Georgia forestry, Vol. 31, no. 2 (June 1978)

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Georgia Forestry
June 1978 No. 2 Vol. 30 f
George Busbee - Governor A. Ray Sh irl ey - Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS H. E. Willi ams , chairm an, Woodbine Felton Denney, Carrollton Eley C. Frazer , Ill, AI bany Ji m L. Gillis , Jr., Soperton Robert Simpson, Ill , Lakeland
STAFF Frank E. Craven, Editor Thomas B. Hall, Artist
GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION DISTRICT OFFICES Coosa Valley P. 0. Box Z, Mt. Berry 30149 North Georgia Rt. 7, Box 83, Canton 30114 Atlanta 7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., S.W. Room 545, Atlanta 30334 Chattahoochee P.O. Box 1080, Newnan 30263 Middle Flint Rt. 1, Box 23A, Americus 31730 Coastal Plain Rt. 2, Ashburn 31714 Southwest Georgia Rt. 2, Box 215, Camill a 31730 Georgia Southern Rt. 2, Statesboro 30458 Coastal P.O. Box 11 3, Midway 31320 Slash Pine Rt. 6, Bo x 167, Waycross 31 501 Central Savanna h River Rt. 2, Box 266, Washi ngton 30673 Georgia Mountains Rt. 11, Box 37, Gainesvil le 30501 Northeast Georgia Rt. 4, Box 168A, Athens 30605 Heart of Geo rgi a Rt. 1, Box 46, Helena 31 037 Middle Georgia Rt. 8, Columbus Rd ., Macon 31206 Oconee Hwy. 49, Milledgeville 31061
Georg1a Fo PStry IS published quarterly by the Georg1d Forestry Com mi ss ion, Rt. 1, Box 85, Dry Branch, Ga. 31020.
Second class postage '11d at Rome , Ga.

CONTENTS
State Funds Allocated For Wood Energy Projects ...... .............................. . Energy In Georgia's Timber Supply ........................................................... Economics Of Wood Energy ...................................................................... Wood And Bark Residue Disposal ............................................................. Logging Wood Energy ............................................................................... Wood-Using Systems Available .................................................................. Mill Residue Utilized For Energy .............................................................. Sawdust A Find In Brick Manufacturing................................................... Wood Energy At Home ........................................................................... ..

3-4 5-7 8-10 11-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23

Cruising The NelMs

Wood May Replace
48 Million Barrels of Fuel Oil
Georgia wood may soon replace 48 million barrels of fuel oil annually - 20 to 30 percent of Georgia's energy if the industrial community will convert, according to forestry officials.
Energy costs have risen rapidly. Industrial natural gas costs have jumped from 40 cents per million British thermal unit (a measure of heat) in 1970 to $1.50 in 1977, according to Jerry Birchfield of the Georgia Institute of Technology Engineering Experiment Station. Fuel oil went from 57 cents to $2.71.
However, the current price for a million BTU's from wood is on a par with natural gas $1.60, he said.
Georgia's timber could produce 277.4 trillion BTU's while state industries currently use about 284 trillion BTU'S, the engmeer said.
Georgia Forestry Commission and Georgia Tech have received $500,000, beginning July 1, 1978, to encourage commercial enterprises to convert to wood-based energy, Tommy Loggins of the Commission said.
Direct burning of wood, one of the oldest methods of providing energy, is being tested commercially at Russell Mills in Alexander City, Ala., Birchfield said. The $2-million system, after initial problems, saved the textile plant $500,000 in fuel costs last year, studies show.
Also, Georgia Tech is working with the Georgia Poultry Federation to test wood firing boilers to heat brooders in Carrollton. About 150,000 chickens a year are raised in the two wood-heated houses, Birchfield said.
Wood gasification, used since World War I, produces a gas to be used conventionally, he said. Gasification units can be fitted to most package boilers, he said. A Union City saw mill and a Maine wood fabrication plant use wood gas an an energy source, he said. Keeping energy purchasing funds within the state would strengthen the economic situation, he said.
The state grows 24 million cords (one cord is 128 cubic feet or a pile of wood 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet) of wood annually and harvests 14 million cords.
About 25 percent of the 10 million cord excess, or 2,500,000 cords, could be used as well as 10 percent (3,600,000 cords) of the 36 million co rds of cull trees not presently used by industry, Loggins said.
In addition to cull wood, about 10 percent of the in-forest waste wood (tops left when cut ior lumber) - about 437,000 cords - can be used as an energy soc;rce, he said. Also, 50 percent of of the processing waste (bark and chips) or 1.700,000 cords would be available.
Unlike fossil fuels, forests can be regrown in 15 to 30 years (average growth rate of timber in Georgia is n.ore than 2.5 tons per acre) and pollution potential is much less, Loggins said.
Using this excess timber "would not affect the pulpwood or saw timber market" in the state the forestry official said. Low-quality trees not useable by these industries could be tapped for energy, he said.
In addition to the energy source potential, wood is much cleaner-burning than coal - another abundant energy source in the Southeast, Loggins said. Air pollution equipment to filter out sulfur is not a necessary expense for industries using wood-fired boilers, he said.
Timber cutting should not cause an environmental problem, Loggins said, because selective cutting "helps the looks of a forest and makes it almost like a park. Trees grow more rapidly because more sunlight is allowed in. The light on the forest floor also increases the small wildlife like deer and rabbits."
"We don't anticipate an erosion problem- even in clear cut areas," he said. Birchfield said he thinks wood unit conversion will occur mostly in the industrial segment of Georgia. Conversion costs will be $1,200 to $1,500. Most homes in this area use natural gas, and few people are going to pay the conversion costs. Residences are priority customers for natural gas and will be able to obtain it far longer than industries, he said.
(By Jenny Munro, Augusta Chronicle)

Timber stand improvement is needed to provide healthy, vigorous growing timber and prevent the problem of cull tree intrusion.

