U.S. Forest Service

January 2011

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

The Forest Service Strategic Energy Framework sets direction and 

proactive goals for the Agency to significantly and sustainably 

contribute toward resolving U.S. energy resource challenges, by 

fostering sustainable management and use of forest and grassland 

energy resources.
U.S. Forest Service

Strategic Energy Framework
U.S. Forest Service

Strategic Energy Framework

Team Members

Ann Acheson; National Air Program Manager; Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air and Rare 

Plants Staff

Marilyn Buford; National Program Leader; Silviculture Research, Research and 

Development

Mary Carr; Technical Editor, Publishing Arts; Ecosystem Management Coordination 

Susan Dreiband; Chief Knowledge Officer; Office of Regulatory and Management 

Services (retired)

Thomas Elder; Research Forest Products Technologist; Southern Research Station

Loren Ford; State and Private Forestry Program Coordinator; Strategic Planning, Budget 

and Accountability Staff

Edmund Gee; Woody Biomass Utilization Team Leader, Forest Management; and Acting 

Director, National Partnership Office

Faline Haven; Program Analyst; Office of Tribal Relations

Paul Johnson; Agency Energy Coordinator; Framework Lead, Minerals and Geology

Management

Carol LoSapio, Document Designer, Publishing Arts, Ecosystem Management 

Coordination

Marcia Patton-Mallory; Bioenergy and Climate Change Specialist; Western Forestry 

Leadership Coalition

Glen Parker; Special Uses Specialist; Lands and Realty Management

Tracy Parker; Assistant Director; Minerals and Geology Management

Jim Perdue; Senior Biological Scientist, Biomass and Bioenergy; Southern Research 

Station

Steve Yaddof; State and Private National Biomass Program Analyst; State and Private 

Forestry

For further information contact:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Office of the Deputy Chief, National 

Forest System, Sidney R. Yates Federal Building, 201 14th Street, SW, Washington, DC 

20024. 202-205-1523.

Editing, design, and layout assistance provided by USDA Forest Service, Ecosystem Management 

Coordination (EMC), Publishing Arts. http://www.fs.fed.us/emc/pa
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Strategic Energy Framework

Table of Contents 

Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1

Vision.............................................................................................................................................. 3

Forest Service Role ......................................................................................................................... 3

Challenges....................................................................................................................................... 4

Guiding Principles .......................................................................................................................... 5

Tactical Principles........................................................................................................................... 5

Goals—Overview ........................................................................................................................... 6

Goals—Description......................................................................................................................... 7

Goal 1: National Energy Security, Environmental Quality, and Economic Opportunities........ 7

Goal 2: Science ........................................................................................................................... 8

Goal 3: Alliances ........................................................................................................................ 9

Goal 4: Education ....................................................................................................................... 9

Goal 5: Decision-making.......................................................................................................... 10

Next Steps..................................................................................................................................... 10

References..................................................................................................................................... 11

Appendix 1.................................................................................................................................... 12

Additional Opportunities to Support Strategic Energy Framework Goals............................... 12

Appendix 2.................................................................................................................................... 16

Recommendations Responsive to OIG Audit Report No. 08601-52-SF, August 2008 ........... 16

Appendix 3.................................................................................................................................... 18

Key Terms................................................................................................................................. 18
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Introduction

The sustainability and security of the Nation’s energy resources are defining and 

immediate issues. The Forest Service Strategic Energy Framework sets 

direction and proactive goals for the Agency to play a significant and long-term 

role in resolving challenges to our energy resources, on which our environment 

and quality of life depend.

This Framework fosters the sustainable management and use of forest and 

grassland energy resources to contribute to national energy security, 

environmental quality, and economic opportunity. The Framework is part of a 

suite of efforts that the Forest Service has undertaken over the past 2 years to 

address such emergent issues as climate change (USDA Forest Service 2010), 

woody biomass utilization (USDA Forest Service 2008c) and sustainability (EO 

13514). This effort also links to U.S. Department of Agriculture efforts and to 

other U.S. Government efforts in climate change and energy (BRDB 2008, 

USCCSP 2008).

