United States Department of Agriculture

Forest 

Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station

General Technical Report

PNW-GTR-965 May 

2019

Engineered Wood Fuels for 

Southeast Alaska

Local Wood Chips for Thermal Energy Applications, and 

the Specific Case of Haines, Alaska

David L. Nicholls, Robert Deering, and Thomas R. Miles
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Authors

David L. Nicholls is a forest products technologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Alaska Wood Utilization 

Research and Development Center, 901C Halibut Point Road, Sitka, AK 99835; 

Robert Deering is a renewable energy coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Alaska Region, State and Private Forestry, 709 W 9th St, 

Juneau, AK 99801; and Thomas R. Miles is a technical consultant, T R Miles 

Technical Consultants Inc., 1470 SW Woodward Way, Portland, OR 97225.
Abstract

Nicholls, David L.; Deering, Robert; Miles, Thomas R. 2019. Engineered wood 

fuels for southeast Alaska—local wood chips for thermal energy applications, 

and the specific case of Haines, Alaska. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-965. 

Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Research Station. 24 p. 

The wood energy landscape is rapidly changing in southeast Alaska. One of the 

important decisions facing wood energy users is the best choice of wood fuel to use, 

with options often including wood chips, cordwood, and pellets. However, there 

are usually tradeoffs depending on the wood energy type selected: wood pellets 

must often be transported long distances, cordwood systems are relatively labor 

intensive, and chip-fired systems can often be very expensive. We consider the use 

of locally produced and engineered fuel chips as a fuel source for small thermal 

wood energy applications in southeast Alaska. Factors such as equipment selection, 

fuel moisture content, fuel transportation, wood chip dimensions, drying practices, 

and fuel screening and handling are evaluated. We also consider the specific case 

of wood energy in Haines, Alaska, where plans are underway to heat one or more 

community buildings with locally produced wood fuel. Locally engineered fuel 

chips can offer opportunities to use a flexible fuel type that could improve the 

reliability and efficiency of wood thermal systems. Increased use of wood energy 

in Haines could increase community independence and economic development, 

and flexible fuel types such as locally engineered chips could enhance this effort. 

However, site-specific factors would need to be considered more fully, including 

detailed financial analyses and the size of buildings to be heated. Customized 

engineered wood fuels have the potential for efficient operation and cost savings 

while providing a stable fuel type that can help guide future wood energy systems 

for communities in southeast Alaska.

Keywords: Pellets, wood energy, residential heating, locally engineered chips, 

southeast Alaska.
Contents

1 Introduction

1 Village Energy in Alaska

5 Study Objectives

5 Engineered Chip Equipment Producers

6 Engineered Wood Fuel—Key Considerations and Fuel Types

8 Wood Fuel Standards

10 Locally Engineered Fuel Chips—Process Overview

17 Local Engineered Fuel Chips—Haynes, Alaska, Case Study 

19 Discussion

21 Literature Cited

21 Metric Equivalents

25 Appendix
1

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Introduction

Village Energy in Alaska

In rural Alaska, there are many villages with populations of fewer than about 500 

residents. In some cases, villages are not connected to a road system, relying on 

water transport for many of their goods. Imported fossil fuels are the predominant 

form of energy for heat, electricity, and transportation. Thus, anything that villages 

can do to use local forest resources instead of importing fossil fuels will be beneficial in many respects. Rural villages often have to spend a disproportionate amount 

of income on energy costs. Although prices for fuel oil, diesel, and propane have 

moderated in recent years, they are still relatively high for remote locales. Biomass 

fuel prices, although typically lower than liquid fossil fuels, require more expensive 

processing, storage, and combustion systems. Sustainable biomass harvests from 

forests adjacent to communities could provide significant energy opportunities for 

many rural villages (Fresco and Chapin 2009). Many wood energy supply chains 

and technologies would require limited equipment infrastructure and could potentially create new jobs. 

One type of wood energy system that has become popular in rural interior 

Alaska is the cordwood boiler, which operates with minimal fuel processing, low 

capital costs, and moderate manual labor. When greater heating needs are present, 

more expensive automated systems can be justified. Other systems combust wood 

pellets for heat, but these have often been limited by fuel costs and local supplies in 

Alaska where there is only one commercial producer of wood pellets. A third type 

of wood energy system combusts wood chips, often sourced from either local wood 

products manufacturers or from forest harvest residues. Regardless of system size 

or type of wood-burning equipment, a consistent and reliable wood fuel source is 

important for rural communities to achieve energy security and economic stability 

during the expected 20- to 30-year lifetime of the equipment.

Village energy issues have become a central part of wood energy development 

in Alaska over the past decade. A key benefit of wood fuel sources (vs. liquid fossil 

fuels) is the relatively stable price of wood fuel. However, this is just one of many 

community benefits derived from wood energy; others include increased employment, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and greater energy self-reliance. Given 

the often adverse conditions under which wood energy systems must operate, it 

has been suggested that Alaska’s rural communities could serve as project leaders 

and innovators on a global scale as more communities transition to biomass power 

(Fresco and Chapin 2009).
2

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Biomass heating systems—chips vs. pellets vs. cordwood—

Biomass heating systems for community buildings are often limited to three 

primary types of wood fuel: wood chips, pellets, and cordwood (i.e., firewood). 

Regardless of the fuel type, basic operation of the heating system consists of heat 

being transferred from the combustion chamber to the heating destination via hot 

water (hydronic) systems or low-pressure steam systems. For small wood energy 

systems—typically less than 1 million British thermal units (BTUs) per hour—

cordwood systems can be used effectively to supply hot water to thermal storage, 

and ultimately to the heat user. Smaller scale boilers are generally engineered for a 

tight range of fuel characteristics, including size, moisture content, ash content, and 

other parameters. Because cordwood systems cannot modulate heat output based 

on changing demands, they require manual labor to process and stoke firewood as 

needed. Larger scale systems require uniform fuel types, typically wood chips or 

pellets, conducive to automatic fuel handling systems. However, owing to challenges related to establishing wood pellet manufacturing systems in small remote 

villages, wood pellets are not generally available in rural Alaska except when imported from other regions. Therefore, many communities in forested regions could 

benefit from a uniform chipped fuel that could be more easily produced locally.

