent shift from oil to woodwould be significantly beneficial.
"Before we do anything else, we have to look at conservation andefficiency," Otten said Friday as the task force issued its report.
Maine has about 17 million acres of woodlands that could beharvested commercially, officials said. It is also the state withthe highest dependence on No. 2 heating oil, with more than 80percent of its homes using oil-based heating systems, according tothe task force.
Some 440,000 households in Maine use an average of 900 gallons ofoil a year, the report said. At current prices, that means eachfamily will spend an average of $4,100 on heat this winter.
"Conservation and looking out for each other could be vital thiswinter," Baldacci said.
With heating oil costs expected to remain high, many homeowners mayuse wood stoves as a secondary heat source, the report said.
"They are a viable wood-to-energy solution if they are modern,efficient and clean-burning, and there is already a developedmarket for wood stoves and cordwood delivery in Maine," the reportsaid.
At the same time, the report warned, "this situation presentspotential serious public health concerns. The amount of airpollution emitted by woodstoves this winter could approach recordlevels."
The report proposed that the state encourage the conversion of oldpolluting oil-fired and wood-fueled systems through tax incentivesor a direct "buy-back" program to help homeowners and smallbusinesses replace older furnaces, boilers or stoves with moreclean-burning equipment.
Increased use of wood for heat could also lead to an increase inwood prices, the report said, calling on the state to educate youthabout the benefits of a career in wood harvesting.
The governor said the report could lead the state toward "morereliance on wood energy and away from fossil fuel."