Midwest Biomass Suppliers Resources

Midwest Biomass Suppliers Resources

Heating the Midwest – Biomass Resources and Demographics Action Team**

Heating the Midwest (HTM) has an interest in promoting the use and adoption of biomass fueled heat and energy systems.  HTM’s list of biomass supply resources (full list can be found here) provides homeowners, businesses, and institutions with help finding leads for potential suppliers of biomass fuel when considering biomass fueled heat and energy system installations and/or for project planning.

Biomass fuel is available from many sources and forms (see Biomass Feedstocks Characteristics*).  When investigating leads for potential suppliers on specific types of biomass (e.g. chips, cordwood, pellets, etc.), users may wish to consider the following:

  • Total delivered cost
  • Moisture content
  • Physical characteristics of the fuel – e.g., particle size, uniformity
  • Potential for chemical contaminates in some sources of recycled wood fuel, e.g., treated wood
  • Stability or security of supply over time (annual, seasonal, influence of market fluctuations)

Following are types of resources included in the list to help find potential suppliers of biomass fuel:

  • Arborist, Tree Care Professionals, Loggers & Other Industry Associations: Lists companies involved in tree trimming, removals and utility line clearing work and logging that may be a source for solid wood or chips that can be used for fuel.  Some other industry associations are also included.
  • Biomass Brokers & Individual Vendors: Includes brokers that buy and sell biomass for fuel, and individual companies or service providers that may be a source of fuel.
  • Biomass Volume/Price Information Resources: These resources provide estimates of the volume of biomass and/or prices that may be available.
  • Recycling Resources: Includes listings for companies that recycle industrial waste wood and construction materials that may be suitable for use as fuel.
  • State Forest Products Industry Directories: Includes listings of sawmills and wood – or paper – using manufacturers in each state that generate manufacturing residues that could be a source of fuel. These are updated periodically by state agencies and/or universities.
  • State Forest Products Utilization & Marketing Specialists: State agency program staff that provide information about the forest products industry and support business development. They often maintain state industry directories and may be a good source of information about sources of biomass fuel.
  • Wood Pellet Suppliers: Industry associations that provide listings of pellet fuel manufacturers.

Resources included on the list are organized by region or state, and a brief description of the resource’s relevance is provided under the “Comments” column. Attempts were made to capture relevant resources in the Midwestern states. Please contact Becky Philipp at AURI with any errors, and to suggest additions or deletions, at bphilipp@auri.org or 218.280.8575.

* Cser, H. and L. Boby, 2016. Biomass Feedstocks Characteristics. Southern Regional Extension Forestry Peer Reviewed Technology Bulletin, SREF-BE-005.

Disclaimer: HTM does not guarantee the availability of biomass from the resources listed.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT– Special thanks the following members of the HTM Biomass Resource & Demographics Subcommittee whose leadership, insight, and contributions were integral in driving this project forward to completion:  David Neumann, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) (lead); Becky Philipp, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute/AURI (action team co-chair); Alan Doering, AURI (action team co-chair); Sabina Dhungana, Wisconsin DNR/SWET; Mark Lindquist, Minnesota DNR/SWET; Stanley (Jay) Solomon, Jr., University of Illinois Extension; David Fiebelkorn, Heartland Energy Systems; and Fred Iutzi (formerly of the Western Illinois University, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs).