Growing Forests of Fuel

ArborGen LLC is a leader in the research and development of applications in genetics aimed to commercialize and reduce the cost of producing cellulosic ethanol from woody materials. The southeastern United States has an abundance of forestry production, accounting for nearly 62 percent of U.S. timber. Although the area has only a couple of ethanol plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, the forestry industry is becoming more important to ethanol producers looking to use wood sources for heat and power. … ArborGen LLC, a genetically engineered tree production company based in Summerville, S.C., … is diligently working to develop varieties of trees that have been genetically engineered to have superior characteristics as a feedstock. ArborGen technology enables the potential to grow the trees in five- to seven-year rotations with production rates exceeding long-term targets of 10 dry tons of biomass per acre each year. Despite the controversy over genetic engineering, one thing has remained constant-ArborGen’s progress toward commercializing products based on its research and development platform. [Full article available with subscription]