State Funds Allocated For

Wood Energy Proiects

The Georgia Forestry Commission has been a Ilocated $500,000 by the state legislature to conduct a series of wood energy studies. Governor George Busbee, members of the General Assembly of Georgia, Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia Institute of Technology, and experiment stations all supported the program.
Governor George Busbee said there is significant potential for economical deve lopment and employment in the state if wood energy can be developed. He pointed out that the jobs created by developing another market for our natural resources will be significant. The income to individuals who will have a new market for previously useless wood waste will provide additional economic benefits. Governor Busbee emphasized that it is in the best interest of the state

to provide the required leadership through demonstration projects and incentives for developing all aspects of wood energy systems simultaneously.
Forestry Commission Director Ray Shirley noted that energy wood will be utilized to keep many plants and businesses open during periods o f petroleum fuel scarcity. Another economic advan-

tage is that logge rs and wood producers may find the harvest of energy wood gives them a grea ter degree of protection against loss of income from quota restrictions, mill shut downs and market slumps . He added that it offers the potential of a wood market to some areas where such markets are poor or nonexistent.
Tentative plans are to have a balanced pilot program to include one small facility of 100 horsepower or less. Two state facilities will be selected to convert to wood ene rgy, from gas or oil, with a boiler capacity of more than 250 horsepower. This will include engineering and equipment through construction and operational start-up.
In addition to physical operations, Shirley emphasized that field studies will be made. Harvesting, where tops, limbs and other residues are left in the woods, will be compared with Techniques of logging an entire tree, where it is brought to a landing for chipping or where sawlogs and pulpwood are cut out before chipping the remaining parts of the tree.

Field studies will include comparing harvesting the entire tree with harvesting that leaves top and limbs in the woods.

Space heaters and stoves, utilizing wood, will be demonstrated and evaluated.
ing quantities to be removed is needed as well as minimum levels of harvest removal that are economical. Work will be done with loggers and landowners in harvesting and establishing a market for trees .
In Georgia last year, 87 percent of the timber harvested consisted of loblolly, longleaf and slash pine. Unless timber stand improvement is practiced,

when pines and other softwood are removed, the problem of cull trees will present itself.
There are a few industries using a ll of their waste and generating all of their energy other than electrical energy needed to operate their plants. Equipment is avai labl e to those that will utilize sawdust, bark, chips and waste in an efficient automative manner that meets all environmental standards. Manufacturers are producing equipment that can be used for forest, textile, carpet, kaolin, brick and other industries. Hospitals, schools, colleges and correctional institutions would be receptive facilities for this type of equipment.
It is the objective of these projects to investigate the opportunities afforded by the existence of timber and residues not currently marketable or that have low market potential, Shirley added.
There will also be established for the public a demonstration and evaluation of equipment for centra l heating of residences and other buildings as well as space heaters and stoves using wood for fuel.
The Commission will work jointly with the Georgia Tech Experiment Station on the engineering and the evaluation and demonstration of central heating systems and space heating equipment . There will be consultation with commercial engineering and manufacturers of wood energy equipment.
It is the Commission's policy to fully utilize present knowledge on wood energy systems.

Th is will involve time and economic stud ies of har vesting under both concepts so cost-benefit ratios can be establ ished.
In North Geo rg ia , there are 13.7 million cords of cull or low quality hardwood trees. Thinn in g is needed to improve growing conditions and to leave higher qual ity, fas ter growing trees for future har vest. A me thod of inventory-

There are 73. 7 million cords of low quality hardwood trees in North Geargia. Tl mning needed to improve the qua11w and growing conditions.
4

Energy In G eorgia's Timber Supply

Georgia has the best opportunity of any state in the nation to fulfill the na t tio n's future demand for forest products aand energy. We are one of the nation's leading forestry stat es in forest area, ti mber supply, timber product output, forest protection and forest manage ment.
Georgia, with 24.8 million commer cial forest acres, has more timberland than any other state except Oregon. Georgia is also a major agricultural state and since the early thirties, changes in land use have swung back and forth be tween forest and agriculture. For at least three decades, the natural reforest ing of id le and abandoned agricultural lands, along with extensive tree planting on open areas, more than offset all di versions of forest to other land uses.
The inventory of growing stock tim1 ber on commercial forest land increased . by 29 percent during the last ten years.
1
1 This sizeable bui ldup in timber inven -
Itory is largely attributed to the high pmpo,t ion of you ng stands which gmw

WOOD VOLUME IN GEORGIA (thousand cords) (thousand tons)

Softwood

Hardwood

2" & 4" Timber

42,455 cds.

70,563 cds.

113,018 cds.

(106,138 tons)* (176,408 tons) (282,545 tons)

5" & Above Timber

195,500 cds. 187,300 cds. 382,800 cds. (488, 750 tons) (468,250 tons) (957,000 tons)

Cull Timber

3,000 cds. (7,500 tons)

33,000 cds. (82,500 tons)

36,000 cds. (90,000 tons)

Waste Material

78,200 cds.

74,900 cds.

153,120 cds.

(195,500 tons) (187,300 tons) (382,800 tons)

Total

319,155 cds. 365,783 cds. 684,938 cds. (797,888 tons) (914,458 tons) 11,712,345tons)

*Two and one-half tons of chips per cord.

from sapling to poletimber size during t his ten-year period. In 1972, sapling and seedling stands occupied 25 percent of the commercial forest, as com pared to 45 percent in 1961 .
Thi s buildup in timber in ven tory has

FOREST LAND OWNERSHIP
FOREST

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MISCELLANEOUS PRIVATE
76%
There are 24.8 million commercial forest acres in Georgia. Folio wing good forest management practices, present grow1h of one cord per acre per year coufcJ !J doubled over the next two decacft from 24 to 48 million cords per year.

1 .

3.

The 8. 25 million cords of annual wood waste and cull timber

available in Georgia consists of: (1) 70 % logging waste (2) 10%

cull trees (3) 25% excess annual growth (4) 50 % wood waste

derived from processing.

2.
not been un iformly distributed across the state. Almost 80 percent of the volume increase has occurred in the piedmont and mountains.
Net annual growth has responded to an improvement in stocking, better protection, and more intensive timber management to a point where growth exceeds annual removals by 55 percent. Net growth of growing stoc k is almost 1.6 billion cubic feet and includes more than 5.2 billion board feet of sawtimber. This means that the net growth averaged >bout 63 cubic feet per acre of comnerclal forest or roughly 50 percent better tha" the growth rate in 1961.
With a 29 percent increase in inventory volume and annual growth exceed'ng removals by 55 percent, the timber supply outlook is br1ght in Georgia.
Even more so when ne considers the amount of undesirable tree., that comprise one-th1rd to one-half of the hardwood forest stand in the sl"te.

4.

Up to the present, there has been very little demand and, consequen tly, a very sparse commercial market for this type of timber. Hardwoods make up 52 percent and pine stands 48 percent of Georgia's forests.
Now, the economics of utilizing non commercial wood for fu el has become feasib le for us to consi der . The continu ed upward spiral of costs for fossil fuels and other energy has made the use of forest ener gy an economic reality compared to oil, ga s, coal and electricity.
The U.S. Forest Service su rveys have never considered volumes in a diameter class of less than five inches. Using this size class in wood energy, through the
chipping process, represents a volume of 113 million cords in Georgia. Of this volume, 43 million cords represent low quality and most o ft en times stagnant

trees that will never reach merchantable size.
There are 8.25 million cords of annual wood waste and cull timber available for wood energy in Georgia. This volume is based on conservative estimates involving 10 percent logging waste, 10 percent cull trees, 25 percent of the excess annual growth and 50 percent of the wood waste derived from processing. This is equivalent to 48 million barrels of number two fuel oil. This has a fuel value of $330 million that would remain in Geor gia with many thousands of jobs created in rural Georgia . Avai lable on a renewable basis, this energy cou ld contribute from $600 million to one billion dollars to the state's eco nomy each year .

