Biomass is a renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. It can be burned directly for heat, to generate electricity, or converted to liquid and gaseous fuels through various processes. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States has assessed county-level solid biomass resources in five categories: crop residues, forest residues, primary mill residues, secondary mill residues, and urban wood waste.
- Crop
residues - Forest
residues - Primary
mills - Secondary
mills - Urban
waste - Total
biomass - Total biomass
per sq km
This map illustrates the crop residues from corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, sorghum, barley, oats, rice, rye, canola, dry edible beans, peanuts, safflower, sunflower, sugarcane, and flaxseed by county. The crop residues are estimated using total crop production (data from the USDA 2012 Census), crop-to-residue ratio, and moisture content. The remaining portion will be left on the field to maintain ecological and agricultural functions. Quantities that must remain on the field for erosion control differ by crop type, soil type, weather conditions, and the tillage system used. It is assumed that only 35% of the total residue could be collected as biomass. Data for 2012, in dry metric tons/year.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html
This map depicts logging residues and other removable materials left after carrying out silviculture operations and site conversions. Logging residues are the unused portions of trees cut, or killed by logging, and left in the woods. Other removals are considered trees cut or otherwise killed by operations (e.g. pre-commercial thinning, weeding, etc.) or land clearings and forest uses that are not directly associated with round wood product harvests. It does not include volume removed from the inventory by reclassification of timberland to productive reserved forestland. Data from USDA, Forest Service’s Timber Product Output database, 2012. Data in dry metric tons/year.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html
This map illustrates primary mill residues by county. Primary mill residues include wood materials (coarse and fine) and bark generated at manufacturing plants (primary wood-using mills) when round wood products are processed into primary wood products, such as slabs, edgings, trimmings, sawdust, veneer clippings and cores, and pulp screenings. This data illustrates the total amount of primary mill residues (used and unused) by county. Note that most of this resource is currently utilized. Data from USDA, Forest Service’s Timber Product Output database, 2012. Data in dry metric tons/year.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html
This map illustrates secondary mill residues by county (wood scraps and sawdust from woodworking shops — furniture factories, wood container and pallet mills, and wholesale lumberyards). Data for 2012, in dry metric tons/year.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html
This field illustrates the urban wood waste by county. This includes wood material from municipal solid waste (wood chips and pallets), sawn lumber, pruned branches, stumps, and whole trees from street and park maintenance. The primary components of urban wood waste are used lumber, shipping pallets, trees, branches, and other wood debris from construction and demolition clearing and grubbing activities. Data for 2012, in dry metric tons/year.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html
This map represents county-level totals for crop residues, forest residues, primary and secondary mill residues, and urban wood waste biomass resources.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html
This map represents county-level totals for crop residues, forest residues, primary and secondary mill residues, and urban wood waste biomass resources, divided by the area of the county in square kilometers.
Source: U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Biomass Resource Data, Tools, and Maps,” accessed March 1, 2024, https://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html