The Forest Service mission—to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of 

the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future 

generations—is global and complex in its scope and influence. The Forest Service 

manages 193 million acres of National Forest System lands; assists States, Tribes, 

and private landowners with technical and financial assistance; provides 

international technical assistance; and develops and disseminates applicable 

science and technology to improve the health and use of America’s forests and 

grasslands. 

The rapidly changing natural, economic, and geopolitical landscape is reducing 

access to traditional energy resources, increasing costs to produce and deliver

them, and threatening national energy security. Emerging demands for nonpetroleum-based energy sources are focused on domestic coal and natural gas as 

well as on renewable and alternative energy resources such as biomass, wind, 

solar, geothermal, hydrogen, and hydropower and nuclear. 

The United States is actively responding to these pressures by developing 

alternative energy sources, improving the efficiency of energy use and delivery, 

investing in scientific research, and developing and deploying innovative 

technologies. The Nation will increasingly develop, acquire, and deploy

competitive technologies and processes that reduce the cost, minimize 

environmental effects, and increase the effectiveness of locating and delivering 

energy.

The America’s forests and grasslands are important sources of clean, renewable 

energy that can help offset fossil energy and emissions. These both public and 

private forests can host diverse kinds of energy production, including from 

conventional sources and from robust transmission efforts. These energy 

resources—along with the science, technology, creativity, and innovation to make 

them sustainably and cost-effectively available—are expected to be a major key 
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to satisfying the Nation’s energy demands and will create energy-related jobs into 

the future. 

Appendix 1 (see page 12) provides a list of additional opportunities to support the 

Strategic Energy Framework Goals.

Appendix 2 (see page 16) provides recommendations that are responsive to OIG 

Audit Report No. 08601-52 – August 2008.
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Vision

The Forest Service envisions a future where:

 America’s forests and grasslands are managed to significantly contribute to 

U.S. energy security while maintaining and enhancing overall environmental 

quality, sustainability, and economic opportunities.

 Citizens are knowledgeable about Agency energy initiatives and participate in 

decisions and actions affecting national forests and grasslands.

Achieving this Vision relies on acknowledging the continuing value of fossilbased energy while providing an Agency framework that supports the 

development and production of new energy solutions. These new energy solutions 

will integrate strategies for achieving land management objectives, mitigating and 

adapting to climate change, and providing goods and services. The Forest Service 

encourages outreach efforts to help citizens gain a better understanding of the 

energy value of America’s forests and grasslands.

Forest Service Role

Implicit in the Forest Service mission is that energy is both a need and a benefit 

that can be sustainably provided from America’s forests and grasslands. The 

Agency’s management of energy resources is based on a systematic, active, and

adaptive approach to changing conditions and demands for energy production, 

use, transmission, and distribution. 

The key Forest Service energy role is to effectively contribute to the sustainable 

development and use of energy resources for present and future generations 

through land management, technical and financial assistance, research and 

development, and energy conservation. 

While fulfilling this goal, the Forest Service will:

 Proactively further the transformation of the Nation’s energy supply and use 

of renewable energy and other alternative fuels for addressing national energy 

security needs while maintaining and enhancing the productivity and health of 

the Nation’s forest and grassland resources; 

 Advance the Agency’s energy policy and energy-related activities to alleviate 

the impact of high energy costs, to develop long-term sustainable energy 

solutions, and to mitigate climate change; and

 Carry out its commitment to the Nation’s quest for energy security, energy 

education initiatives, energy conservation, and climate change solutions

through renewable energy activities and technologies.