Wood chips can be used economically in larger systems, those consuming 800 

to 1,000 tons of wood (dry basis) per year and offsetting 80,000 to 100,000 gal of 

heating oil per year. Examples include schools in Craig, (southeast Alaska) and 

Delta Junction and Tok (interior Alaska) (fig. 1). The use of chips is facilitated by 

abundant sawmill residues in Craig as well as affordable whole tree chips in interior 

Alaska. In both of these cases, wood chips are produced as a residue product, with 

solid wood products such as lumber or house logs being the primary product. The 

abundance of low-cost wood residues is often a key economic condition for using 

wood chips for thermal energy. Smaller villages in rural Alaska, those consuming 

less than about 35,000 gal per year of heating oil, would not be good candidates for 

the more sophisticated and expensive chip burning systems. Although smaller communities may have access to consistent supplies of wood, they often cannot afford or 

justify the expensive equipment designed for raw, wet, or dirty fuels. Thus, smaller 

heating requirements can often be better served by one or more cordwood systems. 

Engineered fuel chips and microchips—

Two forms of wood chips were considered in this study: engineered fuel chips 

and microchips. Although there is no strict definition of “microchips,” they can be 

thought of as wood fuel particles sized smaller than standard chips (which are often 

used in the pulp and paper industry and traditional wood energy uses), but larger 

than wood pellets or sawdust (fig. 2). Steiner and Robinson (2011) define microchips 
3

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Figure 1—Regions and communities of interest in Alaska.

Figure 2—Microchips Portableplants.com (Smalley 2016)

as “between 1⁄4 and 3⁄8 inches in length,” which is in contrast to traditional pulp and 

paper chips, which are generally 1-1⁄4 inches long. Thus, microchips can cover a 

range of sizes and fuel quality, offering significant advantages for use in customized 

wood energy applications. When considering wood energy operations, chip size is 

an important variable with regard to transportation logistics, fuel handling, drying, 

and combustion. 
4

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Microchips have been produced for a number of years in Europe and offer 

important processing efficiencies as well as more uniform drying versus conventional chips (Hein 2011). Currently, several equipment manufacturers sell microchip 

processing equipment, while other companies are adapting existing commercial 

equipment for use in microchipping operations. Microchips can be made “inwoods” on an industrial scale and sized to less than 1⁄2 inch maximum dimension. 

These smaller chips flow readily and can be treated as a more uniform, homogenous fuel than conventional chips from forest residues. Further, greater transportation efficiency can be realized by reducing particle size, ash content, and moisture 

content close to the harvest location, thereby increasing the fuel’s energy density. 

Recently, several wood pellet combustion systems have become established in 

southeast Alaska in addition to at least one pellet manufacturer. Although conventional wood pellets offer many advantages in terms of energy density, transportation logistics, and heating values, they require a relatively high amount of energy to 

dry the wood, grind the wood to a fine powder, and compress the wood into pellets. 

By contrast, microchips can be produced through a less energy-intensive process of 

drying and chipping only (without the final step of pellet manufacturing). Microchip production can also reduce the energy needs for regrinding wood after drying 

(Whitelaw 2009). Further, microchips can be produced using either drum or disc 

chippers (Hein 2011), offering flexibility in the choice of equipment.

Thus, a key advantage of microchips is that they do not require the processing 

steps necessary for wood pellets, yet they can function much like pellets while 

serving similar markets. A potential disadvantage of microchips versus wood 

pellets would be a somewhat greater storage volume for the more bulky microchip 

fuel as well as differing densities and heating values (table 1). Microchips would not 

be a “drop-in” replacement for pellets but could be used as an alternative to pellets 

in some cases, if sufficient storage volumes were available. In addition, microchip 

production rates (in tons per hour) can be 11 to 13 percent lower than for conventional chips, and greater fuel consumption is needed to create smaller particles 

(Thompson and Sprinkle 2013).

In practice, wood energy systems in southeast Alaska would likely operate best 

using chips sized larger than microchips, yet smaller than conventional pulp-sized 

chips. Therefore, we will use the term “locally engineered chips” for the remainder 

of this report to reflect the possibility of communities developing custom chip 

specifications—ranging in size from microchips to pulp chips—to reflect their 

unique local conditions (fig. 2).

A key advantage of 

microchips is that 

they do not require 

the processing steps 

necessary for wood 

pellets, yet they can 

function much like 

pellets while serving 

similar markets. 
5

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Table 1—Wood fuel storage systems in use in Alaska for 

small industrial wood energy systems, as of 2016

Type Fuel type Capacity Boiler size

Location in 

Alaska

Oven-dry 

(tons)

MMBTUs 

per hour

Shed Cordwood 1 Thorne Bay

Silo bin Pellets 2.0 Juneau

Silo bin Shavings 1 Dry Creek

Roll-off container

Forage wagon Chips 4 2.5 Hoonah

Scraper bin Chips 30 4 Craig

Auger reclaim Chips 30 8 Delta Junction, 

Tok

Fuel pile Chips 300 10 Tok

MMBTUs = million British thermal units.

Study Objectives

We consider locally engineered chips as a potential substitute for wood pellets or 

conventional wood chips for thermal and small-scale electric energy applications in 

southeast Alaska. We evaluate the feasibility of locally engineered chip production, 

including fuel quality, fuel sizing, and fuel handling and drying. 

We also provide a detailed evaluation of locally engineered chip use in Haines, 

Alaska, considering such factors as:

• Equipment and manufacturing practices required to produce locally

engineered chips

• Fuel handling and screening

• Drying strategies

Engineered Chip Equipment Producers

Locally engineered chips have been produced in Europe for several decades and offer 

processing efficiencies as well as more uniform drying compared to conventional 

wood chips (Hein 2011). Currently, several equipment manufacturers sell chip processing equipment (Continental Biomass Industries 2014, Morbark Industries 2014, 

Peterson Corp 2014), while other companies are adapting existing commercial equipment for use in chipping operations (Cardinal Equipment 2014). Other manufacturers 
6

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

having capabilities to produce locally engineered chips include Acrowood Corporation (Acrowood Corp. 2014) and Salsco (Salsco Inc. 2014).1

Locally engineered chips have also been used for wood energy applications in 

the northeastern United States, including New Hampshire. For example, Froling 

Energy (2016) delivers “Precision Dry Chips” to boilers in schools and commercial 

buildings in the Northeast. The dried and pellet-sized chips have demonstrated more 

reliable operation and higher efficiency than other types of wood fuels. Research with 

hardwood chips has shown that unlike conventional pellets, pellet-sized chips produced with commercially available equipment can be used in ordinary pellet combustors, provided that the fuel feeding rates are increased—in contrast to conventional 

pellets—and the moisture content is well below 20 percent (Eriksson et. al. 2011). 