Over time, the wood supply can be increased within the limitations established by the growth capacities of those lands available for production. Provided good management practices are followed, present growth of one cord per acre per year could be doubled over the next two decades or from 24 to 48 million cords per year .
With more than 90 percent of Geor gia's timberland in private ownerships, the amount of timber harvested each year is largely determined by the forces of supply and demand . The basic concept of sustained yield, accepted and practiced in sound forest management, suggests that the net annual growth should establish an acceptable growth over drain in the foreseeable future .
Opportunities do exist for expanding the growth capacity for Georgia's forest la nds . Some of the more promising opportunities center around timber stand improvement, site preparation and planting, and genet ically superior trees .
Over the next 30 years, an increas ing share of the cut will come from the t hinning and harvest ing of pine planta ti ons . Conceivably, a third or more of t he pine harvested in Georgia could be coming from plantations by 1985. About 3 .5 million acres had been planted or artific ially seeded in the state as of June 1975.
A breakdown of various volumes of wood shows that Georgia has enough of low grade wood sources to supply 25 to 30 percent of the state's energy needs indef initely w ithout using wood now go ing to pu lp and paper , lumber and other uses.
Merchantable and unmerchantable wood and wood residues are available in abundance in Georgia. The technology is ava ilabl e to util ize them effic iently , re aliz ing a total multipl e-use of ou r fore st resources.

Total Volume of Softwood and Hardwood in Millions of Cords

About 25-30% or more of the pine harvested in Georgia could be coming from plantations by 1985. About 3.5 million acres had been planted or seeded in the state as of June 1975.
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As our country becomes mcreas1n gly aware of the risks associated with imported oil and decreasing natural gas suppl ies, wood as an alte rna tive f ue l so u rce is bein g given gr eater att entio n . In d ustrial, commercial users and homeowners have beco me aware o f the ad va nt ages o f woo d as a fue l so u rce.
Wood has been a heat source since fire was discovered, but in the last few yea rs a re newed interest has been shown 1n it due to th e ri sing cost of tossil fu e ls. Woo d's renewabili ty is perhaps its grea t est asset, because it insures a long-term su p ply .
All areas of Georgia are blessed with trees. We are fortunate in Georgia to have a market for higher grade trees such as poles, pulpwood and sawtimber. Stumpage prices ha ve varied across the state depen d in g upo n competition and local conOitions .
However, there are areas of the state, primarily North Georgia, which have low-quality trees competing with t he bett er q uality trees for n utr ie nts, Iigh t a nd gro wi ng space. Th1s slows growth o f the better trees, cilusing t hem to take longer to mature ar cJ reduci ng pe r acre

yie ld . Th1 s in turn increases carrying costs for th e landowner, and makes his in vestment less profitable than it could be.
Due to Georgia's favorable climate and soils , forest land has the potential of being replenished on the average of ever y 25 t o 30 years. Under proper ma nagement, our forests will provide woo d fo r both higher -u se products and wood fuel a nd increase th e returns to the lan d owner s.

Some of th e advantages that wood fuels enjoy include:
1. Wood is a clean burning fuel us ing technology now available, such as the gasification processes . It also has a negligible sulfur content.
2. Th e ash content of wood is low ( 1-3%) and it can be disposed of easily. The ash doubles in benefit as a fertilize r or soil conditioner.
3. Wood fuel , under many condit ions, is less expensive per B.T .U. (a

SAMPLE FUEL COSTS FOR MANUFACTURING PLANTS

City 1f

Fuel Oil (Gal.) ~ Coal

Nat ura l Gas (MCF)

Wood Ch ipsClean (Ton)

Dalton Gainesville
Atlanta
Macon
Albany Augusta Savannah
Columbus

$.34 .375 .339 .391 .389 .34 .37 .45 .34 .40 .282 .37

No . 6 No . 2 No. 5 No . 2 No . 2 No . 6 No.2 No.2 No . 6 No . 2 No.6 No . 2

No Reply $1 .58 No Reply 1.56

$35.00

1.72

3 7 .0 0

1.33

No Reply No Reply

35.00

1.69

No Reply 1.52

37.00

1.75

$13.30 13.30
13.30
12.35
12.50 1 2 .3 5 12.50
12.35

1/ Prices obtained were gathered from utili t ies, oil suppl iers, individuals knowledgeable ef the cost data and from individual manufacturing plants of various sizes in the cities indicated . Wood chip prices were obta ined from published data for clean ha rdwood chips.

FUEL COST PER MILLION BTU

City1f

Fuel O i i.Y~ ~ Coal1t' Natural Gasfu' Wood Ch ips/Zf

Dalton $2.23

Gainesville 2.67

2.23

Atlanta

2.78

Macon

2.23

2.64

Albany

3 .21

Augusta 2.23

Savannah 1.85

2.85

Columbus 2.64

No.6 No.2 No . 5 No . 2 No.6 No . 2 No.2 No. 6 No.6 No.2 No.2

$1.45 1.54
1.45
1.54

$1.58 1.56
1.72 1.33
1.69 1.52
1.75

$1.40 1.40
1.40 1.30
1.32 1 .3 0 1.32
1 .3 0

11 Prices between cities and with in individual cities are not directly compar-
able since there are many variables wh ich impacts upon a particular plant's
fuel costs. These factors include length of purchase contract, sulfur con-
tent, volume used, volume purchased at one time, varying BTU content,
and graduated rate structure of supplying firms. However, t hese f igures are
a representative indication of prevail ing costs over the state .
Y Assume no. 2 fuel oil contains 140,000 BTU/9allon. ~ Assume no. 5 and 6 fuel oil contains 152,000 BTU/Gallon.
~I Assume coal contains 12,000 BTU/Pound.
Pi Assume natural gas to contain 1,000,000 BTC/ MCF .
I Assume wood chips contain 4,718 BTU/Pound at 40 percent moist ure content.
11 Costs for wood chips were made from data assuming clean hardwood
chips. Dirty chips for both pine and hardwood are currently selling for
considerably less than "clean" chips . Dirty chips are whole tree chips.

