• Smith, C. Tattersall
  Department of Forest Resources, University of New Hampshire
  
• Martin, C. Wayne
  Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Durham, NH
  
• Tritton, Louise M.
  Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Durham, NH
  

The Symposium focuses on the impacts of biomass harvesting-cutting and skidding of whole trees often followed by shipping of some or all of the material--on forest productivity. Practicing foresters, land managers, and policy makers met to exchange information and ideas with forest scientists and professionals from state regulatory agencies.

Recent emphasis on intensive utilization of forest lands in the Northeast has resulted in an increase in the practice of biomass harvesting. Based on the data presented in Session I (Table 2), use of whole-tree chippers and biomass harvesting are most expensive in ME, and least developed in NY. In ME, wood chips are used primarily to generate electricity for regional power grids. Elsewhere, chips are used by a variety of wood-processing and other industries as well as for space heating and generation of electricity.

Both the practice of biomass harvesting and the availability of related data are rapidly changing in all states. By assembling current practical and scientific, information, these Proceedings provide a regional prospective on resources, problems, and trends related prospective on resources, problems, and trends related to biomass harvesting in the Northeast.