However, other research has shown that conventional disc chippers were somewhat 

ineffective in producing properly sized chips, and that production rates decreased by 

more than 10 percent, when compared to conventional chips (Thompson and Sprinkle 

2013). In some cases, wood energy combustion equipment originally designed for 

pellet combustion can also be considered for locally engineered chips (Simet 2015). 

Engineered Wood Fuel—Key Considerations and Fuel Types

Wood pellets—

Wood pellets can be an ideal fuel for clean, efficient combustion, having high energy density and favorable transportation properties compared to many other types 

of wood fuel. They are made from feedstock having low ash content, dried to less 

than 10 percent moisture content, and densified for automated handling (table 2). 

Automatic control of fuel and air during pellet combustion results in high efficiency 

and low emissions while providing a steady heat load. A key advantage of wood pellet 

systems versus chip or cordwood systems is that pellets can be stored in a compact 

storage area, then automatically transferred to the combustion chamber without the 

need for manual labor. Two pellet mills in Alaska serve nearby markets Fairbanks 

(interior Alaska) and Ketchikan (southeast Alaska). However, much of rural Alaska is 

not within an economically feasible transportation distance of either mill. A third pellet mill located in Gulkana, Alaska, recently started production (as of early 2017).

Wood pellet burners are generally not economically feasible where transportation costs are high or no pellet production facilities are nearby, as is the case for 

many remote villages in interior Alaska. Therefore, many of the villages have turned 

to other wood fuel types such as wood chips or cordwood. Wood chip systems are 

installed or planned in towns with infrastructure, such as Tok, Dry Creek, Delta

1 The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not 

imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service.
7

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Junction, and Craig. Haines, Alaska, has recently acquired fuel storage silos and a 

combustion system that could be used for pellets or other wood fuels (Ratz 2016). 

Cordwood—

Over the past decade or more, cordwood systems have been very successful as 

small systems in rural Alaska as well as other rural locations throughout the United 

States, including New England and the Great Lakes States. In these systems, cordwood is harvested, collected, seasoned, and stored before being burned in high-efficiency boilers. Seasoned wood, dried to about 20 percent moisture, can be burned 

efficiently with low particulate emissions. Cordwood is manually loaded into boilers 

that burn “fast and hot,” transferring heat quickly to hot water in thermal tanks surrounding the cylindrical combustion chamber. 

During this burning period, a typical cordwood system can store up to 3 million BTUs, followed by a sustained heat release of about 500,000 BTUs per hour. If 

greater heating loads are needed, multiple burners can be installed in parallel at a 

single location. In southeast Alaska, winter loads may require only one 2-hour burn 

per day; colder interior Alaska locations may require two burns per day. Although 

communities, greenhouses, and large institutions have been heated with cordwood 

boilers, a reliable labor pool is critical to their continued operation and maintenance 

as cordwood boilers require considerable manual labor to collect, process, and 

“stoke” the wood; however, this has been shown to promote local economic development through increased employment (Ketzler 2014). 

Several cordwood systems have been installed in southeast Alaska that provide 

heat to schools and greenhouses, providing additional learning opportunities to 

students. Cordwood boilers could prove to be the best option for many locations in 

rural Alaska where a well-developed road system is present (e.g., Prince of Wales 

Island in southeast Alaska). Until additional infrastructure is established in Alaskan 

Table 2—Qualities of wood fuels commonly used in Alaska

Type Cordwood

Whole-tree 

chips

Chips/

microchips Pellets

Bark included? (yes/no) Yes Yes No No

Ash content (percent) 2–5 5–8 0.5–2 1

Moisture content (percent) 20–50 50 50 8–10

Density (cubic feet per oven-dry ton) 128 200 200 60 

Density (pounds per cubic foot) 16 10 10 35 

Combustion efficiency (percent) 35–70 65–70 70 80

Cost ($ per ton) 200 100–125 100 400
8

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

communities to harvest, chip, and transport wood, cordwood use could be the most 

feasible form of wood energy.

Wood chips, shavings, sawdust, and hog fuel—

When wood processing residues are available, fuel types can differ in size from 

chips, shavings, sawdust, and hog fuel. These fuels have been used throughout 

Alaska at locations such as Fairbanks, Tok, Craig, Dry Creek, Ketchikan, and 

Hoonah. Fuel quality can differ widely, and variables such as moisture content, ash 

content, presence of bark, and oversized or stringy pieces can greatly influence system performance and maintenance requirements. Although wood processing residues could be considered an easy enticement to supply fuel to wood energy users, 

there are several limitations to using this fuel source in Alaska: 

• There are relatively few sawmills providing consistent supplies of wood 

residue (throughout the heating season).

• Even fewer sawmills have equipment to debark logs so that sawmill residues can produce “clean” chips.

• Because there are few dry kilns in Alaska, most wood processing residues 

would be in the “green” condition; high moisture content fuels can have 

lower heating values and combustion efficiencies.

High-moisture fuel can lead to reduced combustion efficiency, visible smoke, 

and inefficient use of underfire or overfire air. Oversize fuel, stringy bark, rocks, 

and other debris can create greater levels of ash while interrupting fuel flow on 

combustion grates. Flue gas recirculation can also be used to direct air to the grate, 

limiting agglomerations while improving combustion efficiency. Many of the 

operational problems just mentioned can be avoided by burning chips that are clean 

(i.e., free of dirt), of uniform size, and of uniform moisture content. 

Wood Fuel Standards

European standards—

Wood fuel standards are specifications for some of the most important properties 

of wood, designed to assure consistency among different fuel suppliers and users. They are important owing to their influence on wood fuel handling, combustion, ash generation, and other elements of wood energy system operation. Most 

European chip burner suppliers, and some U.S. suppliers, require fuel that complies 

with size specifications, moisture content, energy content, and ash content (table 2). 

In some cases, other fuel specifications are required, such as nitrogen content, chlorine content, bulk density, and fines content. 
9

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Fuel must conform to the European Committee for Standardization specifications that designate chip size or moisture. Some European boilers (e.g., Viessmann) 

are designed to use chips within the G30 “Fine wood chip” standard, a green chip 

with a maximum dimension of 1.25 inches (R&S Biomass Equipment2016). With 

many chipper configurations, fuel that has been chipped to a nominal length of 1 

inch is often up to 1.5 inches wide. Chips with these dimensions often have good 

porosity for air and combustion gas mixing, good fuel handling properties, and 

overall, are a consistent fuel type. Criteria for establishing standards for solid 

biomass fuels can include the following:

• Moisture content

• Ash content

• Bulk density

• Origin and source

• Particle dimensions

Fuel standards, Haines, Alaska, context—

If the Haines system were to use locally engineered chips, and several suppliers 

were involved, fuel standards could help ensure consistency for the most important 

fuel properties. This could in turn provide more stable heating output, reduce maintenance costs, reduce ash disposal costs, and potentially improve air quality. Some 

of the most important properties are discussed individually below:

Fuel particle size—

Fuel particle size can have an important impact on fuel handling at the wood energy 

site, especially when using augers. Fuel particles that are too small can also cause 

problems with augers as undersized particles tend to resist the turning action of the 

auger. Eventually, the presence of a packed mass of undersized particles can cause 

augers to shut down. By contrast, oversized fuel particles can jam equipment, causing shutdowns until the wood can be manually removed. 