meas ure of heat e nergy ) than fossil fuel. 4 . Locally available wood fuel is
readil y attainable, and is not as subject to interruption due to po litical and labo r problems.
5. Creating a market for previously unmerchantable wood creates a new indu stry, and all ows lan downers to econo mically clear and replant unproductive acres .
6. Wood is a renewable resource; foss il fuels are not . Duri ng timber ha rvesti ng, remo va l of all refuse will be economi cal. This wil l all o w replanting with desired species to increase productio n several fold .
Three main categories of wood fuel are residues fr o m wood product firms, loggin g residues, and cull and low-grade timber .
Wood products residues are usual ly available in a fo rm t hat is ready to use and may often be obtained immediately . Logging residues and lo w grade tim ber may be the best long-term sources of wood fuel for man y industries . Excess growth over remo vals does exist, and is pronounced in low-grade hardwoods . A large a mo unt of low grade timber is unused and is left in the woods to fur ther deterio rate fro m decay, insects , or to stagnate.
In addition, harvesting systems are being developed, such as whole tree chipping, which makes it cost-effective to harvest otherwise unwanted material. Some advantages of who le tree chippin g are efficie ncies in completely utilizing the entire tree, including limbs and leaves. Great ly increased yields of timber are obtained with this system, which can be used with selective thi nning. Cull and low-grade trees can be taken out, leaving the best trees to grow into other products.
This system , besides providing much needed fuel, can be tailored to save the landowner man y do llars in forest management costs. Areas of largest impact include timber stand improvement, site prepa ration cost reduction, and removal of fire hazard following th inning. Many of these o perations have in the past required heavy financial o utlay . With careful plan ning, these costs can be reduced o r in so me instances, even elimi nated .
Supply potentials, energy conversi o n techno logies, and eco nomic impacts have been explored by several agencies
9

and organizations. There appears to be considerable opportunity for uses of wood as industrial boiler and dryer fuels in the forest products industry as well as in othet segments of industry.
It is economically feasible to com bust wood in many industrial operations. With increasing natural gas costs, economic comparisions against other fuels are even more promising . The burgeoning use of firewood as a domestic heat source is also showing great acceptance.
The wood using industry and many other industries such as textiles and others are switching from fossil fuels to wood. Many sawmills have switched from natural gas and oil to dry wood waste in firing their dry kilns. Most pulp mills generate their own electricity from wet wood wastes, and recover additional heat from the spent steam .
The economic benefits to Georgia, the South and the Nation from development of wood as an energy source, are significant and warrant considerable activity. Conservative estimates of available supplies of wood in Georgia show that practical achievable levels of utilization of annual wastes and cull timber could supply at least 48 million barrels of oilequivalent energy each year without significantly impacting supplies of wood for conventional uses. This figure was derived by using conservative estimates of uti Iization in which 10 percent of annual logging wastes, 10 percent of cull trees, 25 percent of excess annual growth (growth above that used for conventional purposes) and 50 percent of annual processing plant wood wastes were assumed to be available for wood energy and do not assume complete utilization of our forest resource. In Georgia 20 to 30 percent of the total energy used annually could be reaped from the forests. Nationally, using the same utilization estimates, approximately 761 million barrels of oil equivalent energy may be available at a current value of over $11 billion .
The potential markets for wood energy will vary depending upon the regions of the State. In Georgia there is very little coal utilization equipment in place
other than at utility sites . These utilities generally have long-term supplies of coal available to them, and it cannot be assumed that they would be interested 10

WOOD CHIP PRICES FOR MAY 197811

HARDWOOD CHIPS- FOB Clean:
$13.30/ton north section of state $12.35/ton central section of state $12.50/ton south section of state
Dirty:
$ No price for north section of state $7.00/ton central section of state $8.25/ton south section of state
]j Timber Mart data

PINE CHIPS - FOB Clean :
$14.25/ton north section of state $14.40/ton central section of state $14.50/ton south section of state
Dirty:
$No price for north section of state $7.57/ton central section of state '$9.00/ton south section of state

in utilizing wood. The primary market for wood energy in Georgia and in the Southeast would probably be in manufacturing facilities, especially those uti lizing package boilers and dryers. Most manufacturing pla nts utilize boilers and many of these also utilize dryers to dry products.
Where coal or solid fuels have been burned previously , wood chips could be directly combusted in these facilities. A new way of densifying wood has been utilized to reduce shipping charges and to increase ease of handling. This is wood pellets. They can be stored safely and have a uniform energy content. They are approx imately two and onehalf times as dense as wood chips and consequently cost less- to ship.
Wood waste burners have been in use in the forest products industries for many years. Wood fuel may also find utility in many coal firing installations, since wood can be used to "dilute" high sulfur fuels.
It is important to realize that industrial users, who use large quantities of energy and whose production is critically dependent upon available energy, are going to require supplies which can be projected reliably in terms of both delivery and cost into the future . This situation requires the development of networks of supply for these types of customers.
It is not expected that all wood wastes and cull trees in Georgia be one

hundred percent utilized. However, a substantial socio-economic gain can be achieved even with a partial utilization because of the tremendous volume of existing waste.
In Georgia, wood from energy resources could exceed $330 million per year. This $330 million per year could conceivably stay in Georgia and would result in many additional new jobs, and through multiplier effects would produce the equivalent of over one billion dollars of economic activity. Utilization of wood as an energy source would also reduce the dependenc(;! of both Georgia and the Nation on foreign oil. Another benefit would be fuller utilization of
forest resources which would result in a greater efficiency of forest management and wood processing plants and would increase profitability of these operations.
Several thousands of new jobs could be created for the purpose of harvesting, collecting waste, designing conversion technology, running conversion plants, and marketing the converted energy products. Many of these jobs would be created in rural areas rather than urban areas because of the location of the forest in these areas .
Utilization of wood energy would provide an outlet for wastes which are becoming a major problem for many wood processing plants and for lowgrade trees that are hindering the devel opment of better timber in Georgia.

Wood And Bark Residue Disposal

YESTERDAY - Waste Disposal

Throughout American history, wood has been an important source of fuel, building material, and products such as housewares and chemicals. By today's standards, early manufacturing techniques for making rectangular lumber from round logs were very inefficient. Large amounts of waste were generated at sawmills and planing mills because of manufacturing tolerances and methods used, and the low values assigned to logs and other wood raw materials.
The earliest sawmills were man-powered, where a man stood beneath a log and slowly hand-sawed the log length to produce two or three boards a day. Residues accumulated slowly. Water power was an adaptation that greatly speeded lumber production as circular saws and multiple saws could be powered through line shafts, belts, and ropes. With use of this tremendous, constant, and cheap power source, residue disposal came to be an important consideration for the mill manager. Open pit burning probably was used by some of these water-powered mills.