The Forest Service has identified specific tactical areas that will help achieve

energy security while protecting the National Forest System. These include:
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 Renewable energy—Contribute to both energy security and mitigation of 

greenhouse gas emissions through planning and administration of renewable 

energy resource management on National Forest System lands and through 

development and transfer of science and technology for renewable energy 

production from all lands; 

 Fossil fuel energy—Contribute to energy security as a bridge to a low-fossilfuel energy future through production of fossil fuels from National Forest 

System lands, supported by land management plans that balance this activity 

with other multiple uses and production of ecosystem services;

 Energy delivery—Contribute to the movement of energy from production 

sources to the places where people use energy, and confine delivery methods 

to existing or newly designated “corridors” as a way to minimize the 

proliferation of rights-of-way across the landscape;

 Energy conservation—Reduce the Forest Service footprint (USDA Forest 

Service 2008a) related to water use, energy use, purchasing, and waste 

management, by integrating energy conservation, green purchasing, recycling,

and efficiency into daily operations as directed by EOs 13423 and 13514 

while fully delivering mission results. 

Challenges

Numerous challenges will arise in shifting from long-standing Forest Service 

energy management policies and procedures to new policies and procedures that 

are based on the recognition of energy as a critical national resource that is closely 

linked to the Nation’s energy security and climate change. A fresh approach to

energy resources will be needed to promote flexible, versatile, sustainable, and 

agile management policies that use creative solutions to:

1. Foster innovation and action to secure and sustain appropriate uses of 

energy resources;

2. Adjust management processes and actions to address the full spectrum of 

energy resources supplied by forests and grasslands;

3. Develop, deploy, and disseminate best management practices for use by 

Federal, State, tribal, and private landowners in managing energy 

resources at local, regional, and landscape levels; 

4. Develop, acquire, and deploy science and technology to effectively 

integrate energy production and conservation with production of goods 

and services;

5. Balance the social, environmental, and economic variables influencing and 

influenced by energy supply; and 

6. Increase the Agency’s institutional capacity with the specialized skills 

necessary to assess the effects of existing and new technologies that affect 

America’s forests and grasslands.
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Guiding Principles 

These principles guide the Forest Service in developing and implementing

creative ways to fulfill the Agency’s role in the Nation’s sustainable energy 

future. The Forest Service will:

1. Consider a full range of energy opportunities—including renewable and

non-renewable energy sources, geological sequestration, energy corridors, 

and energy efficiency and conservation—as an integral part of our 

multiple-use mission.

2. Recognize that science is a foundation for decisions and actions and that 

new knowledge will be communicated as it evolves.

3. Encourage responsible and transparent development of energy resources 

and associated energy corridors while conserving and enhancing the health 

and productivity of America’s forest and grassland resources. 

4. Recognize the role of energy in the sustainability of communities, and 

work with public and private interests to encourage timely and responsible 

development of energy resources and energy corridors.

5. Recognize that partnerships are essential to our success as we work with 

new and existing partners to develop, introduce, and use innovative, 

leading edge technology and scientific information in energy production 

and management. 

6. Acknowledge that the Agency mission is best accomplished by integrating 

a life-cycle analysis of all activities.

Tactical Principles

These principles provide specific tactics to help the Forest Service implement the 

guiding principles. The Forest Service will:

1. Foster innovation and action to achieve the outcomes in this Framework.

2. Provide programmatic analyses and decisions that will guide energy 

development on National Forest System lands, especially for use in 

amending local unit plans.

3. Ensure a knowledgeable, professional workforce to support expanded 

energy activities in an environmentally sound manner.

4. Use electronic information and delivery systems for Agency energy 

resources and activities to achieve transparency and accountability.

5. Integrate strategies, policies, and actions for addressing energy and 

climate change (needs, resources, and issues) across all deputy areas at all 

levels of the Forest Service.

6. Use all existing authorities and means to facilitate a long-term, 

sustainable, and predictable supply of renewable energy.
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Goals—Overview

The overarching goal (Goal 1) of the Forest Service Strategic Energy 

Framework is to significantly contribute to national energy security, 

environmental quality, and economic opportunities through sustainable land 

management, energy production, and conservation. 