Fines content—

The presence of fine particles can effect fuel handling in pneumatic (i.e., air-blown)

systems. Fine particles combust more readily in the wood burner, often in suspension, while larger particles burn over longer periods of time on the grate. Thus, too 

high a fines content can cause variations in heat transfer and flame temperature that 

may be less than optimal. Lastly, fines can lead to increased explosion potential in 

enclosed spaces.

If the Haines system 

were to use locally 

engineered chips, 

and several suppliers 

were involved, fuel 

standards could help 

ensure consistency for 

the most important fuel 

properties.
10

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Moisture content—

Wood moisture can influence many properties important to energy generation. 

In northern climates, water in chips can freeze, resulting in solid masses of wood 

not conducive to most handling equipment. Moisture content also influences the 

delivered weight of wood, with fresh green wood often having close to twice the 

weight of oven-dry wood. Most wood fuel contracts are based on delivered weight 

or moisture content. Finally, most combustion systems are designed to operate most 

efficiently at a specified wood moisture content (or a narrow range of moisture). If 

fuel with higher moisture content is burned, combustion efficiency will be reduced 

owing to the energy needed to vaporize water. If fuel is burned at too low an optimal moisture content, excessively high combustion temperatures may result.

Presence of bark or foliage—

When compared to clean wood, bark and foliage have greater levels of alkali, silica, 

and other incombustible compounds that will eventually become part of the bottom ash, or possibly lead to increased slagging or fouling of metal boiler surfaces. 

Greater levels of ash also result in more labor needed for removal and disposal. 

For fuel standards to be effective, they must be easy to use and verifiable. In 

the case of Haines, Alaska, any required quality tests need to ensure compliance 

would have minimal equipment requirements. For example, moisture content and 

size parameters could be tested in Haines, while more elaborate tests (e.g., ash 

content, alkali content, trace metals) could be sent to outside laboratories for testing. 

Sampling procedures would need to consider these factors as well as the variation 

acceptable for a given standard to remain in compliance.

Local Engineered Fuel Chips—Process Overview

Within the past several decades, industrial-scale chippers with high capacities 

have been developed for commercial markets. One of the factors catalyzing the 

industrial-scale production of locally engineered chips has been the increased use 

of wood energy in Europe (Smalley 2016). To meet this growing demand, wood 

pellet mills in the southeastern United States produce chips for pellet manufacture 

and export. Often, locally engineered chips are produced “in-woods” (fig. 3), 

delivered in bulk to pellet mills, then dried and reground to less than 0.25 inch for 

densification.

Compared with conventionally sized wood chips, locally engineered chips are 

less economical to produce at smaller scales, as the initial equipment costs can be 

quite high. Other issues related to locally engineered chip use include potentially 

higher fines content, which can lead to reduced fuel flow, or “packing.” Although 
11

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

properly dried chips should burn easily, a drawback is that their bulk density is less 

than that of pellets. Therefore, in many small thermal energy applications where 

consistent performance is required, wood pellets can be more advantageous. 

System design considerations—

A diverse type, size, and capacity of wood energy boilers are currently used in 

Alaska (table 3, appendix). Properly designed, locally engineered chip systems 

could be used by Alaskan villages to burn 500 to 1,000 tons of wood per year, heating one or more buildings. A hypothetical wood fuel system replacing a 35,000 galper-year heating oil system would require about 700 green tons of wood annually. 

There are numerous commercial chippers on the market having capacities ranging 

from about 700 to 2,000 tons per year. One such model is a 40-horsepower Vermeer 

chipper capable of processing material up to 12 inches in diameter (the log, size 

limit being considered by Haines). A chipper in this size class could realistically 

supply chips for more than one wood energy system in multiple communities.

For a typical locally engineered chip burner with a peak demand of 2 million 

BTUs per hour, daily wood consumption would be about 3 oven-dry tons of wood 

(the equivalent of about 600 ft3

, or 22 yd3). Once chips are created, key decisions 

include the choice of transportation method, as well as the method of unloading fuel 

at the point of use. Smaller wood energy systems can allow for great flexibility in 

how these equipment items are configured, often limited only by available budgets. 

The capacities of typical wood storage systems are highly variable and must 

be customized to specific conditions. Fuel storage for small systems (those smaller 

than 2 million BTUs per hour) at full load consumes 8 yd3

 of pellets or 28 yd3 of 

Figure 3—Commercial in-woods microchipping operation, supplying 

fiber to a wood pellet mill in Faison, North Carolina.
12

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

chips per 24-hour day. This is the approximate size of agricultural grade forage 

wagons (22- to 28-yd3capacity) and roll-off drop boxes (30- to 40-yd3 capacity). 

When greater fuel storage is needed, large walking floor trailers capable of storing 

up to 2,200 ft3 of wood fuel, enough for about 3 days, could be used. Thus, these 

types of standard equipment items could be effective when just a few days supply 

of fuel are needed. Beyond wood thermal systems, the fuel requirements are similar 

for small-scale power generation equipment, including gasification with internal 

combustion engines. Table 4 lists several commercial systems that have been 

considered in Alaska for generating electricity for rural communities.

Chipping equipment—

For small-scale community applications, the choice of chipping equipment can be a 

critical decision. In addition to cost, some of the key operating parameters include 

chipping capacity (tons per hour), range of chip sizes produced, portability, allowable wood moisture content, and tolerance for bark. Often, the chipper’s infeed rate 

(i.e., the rate in lineal feet per minute at which solid biomass is fed into the chipper) 

is a key operating parameter in accurately controlling chip length.