TODAY - Fuel Storage

--~
-.

The steam engine revolutionized the sawmill industry by increasing production and residue yields.

Steam engines further modernized manufacturing, with increased lum ber turn-out and larger residue yields. Sawmills were no longer restricted to large streams. Being self-powered by their sl a bs, edgings, and trims, they could be located almost anywhere. Sawmills were also local power sou rces, as many businesses and homes used surplus mill residues for fuel. By the time all available ti m ber in an area had been sawed, large p il es of sawd ust an d shavin gs had accum ul ated. Forced air burning was not generally available, and this is required to burn residues.
Gaso line or diesel engines improved the business of sawmilling even more, and turned residue disposal into a major problem. Portable mills could move to another site, but many large mills were up to their ears in residue. Local fuel markets, steam for kilns, log turners and carriage drives used part of the production, but mountains of sawdust and shavings accumulated at many mills. Remains of large sawdust piles are still visible, and these are being used to fire modern boilers today.
Development of a market for pulp chips helped ease the residue problem, and even if chips were sold at cost, it was a welcome relief to many mill operators. Pulp chips called for debarking, which in turn eliminated the need for washing dirt from logs. The use of forced air tepee burners for exc~>ss dust and bark alon g with sawmill steam requirements took care of the remaining res1due problem. By economics of size, the developin g p ulp industry was able to use most o f its bark residue from the beginning fo r process steam .
Further tec h n ical and economic developments brought electricity into saw mill1ng as a major power source . Tepee burners, proitable chi p markets, and
Ahanrloned sawdust piles are evidence of the r/isposal practice of many small sawn11'f
12

Op en pit burning IiVaS once the best way to dispose of slabs and edgings.

A modern wood-fired boiler produces steam for a sawmill operation.

steam for kilns kept residue disposal under control. The cost of handling bark and dust for steam later caused many to switch to oil or natural gas for all steam and heat needs. Requirements of a developing particleboard industry providt ed additional markets for dust and shav; ings. In some areas, the poultry industry had already been a strong market for these items.
Air pollution requlations of recent years have caused residue burners to be modified or shut down. This shifted residue disposal practices once more. Some plants, unable to find markets, again resorted to piling or dumping of bark and sawdust. Others were able to profitably dispose of bark in the rapidly developing decorative mulch industry.
Soaring prices of electricity, oil and gas are presently forcing still other major changes in wood residue disposal. Pulp mills, with their existing boiler capacity, are buying bark and dust from sawmills, veneer mills, and other smaller operations. Each increase of fossil fuel prices makes woody material more eco-

nomically attractive, and several pulp companies, of the ten contacted, indicate plant modification with additional purchase of outside residues is probable.
In these plants, high pressure steam is produced from multiple boilers burning coal, oil, and bark to turn turbines for generation of electricity. Steam from turbines, at reduced pressure, then goes on to heat digesters and dryers. Mills interviewed reported that up to onethird of steam requirements presently comes from bark and sawdust. As much as 50 percent of this material is purchased from outside sources. Some reported a substantial part of steam requirefTlents from chemical recovery boi lers, where lignin is burned from spent pulping chemical before their re-use.
Very large sawmills and veneer mills

in the Western states have used electri city from residues for many years as their product volumes made economics of this practice feasible. Average sawmill size in Georgia is increasing yearly. The State's lumber production increased 77 percent from 1964 through 1977. Combined with increasing cost and decreasing availability of conventional fuels, this means that mills here will soon be operating with electricity generated on-site. At least two sawmills in the state are reported to be constructing generating facilities. Wood residues are being considered by others to replace oil and natural gas for dry kilns.
Even though the use of wood and bark residues for fue: is once again becoming an accepted business practice, a considerable amount is still in the nuisance category. This material is dumped, burned or sold for a small price to remove it from the mill site . As combustion technology and fo ss il f ue l prices both continue their rapid advancement, these materials will beco me increasingly important, both as a po wer source and as a valuable manufacturin g by-product.

Modern lumber dry kilns are once more being operated with steam from wood residue boilers.

If some middle Georgia industries converted from natural gas to wood fir ed boilers could enough fuel wood be produced to supply the new demand? "Certainly, no question about it ," said Bill Shepherd, co-owner of Shepherd Brothers T imber Company, Inc. of Ir winton.
Bill and his brother, Fran k , know what they are talking a bout. Just 12 years ago, with only one pul pwood truck, several chain saws, and one other employee, they be gan producin g wood. Now extremely successful in bus iness , they operate a chipharvester capable o f grinding whole trees 22 inch es in dia meter and smaller, both pine and hardwood, into uomino size wood chips use able for conventional wood prod ucts Jnd also wood energy systems. Two feller bunchers feed two grapple skid ders which feed the machine. T he c hi pharvester fills each of seven 25 ton chip vans 1n about 18 min utes. Two lo ng lo g trucks h iUI off valuabl e saw and veneer 14

logs. This is just the largest of several logging operations managed simultaneously by the Shepherd Brothers.
"Excellent employees are the key to a successful company and we have the greatest men around," said Bill. "Monday seems to be our most productive day and a few weeks ago on Monday alonewe produced and shipped 30 loads of chips." However, Bill went on to say that the problem is not buying timber to harvest but finding places to sell chips. "We are on a quota of 60 loads per week to Armstrong Cork in Macon and since we chip 55-60 percent hardwood we need new markets for our products. At the recent wood harvesting demonstrations sponsored by the Georgia Forestry Commission, we met several representatives from industries considering installation of wood fueled energy systems. We certainly hope their pla ns work out because we sure can get them t he wood."
Bobby House, president, Woodland

Chippers, Inc ., Calhoun, a lso feels that supplying fuel wood definitely would benefit the timber situation in his area of North Georgia. "There is plenty of timber on the stump available for sale," Bobby said. "Naturally, those companies wanting to purchase fuel wood will be competing price wise with pulp mills and other wood chip using industries. Really, the landowner will benefit because stumpage prices probably will increase."
Woodland Chippers, Inc. is operating the newer model chipharvester which replaced the older model they had operated very effectively for about five years. Of course, enough shears, skid ders and chip vans are operated to keep the big machine efficiently crunching along with very little down time. "We assist developers with land clearing operations by shearing and chipping all trees from street and drive areas then thinning out undesirable trees from building lots. We leave about 20 good, healthy

