Interfor Corporation’s Gilchrist Division has been selected by the Secretary of Agriculture to accept biomass deliveries under the federal Biomass Crop Assistance Program so it can create clean heat and electricity to dry lumber.
“This program generates clean energy from biomass, reduces the threat of fires by removing dead or diseased trees from public forest lands, and invests in rural businesses and new energy markets,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release announcing the successful applicants.
Gilchrist is one of 36 energy facilities across the US chosen by the US Department of Agriculture to accept forest or agricultural residues through Biomass Crop Assistance Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill as part of the national strategy to improve domestic energy security and reduce carbon pollution.
“Gilchrist dries all of its lumber products in kilns fueled entirely by biomass,” Chuck Burley, Government Affairs Manager with Interfor’s Pacific Northwest Operations, said today. “Under this federal program, we can buy more biomass from operations that are improving the health of our public forests by reducing the threat of fire and infestations.”
The biomass program is just one more way Interfor is building value for central Oregon and supporting 450 local jobs. Earlier this year, the Company invested $5 million to make Gilchrist a world-class specialty mill with state-of-the-art finishing equipment so it can produce Reserve Pine, Interfor’s new top-of-the-line pine boards.
Interfor is a growth-oriented lumber company with operations in Canada and the United States. The Company has annual production capacity of 2.6 billion board feet and offers one of the most diverse lines of lumber products to customers around the world.
For more information about Interfor, visit our website at www.interfor.com.
For further information:
Chuck Burley, Government Affairs Manager Interfor
(541) 876-7880 (Gilchrist)