Commercial manufacturers are now producing a wider range of chipper 

options, driven in part by greater demand for wood energy products in Europe 

(Smalley 2016). One chipper in common use is the Morbark M12D Brush chipper 

(Morbark Industries 2016, Versalift East 2016). This chipper has been selected for 

two community energy projects in Alaska, including Hoonah (in southeast Alaska) 

and Fort Yukon (in interior Alaska). Another manufacturer, Continental Biomass 

Industries, has designed four different chipper configurations capable of producing 

100 tons per hour. Bandit Industries has developed five models that can produce 

locally engineered chips and standard-sized chips (Smalley 2016). Peterson Pacific 

Corp. also has an extensive line of chippers, with capacities of up to 200 tons per 

hour (Peterson Pacific Corp. 2014), an amount that would far exceed the needs of a 

village-scale wood energy system in Alaska.

Table 3—Small boilers used for three types of wood fuel in Alaska

Fuel Cordwood Pellets Chips

Capacity (MMBTUs per hr) 0.5 1 to 2 0.1 to 0.5 2 4 8 to 10 

Manufacturers Garn Kob, ACT, 

MEco 

LEI ACT, 

Bioenergy

Chiptec, 

KOB

Messersmith, 

KOB

Number of installations 17 7 1 2 1 1

Location Statewide Juneau, 

Ketchikan

Tok Haines Craig Delta,Tok

a

 See supplier list in appendix. Listing does not constitute endorsement. MMBTUs = million British thermal units.
13

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Screening systems—

Wood particle screening is an integral part of producing chips and densified fuels, 

including biobricks and pellets. A primary role of the screening system is to remove 

oversized wood particles as well as other contaminants (such as metal or rocks that 

could damage equipment), while ensuring a consistent wood-fuel size. Before densification, wood particles typically require sizing to a maximum dimension of about 

3⁄8 inch; however, undensified locally engineered chips require sizing customized 

to specific applications. Several types of screening systems are in commercial use, 

including those operating by rotary action or by vibrations.

Rotary trommel screens use a continuous tumbling action within a rotating 

cylinder to size and separate feed material. The rotating action helps to break 

down softer materials and separate different materials based on size class. As the 

tumbling continues, smaller pieces filter through the screen, while larger pieces 

continue along the length of the cylinder toward the outlet (McLanahan 2016). 

Although trommel screens are not currently used at Alaska’s small-wood products 

mills, they could potentially be used for future engineered chip production where 

volumes are greater.

Vibrating conveyor systems can be used to screen a wide variety of biomass 

materials, including forest residues, wood products manufacturing residuals, and 

urban wood waste (West Salem Machinery 2016). Perforated screens or wire 

mesh can be used to accurately control particle sizes. Rotary deck screens are 

also capable of handling a wide range of input materials and often are configured 

as multideck screens occupying a small footprint (BM&M 2016). Smaller wood 

energy systems may not be able to justify expensive mechanical screening systems. 

Less sophisticated screening systems could be considered, including those normally 

used to screen rocks. These systems are simple gravity-fed units that separate 

particles into two size classes based on either screens (fig. 4) or parallel bars (fig. 5). 

Table 4—Commercial small-scale electrical power 

generation systems suitable for community energy

Supplier Capacity (kWe) Capacity (kWth)

Volter 45 100

Spanner 45 100

Entrada 45 100

All power labs 20 to 150 50 to 300

Syngest/Community

Power Corporation 

100 200
14

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Wood fuel drying systems—

Fuel drying is important to obtain maximum value from the fuel, and most wood 

energy systems are designed for a specific range of moisture contents. The target 

moisture for “dry” fuel is often 20 percent moisture content (green basis). At this 

moisture content, chips should exhibit good handling properties, be free of dust, 

and provide good combustion behavior (including combustion efficiency). Industrial 

drying is often done at elevated temperatures for short periods of time, for example 

in rotary dryers. Other drying options could include active drum and auger dryers 

as well as passive stack dryers (Loria 2015). However, many small systems would 

not be able to justify expensive drying equipment, and therefore passive air-drying 

is preferred even though drying times are much longer.

Air-drying research of whole logs has been considered for several species, log 

diameters, and humidity conditions. Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong. Carriere) 

Figures 4—Rock screen systems can be 

adapted for use with wood fuel (screens 

mounted on bars).

Figure 5—Rock screen systems with parallel bars can be adapted for use with 

wood fuel.
15

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) logs were dried in covered 

and uncovered storage in Ketchikan, Alaska (Nicholls and Brackley 2008). Logs 

were also found to dry more quickly when indoors (vs. outdoor conditions, exposed 

to rain). Perhaps the most important factor accelerating drying was the removal 

of bark, which led to faster drying conditions verses bark remaining. Further, 

western hemlock logs showed higher moisture content and greater moisture content 

variation (vs. Sitka spruce), and in most cases, would require more lengthy drying 

periods to reach a given moisture content. This study demonstrated that outdoor air 

drying of logs was feasible even in high-rainfall environments.

Drying times can be dramatically shortened in more arid locations. For 

example, small-diameter ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) and 

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) logs that were air dried in 

Hayfork, California, showed the greatest moisture loss during the first 60 days of 

drying (Simpson and Wang 2004). When small-diameter ponderosa pine logs were 

air dried during summer months, moisture content decreased from about 130 percent to about 20 percent (oven-dry basis) in only 20 days. During winter air-drying, 

about the same moisture loss was realized in about 4.5 months (Simpson and Wang 

2004). In interior Alaska, summer-dried firewood could reach moisture contents of 

20 percent in as little as 6 weeks (CCHRC 2011).

Various air-drying strategies could be adapted to southeast Alaska sites, including Haines. However, drying effectiveness would depend on a number of factors, 

including summertime temperatures, log diameter, whether logs are split, and initial 

and final moisture contents, among other variables. A log drying study is currently 

underway in Haines, Alaska (as of early 2017), which should provide insights for 

drying logs efficiently to a desired moisture content once a wood energy system is 

in operation there.

Chip drying—

A key advantage of locally engineered chips is that they often exhibit less moisture 

variation after drying than do larger conventional chips (Hein 2011). Wood chip 

dryers can be used to reduce moisture contents, and in southeast Alaska, this is 

particularly important when using high-moisture species such as western hemlock. 

In Craig, Alaska, a wood chip drying system has been installed at the school wood 

energy site to address drying high-moisture fuels (Brackley and Petersen 2016). A 

similar system has been installed at a Forks, Washington, (Quinalte) school, coming 

online in October 2010 (US DOE 2011).