trees to the acre. Compared to push up and burn type land clearing ours is cheaper for the developer, a better use 'Of the resource, and more aesthetically pleasing for the future homeowners."
Quite a lot of the production also comes from land being converted to pasture and 15 percent of the timber is sold as valuable high grade logs. All chips are presently sold to the Georgia Kraft pulp mill in Rome. "It makes sense for the farmer to let us clear the land. For example, we know one farmer who paid $300 to have land cleared for pasture by a crawler tractor and then had windrows of wasted timber to contend with. (Even conventional pulp wooding leaves piles of tops and limbs.) Later we paid the same farmer $300 for the timber in another area and when we finished there was nothing left there at all; even the stumps were sheared at ground level. With no extra work he seeded the land to pasture right after we pulled out and absolutely none of the timber was wasted."
Bobby House went on to say that, "New markets are needed in this area for wood chips. Why not wood energy? When the demand is there, Woodland Chippers will put in the forest all the men and equipment needed to do the job right." And the future looks good, "For every acre we harvest it seems that another acre or more is reforested. Supplying wood for energy will be no problem at all," he said.
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Geo rgia has no energy c risis - just a shortage of gas and oil. This is the co n tention of the industrial eq ui pment manufacturers as they " gear up " to produce system s us ing wood as a basic energy sou rc e . Wo o d is indeed an energy source whi ch is rea d ily available and renewable.
The manu factu rers of forest products have at their d isposal a large directory of suppliers, manufactu rers, technical consulta nts and professional engineers offering products and services relative to energy so u rces, utilization and conservat io n in the forest products industry . More than 109 companies in 31 states and three foreign countries offer energy producing systems and services which may be applied to the manufacturing needs of Georgia's timber processors.
Each of these agencies agree that wood as a source of energy offers no threat to the environment. It contains no sulphur and when combusted with gasification systems, produces little particulate emissions. The environmental impacts on the land itself can also be controlled with careful forest harvesting techniques.
Most of the ene rgy syste ms offered to forest products industries are match ed to the steam boiler as a heat gen e ra -

Wood -Using Systems Available
This wood/ gas energy system operates on green wood waste. It is currently operating six hardwood dry kilns with a miximum capacity of seven. This furnace is believed to be the largest gasification system in the southeast.

Wood/gas burners of this type are designed to operate on green sawdust and shavings. This system has the capability o f firing two heavy duty dry kilns continuously.
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tor and transport carrier. Many examples of these systems are in use today throughout the state and in order to describe these units, the technology and state of the wood being combusted must be considered.
Many companies continue to use the refuse boiler. This old conventional system of direct firing recovers only about 55 percent of the energy from wood waste as steam is generated for on-site use. Also there are companies in some locations which continue to attempt burning wood in boilers designed to burn coal. However, there are few coal type boilers in the southeast which can burn wood chips.
An excellent example of a direct fired wood waste system is found at the Langdale Company in Valdosta. This company reclaims all wood waste from bark to trimmings. This gross waste is further processed and separated in merchantable components. The first screening takes out all large chips which are sold for wood pulp. The second screening removes small chips for particle

Boilers of this type have a great potential to produce energy when matched with wood waste burners. They are customized to meet the specific requirements of any plant and are mass produced in Thomasville, Georgia.
board. The residue is a rough mixture of ground bark and cambium which is fired into a large furnace and combusted with an air blast. The heat is used to generate steam and force dry pine lumber in the two large dry kilns on the plant yard.
The Industrial Boiler Company, Thomasville, specializes in customized boilers with furnace systems designed to burn most any combination of wood waste. This company produces units which will operate on gas, oil, coal, dry waste wood, green waste wood, or combination gas-oil and waste fuel or as a waste gas recovery boiler. Many of the units produced by this company are being used throughout the state today.
The alternate wood energy syste m to be offered forest product industries is technically a process called pyrolysis. In this process wood can be converted into oil, gas and/or char by the degradation of wood in an oxygen poor environment. Pyrolytic oil is somewhat similar to petroleum in combustion characteristics, and contains about 75 percent as much energy. Pyrolytic gas yields about
Estimates of available supplies of annual wood waste, and cull timber in Georgia could supply 48 million barrels of oil equivalent annually without affecting wood for conventional uses.

20 percent to 40 percent of the energy of natural gas. Char is high in carbon and by pyrolizing wood, approximately 90 percent of its energy can be removed, versus 55 percent in refuse boilers.
The final and apparently the most efficient wood energy system available is a process called wood gasification. The gasification of wood is a special type of pyrolysis. In this process, wood is converted almost completely to a combustible gas. Only about one percent to three percent of the wood remains as ash and the wood gas burns cleanly.
Gasification offers the benefit of producing a clean fuel which may be used in boilers and dryers. Gasification units can be made simple and reliable enough to permit practical matching with existing boilers and dryers. Gasification units can be made simple and reliable enough to permit practical matching with existing boilers and dryers. Gasification allows about 90 percent of the energy in wood to be recovered through combustion of waste wood fuels.
Examples of modern gasifier systems in production are demonstrated at the Atlanta Southern Corporation, Loganville and the South Atlanta Dry Kiln Company, Union City. Both plants are operating hardwood dry kilns by burning green sawdust and shavings in gasifier-boiler type energy systems. The Loganville plant mass produces very high grade hardwood pallets. It has recently installed a small gasifier green waste fuel system with a maximum capacity of firing two hardwood dry

kilns. Willis Byrd, repr esenting the South Atlanta Dry Kiln Company, stated that his company was forced to install waste wood gasification systems because of extremely high gas bills and prolonged "shutoffs" during severe winter months.
The gasifier-boiler type heat system is well adapted to plants which have adequate wood waste residues on the plant yard. Conveyors and storage systems are easily engineered to shuttle waste wood fuels to storage silos where conveyors may automatically dispense the fuel as needed.
Wood as a fuel is difficult to han dle and ship unless some advance processing takes place. One recent development involves wood pellets. These pellets can be easily handled, stored safely without spontaneous combustion, and have a uniform energy content. They are approximately two and one-half times as dense as wood chips and consequently cost less to ship.
Georgia and the nation's forests offer industry a renewable, expandab le and economical source of fuel. By utilizing this unlimited source of fuel our state and nation could gre:~tly reduce our dependence on foreign sources for energy fuel.
Production demands energy and Georgia's forests are perpetual sources of energy. If properly harnessed with the availability of modern ingenuity, the trees of this state can continue to supply a large percentage of our nation's energy, not only for this generation, but for generations to come.
1 I

