For the full promise of biomass to be realized, however, new tools, fuels, and procedures must be developed, and innovators must find ways to harvest and economize in environmentally friendly ways.

The specialized John Deere 1490D Energy Wood Harvester, also known as the slash bundler, offers cutting-edge, one-of-a-kind technology that easily collects woody biomass and bundles it into compact log-like bundles for transportation, storage, and use. Other Deere forestry equipment, including the wheeled harvester and the Eco-III Forwarder, can be adapted for biomass harvesting. These innovative machines can help manage forest health while offering the logging industry an opportunity to develop new sources of income.

Sam Allen, President of the Worldwide Construction & Forestry Division and John Deere Power Systems, says, "Over the last decade, John Deere has been committed to developing the technology needed to turn the promise of woody biomass into reality. With the development of our Advanced Harvesting Systems, those in forestry now have the means to remove woody biomass in an environmentally sustainable way to help produce a beneficial energy source that can provide renewable energy for schools, homes, vehicles, and more."

Just What Is Woody Biomass?
Woody biomass is the technical term for the dead or dying trees and brush you find in the forest. It's also the scrap material left behind when a section of trees is felled during logging. Harvesting that biomass and turning it into a fuel source has garnered interest from public and private sectors around the world.

Larry Mason, Project Coordinator for the Rural Technology Initiative at the University of Washington, says, "There are opportunities in the future that we're beginning to explore. Now it's becoming more and more critical to use this biomass to produce oil and displace our reliance upon foreign imports, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change."

Biomass harvesting is not simply picking up everything on the forest floor. There are many other concerns that must be addressed, including proper forest-management techniques. For instance, only dry wood can be removed, and some must always be left behind to allow the forest to reclaim nutrients.

The Potential of Woody Biomass
Just one bundle of biomass produced by a Deere energy wood harvesting system is the equivalent to one thermal megawatt, and two bundles are equivalent to one barrel of oil. To put that in real-world perspective, approximately 50--150 bundles can, depending on power-plant efficiency, supply the energy necessary to power one home for an entire year.

Plus, woody biomass is sustainable and renewable. As it is consumed, the fuel produces very little carbon, and can actually be considered carbon neutral, because letting the material decay in the forest releases the same amount of carbon. Harvesting biomass also leaves a forest in a healthier state as excessive amounts of dry matter act as a natural accelerant and can cause catastrophic forest fires such as those recently experienced in the western U.S.

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