Several different types of chip drying configurations are possible. Bin dryers 

(or batch dryers) are commonly used to dry agricultural products, and feature axial 

or centrifugal fans to force ambient air through the material to be dried. In another 

Various air-drying 

strategies could be 

adapted to southeast 

Alaska sites, including 

Haines. However, 

drying effectiveness 

would depend on a 

number of factors, 

including summertime 

temperatures, log 

diameter, whether logs 

are split, and initial and 

final moisture contents, 

among other variables.
16

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

batch process, green chip piles can be dried within a custom kiln that circulates 

warm air until the desired wood moisture content is reached (Loria 2015). Other 

variations of batch drying have been adapted from agricultural grain drying. In 

one such system, undried material is held in a bin at the top of the unit, with hot air 

being forced through to provide drying. Once dried, the material is released into 

a chamber below, and new material added at the top of the unit for another drying 

cycle (AgCo 2016). Other designs feature drying continuously through a packed 

column (i.e., the entire cylindrical bin). Here, air is forced through from the base, 

creating three or more layered drying zones vertically from base to top (Hellevang 

2013). Commercial batch drying systems have been developed to dry 40 tons of 

green chips from 50 percent down to 25 percent in about 48 hours (Froling 2016).

Continuous conveyor dryers can be used to provide a limited degree of drying 

quickly. For example, conveyor dryers are used as part of the BioMax15 combined 

heat and power system to dry wood from about 25 to 15 percent moisture content 

as wood is transferred from storage hopper to gasifier, using excess heat from the 

internal engine that is part of this system (Loria 2015).

Rotary drum dryers are capable of removing from 1,000 to 60,000 lb of water 

from wood each hour (Onix 2016). These dryers can single-use or multiple-pass 

technologies, and the heat source can be solid fuels, for example wood residues 

burned to dry pellet feedstocks (often referred to as closed loop drying). Belt dryers 

can be used to dry, cool, or roast a variety of agricultural products, including wood 

(Beltomatic 2016). Although most systems feature just one belt to transport material 

through the drying zone, a number of potential airflow configurations are possible 

(e.g., single pass, double pass, recycle heat, and pressurized systems). Further, 

individual drying modules can be staged in series or in parallel to handle special 

drying conditions (e.g., high, moisture, content materials).

A number of different technologies are available to dry wood fuel, varying 

greatly in cost, drying capacity, and moisture content control. For community 

energy applications in rural Alaska, an overriding factor will likely be cost. 

Therefore, simple drying systems (e.g., log splitting followed by air drying) could 

be preferred to more efficient, yet expensive, systems. Each community or village 

considering fuel drying will need to develop customized solutions best suited to its 

needs.
17

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Local Engineered Fuel Chips—Haines, Alaska, Case Study

Wood energy system, Haines—

The community of Haines, Alaska (population 2,500), is perhaps uniquely positioned to take advantage of wood energy as a primary community heating source. 

Located about 60 mi north of Juneau, Haines is accessible by water (including 

ferry and barge service), by air, and by road from interior Alaska. Further, the city 

has access to extensive forest resources (including the Haines State Forest) strong 

community leadership and support for wood energy, and the community has been 

interested in wood energy issues for a number of years. The community has also 

acquired substantial equipment, including fuel storage and combustion system 

that could be used to burn pellets or other fuels such as locally engineered chips. 

However, as locally engineered chips would be combusted at a higher moisture content than pellets, Advanced Climate Technologies (ACT), Bioenergy burners would 

need to be de-rated (table 5). 

One of the sites being considered is the Haines School, which could use two of 

the three ACT pellet boilers owned by the Haines Borough. Because the school has 

limited space on its property to house a wood energy installation, several neighboring sites are being considered. The Haines School occupies about 96,500 ft2

 of 

floor space and has used an average of 35,300 gal of fuel oil annually (Ratz 2016). 

The main heat demands are for domestic hot water, space heating, and for heating 

a swimming pool. Peak heating load is estimated to be about 3.4 million BTUs per 

hour. The three ACT boilers have outputs of 1.7, 1.35, and 0.5 million BTUs per 

hour. However, when using wood pellets at 10 percent moisture as a fuel source, 

each unit would be de-rated by approximately 20 percent. An estimated 22 tons of 

chips would be needed for one week of peak heating (Ratz 2016). Using a combination of small and large boilers would enable Haines to meet a wider range of heating 

needs. Further, the use of thermal storage (3,000 gal) is recommended to provide 

greater system availability (Ratz 2016).

As of late 2016, work has been underway to design the wood energy system in 

Haines, including evaluating the market price per ton of locally engineered chips, 

cost of heating oil versus wood fuel, and capital costs of converting to locally engineered chips (table 6). Other planning activities include designing fuel processing, 

handling, and storage systems as well as determining the site location. 
18

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Wood fuel handling (Haines)—

For biomass energy systems, fuel handling and storage equipment are important 

components that must be integrated with the other equipment to ensure uninterrupted fuel flow. They must also be customized to the fuel type, fuel size, and moisture 

content. Three types of fuel transfer systems are being considered by Haines (Ratz 

2016): 

1. A rotating arm turntable can be used for either wood pellets or chips, and, 

in effect, sweeps wood fuel from the storage bin to an auger (which in turn 

feeds a metering bin). A drawback to this method is that rotating arms are 

effective underneath a maximum fuel depth of about 3 ft; about 2.5 tons of 

chips or 6 tons of pellets (Ratz 2016). So they work best with limited volumes of fuel (e.g., day storage bins) that need frequent refilling. A sweeperturntable system would be considerably less expensive for the Haines 

system than either of the other two alternatives. 

2. Roll-off containers are a hybrid system that could be used to unload fuel to 

metering bins via live bottom floors. Two or three containers could be used 

Table 5—Rated outputs of the three boilers purchased by the borough of 

Haines, Alaska, for use in their wood energy system

Fuel type

Estimated moisture

content Large Medium Small

Percent MMBTUs per hour

Wood pellets 8–10 1.7 1.35 0.5

Locally engineered chips 30 1.25 0.95 0.37

MMBTUs = Million British thermal unit.

Table 6—Comparison of two hypothetical scales of operation for 

Haines wood energy locally engineered chips utilization

Larger scale Smaller scale

Wood fuel volume (tons per year) 3,000 600

Fuel cost ($ per ton) 260 260

Total wood fuel cost ($ per year) 780,000 156,000

Fuel use (dry tons per hour) 2 0.4

Fuel use (cubic feet per day) 2,400 480

Bulk trailer capacity (units) 12 to 14 —

Roll off container capacity (cubic yards) — 40

Wood dryer capacity (MMBTUs per hour) 4.5 1.0

— = Equipment not needed at this scale.