As man's ever-growing knowledge of wood and chemistry is combined with engineering advances, architects and engineers confidently specify wood in a wide range of aesthetic and structural applications .
Today, wood is more important than at any other time in history. As man begins to accept his responsibility for the conservation of energy, air, water and other resources, he is appraising wood, the renewable resource.
The Langdale Company of Valdosta is making use of wood's earliest application, fuel.
Harley Langdale, Jr., Company Board Chairman, noted that their present outlook is for increased volume in the products being manufactured and, at the same time, remaining alert for opportunities to manufacture other items from products of the soil. Fuel produced from wood is such an opportunity, Langdale emphasized.
The Langdale Company produces approximately 400 tons of fuel per day. This includes bark, sawdust and pole shavings.
Approximately 200 tons are sold and utilized in making other products. The long, shreaded material from poles is used in the manufacture of particle board and by roofing companies. Nurseries utilize the bark for soil conditioning and mulch.
The bark and sawdust are separated because the sawdust is more attractive to the particle board industry. The chips are sold to area paper mills. The slabs and trim er1ds go into chips. 18

Mill Residue Utilized
For Energy

The remaining 200 tons of the wood 1 residue is used in the boiler, creating
ste3m to run three dry kilns and a pressun~ treating plant. This tonnage produces 32,000 pounds of steam per hour_ The boi!er capacity is 65,000 pounds of steam per hour.
The dry kilns are used for lumber, poles and posts. The kilns are capable of handling up to 200,000 board feet of lumber. They are high temperature, ' high velocity kilns, requiring 20 to 30 hours drying time depending on dimension. The kilns are operated under automatic controlled conditions.
The fuel system has eight variable speed chains that feed into four air sweep fuel distributors. The fuel is fed evenly over the grates with combustion air flowing under the grates and through air holes in the grates. There is a continuous flame 24-hours a day. The grates are set in a fire box. The wood residue

is blown into the combustion chamber that is automatically controlled. This also includes the feed rate and fuel ratio. In an emergency, there are protective devices that shut the system down.
The system is almost entirely pollution free. The "over fire air system," which is a blanket of air over the fuel, insures tota l combustion. All the char and dust material is separated and collected. The burnable material that is not combusted is rerouted back into the feed system.
The moisture content of the wood residue is not reduced prior to burning in producing the steam. However, the lower the moisture content the more efficient the operation. The existing flame lowers the moisture content of the wood residue enabling it to reach the flash point.
,,
The 200 tons of wood residue equals 2.1 million cubic feet of natural gas, or 73 tom of bituminous coal, or 21,000 gallons of number four fuel oil. Langdale added that natural gas was used prior to the conversion to wood residue. He cited rising fuel costs and the need for residue utilization as the major factors in making the conversion.
The Langdale Company has a multimillion dollar payroll, employing approximately 500 people. Their production of forest products involves lumber ing, wood preservation and pulpwood operations. The family-owned company's forest holdings consist of approximately 200,000 acre s. The Langdale Company was found ed in 1894.

A Find In Brick Manufacturing
An enclosed conveyor chain, upper left, moves the sawdust to six feeder chutes, left background, the unused sawdust is returned to the hopper, upper left, by a small bucket elevator, lower left. The six burner groups are located in the center. The control room is on the righ t.

The sawdust is fed through 10 burner hoses to the burner group distributor on the kiln. The cap rotation enables the sawdust to be released into the k iln from each hose separately. The surrounding pipes were used for gas firings, and can be put back into use if necessary.

Prevention of unemployment and stimulation of economic development in Georgia requires continued availability of energy_ The winter of 1976-77 with its energy shortage and associated unemployment, painfully illustrated this point.
There was one Georgia firm, however, that eluded the fuel shortage with nature's own natural remedy, wood.
At the Merry Brick Division, Merry Companies, Inc. one oftheir brick plants was in the process of being converted from fossil type fuels (coal, gas and oil) to sawdust. This addition allowed them to keep operating when gas allotments were reduced.
The experimentation of utilizing sawdust as fuel stemmed from the com pany's use of sawdust in the brick, producing a 25 percent lighter brick. This method also significantly reduced the drying and firing time and the fuel required to complete these processes. Other benefits derived included reductions in clay consumption, shrinkage in drying and firing, shipping costs and an increase in plant capacity.
Peter S. Knox, Ill, Company Presi dent, said the success of the new brick initiated experiments culminating in the 20

uti Iization of sawdust in heating the brick kiln, replaced natural gas and fuel oil. We talk about solar energy plants, and here we have millions of acres of trees storing the sun's energy daily, Knox pointed out.
Doug Cone, energy manager, said that firing their kiln with sawdust has cut their drying time from 25 hours to 17 hours. Previously, 28 percent of the

b.t.u.'s were used in drying. This has been reduced to zero. Cone noted that the sawdust produces a long flame which
provides for a better distribution of heat, thereby improving the quality of the brick. He added that the b.t.u.'s required per brick have been reduced from more than 10,000 to less tha n 3,000 b.t.u.'s per brick over a period of six years.

The fine sawdust is stored in a newly constructed silo with built-in safety devices against explosion.

Phil Hedges, Plant Manage r, sa id a complete sawdust handling system and burner system was installed on the kiln last July. It is operated entirely on sawdust through six burner groups . Each group has 10 burners. The sawdust burns completely leaving very little ash on the brick and no visible smoke emission from the exhaust stack.
The sawdust, for both brick manufacture and firing, is available within a 60-mile radius of Augusta. Hedges said the kiln requires approximately one ton of sawdust per day. The sawdust is stor::!d in a newly constructed silo with built-in safety devices against explosion, ' Hedges emphasized. The fuel is already ~ s ized from slivers about one-quarter inch 'l ong to fines. From the silo, the sawdust .is moved to the tunnel kiln storage hop~er. Enough sawdust for one hour opernion is held in this hopper on the kiln.
An enclosed conveyor, with a drag ::hain, is used to pull the sawdust from the kiln storage hopper and distribute it into the six burner groups. Sawdust that isn't utilized is returned by the ::hain into a small bucket elevator and eturned to the storage hopper.
Each burner group is fed by a chute ::lesigned like an inverted cone. This )revents bridging and jamming that :auld occur with sawdust. A small winJaw, in the lower part of the chute, alows the operator to visually inspect !ach group.
A small screw at the base of the :hute, operating on a variable speed re-

ducer, feeds a blower to move the sawdust through a two and one-fourth inch hose to the burner group distributor. The distributor is a rotating cap in which the feed hose enters the center top, and 10 individual burner hoses surround the stationary base. As the cap rotates, the burner hose inlets are opened, one at a time, in sequence to allow sawdust to enter. This means each burner receives a squirt of sawdust every 10 seconds.
Hedges added that the kiln controls for adding the sawdust are tied directly into the regular kiln instrumentation and work automatically. Only minor changes were needed in the actual kiln

operation to accomodate the addition of the sawdust.
Knox added that we feel we have helped turn one industry's problem, sawdust, into a source of revenue, and at the same time, complied with President Carter's mandate to conserve gas and oil as well as contributing to an environ mental ly sound operation.
For the future, Knox pointed to the new "air transfer process" with which competing companies are beginning to experiment. It will burn virtually any kind of solid fuel that can be put in it. However, the primary fuel will be wood waste such as sawdust, planer shavings, bark and nut shells.

Through the use of sawdust in the manufacture of brick, fuel utilization was reduced in the firing and drying time.
2:

Wood Energy At Home

For Joe McCoy, his wife Norma, the ir 8-year old son and 11-year old daughter , this past winter was the warm est ever. The McCoys did not move to Key West, Fla., they live in an inviting 2,000 square foot home north of Gainesville and spent only $45 per month for ut ilities. For $130 per month they shivered through the winter of '77.
Since the weather hadn't changed much the difference had to be their stove and home furnace with filter box and blower.
A gimmick? " No , sir," said Joe, a soil scientist with the U. S. Forest Service for 10 years. "We stayed toasty all win ter . Since Christmas when I instal led the wood furnace for a total cost of only $600, we burned five cords of hardwood. I cut the wood from my own property and some off the National Forest. Next year I'll probably cut some from Georgia Kraft land. There are many acres of logging slash and low grade areas needing regeneration. This is just good utilization of what usually is wasted because it is uneconomical to use it otherwise."
Joe worked about 20 days to cut, haul and split the years supply of fuel wood. Much was done a few hours each evening after work but several Satur days were also committed. For a family like the McCoys who love being in the forest, good exercise and hard work, cu tti ng w ood is a great family experi ence. " Wh y, we use to cut V\Ood for our fire pla ce anyway, but most of the heat there goes up the chimney. Now, we are hanging on to much more of the heat."
Even people who enjoy activities other than cutting wood, golf, for ex ample, cou ld sti ll be dollars ahead with wood heat. The McCoys in previous years used about 263 gallons of liquified gas per nonth w hich at the cur ren t pnce of S.44 per gal lon equals $115 .72. Hardwood fire wood , cut, split and de ltvered, costs about $60 per cord around Gatnesville. Since one cord was burned rwr month, the Tlonthly sa vings, had Joe bought wood, " ould ha ve been over S55. 22

The wood furnace of Joe McCoy re quires abou t 4-5 sticks of wood four times per day. Hot air ducts carry heat from the fireplace to each room in his north Georgia home.
Joe has even figured out how to save more money. "I've spoken with a logger who will deliver long hardwood logs to the house tor $30 per cord. I'd cut them into firewood length st icks and sell enough to get back my $30 then heat my house with the remainder. But actual ly there are so many timber stands needing improvement, so many trees being removed or trimmed by utility companies, so much slash left after log ging, and so much wood being thrown awa y in the form of pallets, packing crates, etc., that as long as I'm healthy and live here I'll never need to buy fuel wood."

Joe installed his furnace so that the cold air is drawn from his conventional cold air return system, filtered, blown around the hot fire box, ducted directly to the plenum above his conventional gas furnace th e n carried by the hot air ducts to every room in his house . The furnace needs to be loaded with four or five small sticks of fuel wood four times per day. Norma doesn't mind loading
the furnace and emptying the 8"x 14"x4" ash container only once each week is also no problem.
Joe does have some advice for pea pie considering wood heating. " First insulate your house well no matter what

Energy efficient windows play an important role in holding house heat.

Cold air, via duct material, is introduced into the fireplace to support combustion. Earl Worthington states that hot air ducts were connected to the fireplace. Warm air is circulated throughout the house by the blower system of the conventional gas furnace.

sort of heating system you have. Wh en building a new house plan for a wood fired furnace by allowing room for a straight flue. This will help pull wood moisture completely out of the system thus helping to eliminate creosote buildup and the necessity to clean your flue as often. Always design easy access for later installation of a conventional furnace or initially build one in as a backup system because if you ever must sell the house, the new buyers might not want a wood furnace. Also keep in mind that your homeowners insurance rate may increase because of having a wood furnace. Mine hasn't, but I've read where this may happen."
The McCoys left many trees, in good condition to shade their house and Joe definitely feels they help lessen winter wind speed allowing the house to better retain heat. "But, I still wish we had insulated better," Joe said.
Lack of insulation is absolutely no problem with the home of Earl Worthington who lives in Jonesboro. Earl, a food scientist with the Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin since 1964 and an active member of the Georgia Christmas Tree Growers Association, subcontracted the 3300 square foot house himself. "All the extra insulation material and labor increased the cost of the house about $3,000 but the investment will be easi ly paid off in 10 years," Earl said.

Has the insulation do ne a good job? "You bet! We cook a nd heat with natural gas. Last winter our highest monthly gas bill was $36. Even then the hot water heater had been accidently set to its highest temperature and was spewing water out of the relief valve. No telling how much of that $36 went down the dra in." Earl went on to give another example, "One blustery winter evening I turned the furnace completely off to see how much heat would be lost from the house overnight. While the outside temperature dropped from 45 degrees to the mid 20's, the inside temperature dropped from 70 degrees to 68 degrees."
Where haven't the Worthingtons insulated would be a rather simple ques tion to answer. "I think the most important part of th e insulation is the energy efficient windows. Absolutely no air gets through or around those windows! The metal doors are hollow and completely fill ed with a dense foam material and when closed meet up to magnetic weather stripping which works much like the gasket on a refrigerator door."
Earl's insulation begins at the foundation where all air pockets between foundation, floor :oists and baseme n.t ceiling are stripped with excess pieces of styrofoam. The exterior walls from outside in are brick, celotex sheets, 2x4 stud construction filled with formaldehyde foam covered with various decorative

interior material g1vmg a R (r esistance) value greater than 25. The foam was spread in place, then allowed to dry before any interior finishing material was put up. Minimum shrinkage was encountered and these spaces were then fi ll ed with glass wool.
Th e attic is insulated with six inch bats covered with eight inches of blown in glass wool for an R value of at least 50.
Earl also built his two fireplaces around the Heat Form System. The metal fire box built into a brick firep lace, has air blown around it then out into the room. However , Earl had modified the system in at least two ways. Fir st, cold air, via pieces of duct material from the outside, is introduced into both fireplaces just in front of the grate to support combustion. This allows warm air to remain in the room; in fact, the fireplaces can be sealed off with glass doors while the fire still burns very well. Second, hot air ducts were connected to both fireplaces and by turning on just the blower system of the conventional gas furnace warm air from firepl aces is circulated throughout the entire house.
Both the Joe McCoys and the Earl Worth ingtons are saving money and ene rgy. They are keeping accurate, precise records to back up their claims.
How economical and comfortabl e would a home with Joe's furnace and
Earl's insulation be? Soon someone will find out. If you build a new house why not ponder the question?
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