MMBTUs = Million British thermal units.
19

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

at one time, ensuring that there is always at least one container at the wood 

energy site, while the other container(s) are being filled or in transit (Lowell 

et al. 2015). Roll-off bins, typically holding 10 to 15 tons of wood, are well 

suited for integration with chip drying systems if this additional feature 

were considered (Ratz 2016).

3. A large bin with travelling auger or wedge floor has been used successfully for schools in Alaska and other Western States. Here, the auger moves 

chips onto a conveyor belt, which then feeds the metering bin. The large 

storage bin provides a buffer against uncertainty in fuel delivery schedules. 

However the bin-auger systems can be considerably more expensive than 

either the turntable systems or roll-off containers. Thus, they may not be 

justified for smaller wood energy sites.

Wood fuel drying (Haines)—

By drying wood fuel from the green condition to about 20 percent moisture (green 

basis), the Haines system will realize several benefits, including greater heating values as well as more efficient and compatible operation with the wood burner system. 

Because conventional wood drying and predrying equipment can be very expensive, Haines is pursuing lower cost methods such as outdoor air drying of logs. The 

recommended procedure is to first split logs lengthwise, then stack and air dry for a 

period of several months before chipping to final size. Logs up to 12 inches in diameter are being considered. 

Discussion 

Wood energy is at a critical juncture in Alaska. Over the past decade or more, 

nearly two dozen community-scale wood energy systems have been established. 

The unique conditions of Alaska, including limited road systems, high fuel costs, 

and long transportation distances, have, in select cases, created financial incentives to use local biomass rather than import liquid fuels. However, there is limited 

infrastructure for harvesting, processing, and transporting biomass fuels in Alaska, 

meaning that bioenergy systems can also have limited economic viability. In 

response, the state of Alaska has provided substantial renewable energy grant funding; however, this funding source is not guaranteed for future years.

Based on these “1st generation” wood energy successes, a new “2nd generation” 

of installations is poised to serve even more rural Alaskan communities. However 

recent (2014–2016) drops in oil prices have reduced the economic incentives for 

wood energy. Thus new approaches are needed to overcome economic barriers, 

including the use of innovative wood fuel types such as engineered chips. 

Wood energy is at a 

critical juncture in 

Alaska. Over the past 

decade or more, nearly 

two dozen communityscale wood energy 

systems have been 

established.
20

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Before locally engineered fuels can become widely adopted, important design 

considerations remain, including optimizing fuel handling, transportation, chip 

size, and moisture content. Locally engineered fuels could offer a number of 

significant advantages vs. other more common wood fuel types (including standard 

chips, cordwood, and pellets). More and more equipment manufacturers are recognizing these potential advantages, and producing custom chippers to meet these 

needs. For example, locally engineered chips can be used advantageously in dual 

fuel systems already installed in Alaska, designed for both pellets and chips. Flexible wood fuel systems can result in increased efficiency and greater use of locally 

produced biomass vs. systems that operate on wood fuel with more stringent size 

and moisture content specifications. 

Several Alaska communities are well positioned to consider locally engineered 

chips. Numerous school energy systems are already in place, including those that 

heat not only school buildings, but also greenhouses for local foods production and 

student education. Other communities throughout Alaska have access to smallscale chippers that could be used to manufacture locally engineered chips for wood 

energy (even if chips are currently used for other purposes). Given the limited fuel 

needs of individual wood energy systems, a single chipper would likely be able to 

supply multiple locations, assuming that transportation logistics could be overcome 

to connect island communities.

As the next generation of wood energy users takes hold in Alaska, a consistent 

theme will be the need for systems to be flexible in many aspects of operation, and 

customizable for local conditions. For example, some of the key unknowns influencing all wood energy systems in Alaska include (1) the future price of oil relative 

to wood; (2) the volume, consistency, and form of woody biomass residues from a 

second growth management regime on the Tongass National Forest; (3) whether a 

wood pellet mill could become established in southeast Alaska, creating competitive advantages for the use of pellet fuel; and (4) future levels of state and federal 

funding to assist with wood energy project construction. Flexible systems capable 

of using a range of chip sizes, moisture content, and bark and foliage could be an 

asset given that rural wood supply chains often comprise one or more small operators who may not have precise control over operating conditions. Successful wood 

energy users in Alaska must be nimble enough to adapt to these and other future 

uncertainties. The result will be payoffs in the form of greater energy security, local 

job creation, and environmental benefits. 

As the next generation 

of wood energy users 

takes hold in Alaska, 

a consistent theme 

will be the need for 

systems to be flexible 

in many aspects 

of operation, and 

customizable for local 

conditions.
21

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Metric equivalents

When you know: Multiply by: To get:

Inches 2.54 Centimeters

Feet (ft) .305 Meters

Square feet (ft2

) .0929 Square meters

Miles (mi) 1.609 Kilometers

Cubic feet (ft3

) .0283 Cubic meters

Cubic yards (yd3

) 0.764 Cubic meters

Gallons (gal) 3.78 Liters

Tons 907 Kilograms

Pounds per cubic feet 16.02 Pascal

British thermal units (BTUs) 1,050 Joules

Literature Cited

Acrowood Corporation. 2014. Everett, WA. http://www.acrowood.com/chipping_

slant_disc_chippers. (4 October 2016).

AgCo. 2016. Topdry grain dryer. 16 p. http://www.grainsystems.com/content/

dam/Brands/GSI/Brochures/Conditioning/GS-012_TopDry.pdf/_jcr_content/

renditions/original. (13 December 2016).

Beltomatic 2016. Beltomatic-Dryers, Roaster, Coolers. http://beltomatic.com/.

(13 June 2017).

BM&M Screening Solutions [BM&M] 2016. BM&M http://www.bmandm.com/.

(13 June 2017).

Brackley, A.M.; Petersen, K. 2016. Planning, implementation, and history of the 

first 5 years of operation of the Craig, Alaska, pool and school biomass heating 

system—a case study. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-936. Portland, OR: U.S. De

artment of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 22 p.

Cardinal Equipment. 2014. Cardinal Equipment, Angliers, Quebec, Canada. 

Standard chippers modified to make microchip. http://cardinalsaw.com/eng/ire.

(4 October 2016).

Cold Climate Housing Research Center [CCHRC]. 2011. Wood storage best 

practices in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks, AK. 26 p. http://www.cchrc.org/sites/

default/files/docs/WoodStorageBestPractices.pdf (24 April 2017).

Continental Biomass Industries. 2014. Magnum Force 8400 Stationary 

Downswing Grinder. http://www.cbi-inc.com/machines-equipment/grinders/

stationary/magnum-force-8400-stationary. (4 October 2016).
22

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Eriksson, G.L.; Boman, C.; Bersten, U.; Bergstrom, D. 2011. Fuel 

characterization of pellet chips. Forest Products Journal. 61(2): 143–148.

http://dx.doi.org/10.13073/0015-7473-61.2.143. (4 October 2016).

Fresco, N.; Chapin, F.S., III. 2009. Assessing the potential for conversion to 

biomass fuels in interior Alaska. Res. Pap. PNW-RP-579. Portland, OR: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 

56 p.

Froling Energy. 2016. www.frolingenergy.com. (19 October 2016).

Hein, T. 2011. Small is beautiful: microchipping woody biomass. 

Canadian Biomass Magazine. November-December. 2 p. https://www.

canadianbiomassmagazine.ca/systems/small-is-beautiful-microchipping-woodybiomass-3006s. (4 October 2016).

Hellevang, K.J. 2013. Grain drying. Fargo, ND: North Dakota State University.

Fact sheet AE-701 24 p. https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/smgrains/ae701.

pdf. (13 September 2017).

Ketzler, B. 2014. Cordwood energy for community heating in Fairbanks, Alaska. 

Fairbanks, AK: Rural Wood Energy Conference. (April 2014).

Loria, K. 2015. Watching wood dry. Biomass Magazine. http://biomassmagazine.

com/articles/12181/watching-wood-dry. (5 October 2016).

Lowell, E.C.; Parrent, D.J.; Deering, R.C.; Bihn, D.; Becker, D.R. 2015. 

Community biomass handbook. Volume 2: Alaska, where woody biomass 

can work. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-920. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 104 p.

McLanahan. 2016. Rotary trommel screens. http://mclanahan.com/products/rotarytrommel-screens/. (13 June 2017).

Morbark Industries. 2014. Wynn, Michigan. http://www.morbark.com/pressreleases/morbark-introduces-biomass-microchipper/. (4 October 2016).

Morbark Industries. 2016. 12D Brush Chipper. http://www.morbark.com/

equipment/beever-m12d-brush-chippers/#1365620863249-5-4. (4 October 2016).

Nicholls, D.; Brackley, A. 2008. House log drying rates in southeast Alaska for 

covered and uncovered softwood logs. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-782. Portland, 

OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research 

Station. 18 p.
23

Engineered Wood Fuels for Southeast Alaska

Onix 2016. Rotary drum dryers. http://www.theonixcorp.com/rotary.html.

(20 October 2016).

Peterson Corp. 2014. Peterson Pacific Corporation, Eugene, Oregon. http://www.

petersoncorp.com/ (4 October 2016).

R&S Biomass Equipment. 2016. http://rsbiomass.com/wood-fuels/.

(20 October 2016).

Ratz, N. 2016. Haines School, Wood Fires Boiler Siting Evaluation- Draft Final 

Report. May 6, 2016. Haines School Wood Fired Boiler Plant Siting EvaluationDraft Final Report. CTA Architects Engineers. 22 p.

Salsco Incorporated. 2014. Products-commercial wood chippers. http://www.

salsco.com/products/commercial-wood-chippers.html. (4 October 2016).

Simet, A. 2015. Operation Biomass Heat—Wood heat is keeping the Vermont 

Army National Guard warm during the winter. Biomass Magazine. http://

biomassmagazine.com/articles/12484/operation-biomass-heat. (20 October 2016).

Simpson, W.T.; Wang, X. 2004. Estimating air-drying times of small-diameter 

ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir logs. Forest Products Journal. 54(12): 24–28.

Smalley, M. 2016. Companies find opportunities in microchip production. Portable 

Plants and Equipment. http://portableplants.com/companies-find-opportunitiesin-microchip-production/. (4 October 2016).

Steiner, J.R.; Robinson, M. 2011. Microchips-comparing wood microchips to 

conventional wood chips and the application of microchips to some common 

types of biomass processes. Atlanta, GA: BioPro Expo and Marketplace. http://

www.tappi.org/content/Events/11BIOPRO/19.4Steiner.pdf. (4 October 2016).

Thompson, J.; Sprinkle, W. 2013. Production, cost and chip characteristics of

in-woods microchipping. Council on Forest Engineering annual meeting.

https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/45592 (4 October 2016).

U.S. Department of Energy. 2011. CHP, district energy and waste energy recovery 

projects in Washington state. Northwest Clean Energy Application Center. http://

northwestchptap.org/NwChpDocs/WA%20Clean%20Energy%20CHP%20

projects.pdf. (3 January 2017).

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chipperoverview.htm. (4 October 2016).

West Salem Machinery. WSM. http://westsalem.com/. (13 June 2017).
24

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-965

Appendix

Table 7—Small industrial-scale wood energy systems in operation in Alaska (as of 2016)

Location Fuel type Buildings served System type

Number

of units

Craig Chips School and pool Chiptec 1

Delta Junction Chips School Messersmith 1

Tok Chips School Messersmith 1

Tanana Cordwood Washeteria Garn WHS 2000 3

Tanana Cordwood City buildings Econoburn 2

Coffman Cove Cordwood School Garn WHS 2000 2

Thorne Bay Cordwood School GarnPak system 2

Ionia Cordwood Community center Garn WHS 2000 2

Tetlin School Cordwood Schools Tarm 3

Gulkana Cordwood Native organization Garn WHS 2000 2

Elim Cordwood Water treatment plant Garn WHS 2000 1

Fort Yukon Cordwood University of Alaska campus Tarm 1

Galena Cordwood Interior Regional Housing Authority Tarm Innova Solo 50 1

Kokhanok Cordwood Lake and Pen Borough Garn WHS 2000 1

Ketchikan Pellet/chip Forest Service Discovery Center Hurst 1

Ketchikan Pellet General Services Adminisration Federal 

Building

ACT Bioenergy 1

Ketchikan Pellet Public Library ACT Bioenergy 1

Juneau Pellet Sealaska Corp. KÖB 1

Gulkana Pellet Gulkana Village Council Tarm 1

Haines Pellet Senior center Okafen 1

Haines Pellet Chilkoot Indian Association Pellergy 2

Juneau Pellet Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority Maine Energy Systems 1

Juneau Pellet Sobeloff Cultural Center Maine Energy Systems 2

Sitka Pellet Forest Service-Sitka Ranger District Froling 1

WHS = Wood Heating Systems, ACT = Advanced Climate Technologies.
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