As work on the Action Plan (Appendices 1 and 2) progresses, the Agency will 

have an integrated approach toward energy resource knowledge, best practices, 

lessons learned, policies, program guidance, tools, decision-making, partnerships, 

communication, and outreach. 

Four key goals (Goals 2 through 5) will help the Forest Service achieve the 

overall goal noted above. Success can be achieved only through collaboration and 

partnership with the Agency’s broad network of States, Tribes, other Federal 

agencies, communities, private landowners, conservation and other organizations, 

and the public at large and internationally. The Forest Service must also work 

across organizational boundaries and functional areas to achieve these goals.

Successfully meeting the four key goals will enable the Agency to achieve its 

broad role in meeting the Nation’s energy challenges.

Science (Goal 2)—Produce, acquire, disseminate, and effectively use science and 

technology to: (a) sustainably produce and transform America's renewable and 

abundant forest biomass resources into cost-competitive, high-performance 

biofuels, bioproducts, thermal energy, and biopower and combined heat and 

power; and (b) integrate energy production into sustainable forest and grassland 

management in conjunction with management goals and ownership objectives. 

Alliances (Goal 3)—Build strong alliances and partnerships with energy interests 

in other Federal agencies, State and local governments, Tribes, private 

landowners, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to

sustainably provide and enhance the goods and services from America’s forests 

and grasslands.

Education (Goal 4)—Promote and provide problem-solving, energy awareness, 

sustainable resource conservation, and energy-related assistance to States, Tribes, 

and local communities through a variety of educational outreach efforts.

Decision-making (Goal 5)—Ensure that life-cycle analysis of the energy and 

environmental impacts of Forest Service decisions and actions is standard 

operating procedure throughout the organization and that broad policy decisions 

are made in the context of accomplishing the Agency mission as a whole rather 

than as unrelated actions. 
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Goals—Description

Goal 1: National Energy Security, Environmental Quality, and 

Economic Opportunities

Contribute to National energy security, environmental quality, and economic opportunities 

through sustainable land management, energy production, and conservation. As work on the 

Action Plan progresses, the Agency will have an integrated approach toward energy resource 

knowledge, best practices, lessons learned, policies, program guidance, tools, decisionmaking, partnerships, communication, and outreach. 

For more than a century, the Forest Service has contributed to the Nation’s energy 

supply and transmission. As the Nation designs and implements a new energy 

future that addresses climate change and ensures national energy security, the 

Forest Service—through management of National Forest System lands; State, 

tribal, and private landowner assistance programs; and development and transfer 

of new science, technology, and decision support tools—will proactively 

contribute to sustainable production of renewable and non-renewable energy, 

energy transmission and distribution, and increased Forest Service energy 

efficiency.

Historically, energy contributions of the Forest Service included subsistence use 

of fuel wood from National Forest System lands for communities and railroads. 

Special-use administration of National Forest System lands has facilitated energy 

rights-of-way for power transmission and fuel pipelines, hydroelectric 

development in forest watersheds, and private development of energy resource 

deposits beneath National Forest System lands. Research on wood chemistry has 

contributed to the scientific understanding needed to produce cellulosic biofuels, 

while research on silviculture, timber harvest and collection, and transportation 

has provided scientific knowledge for sustainable production and utilization of 

forest biomass for energy.

The Forest Service will facilitate the use of renewable forest-based biomass, wood 

residues and wood energy crops to contribute to the US goals of 16 billion gallons 

of advance biofuels by 2022. A recent USDA report (USDA 2010) indicated that 

logging residues alone could currently provide at least 2.8 billion gallons per year. 

Sustainably produced woody biomass will contribute to US energy goals, 

producing additional biofuels, and renewable electricity and thermal energy in 

heat and power systems scaled to biomass supply and energy demand.

Landowner assistance programs will promote forest crop production and 

utilization that includes biomass energy and low-energy-content building 

materials.

Policies are being developed for authorization of private solar and wind energy 

facilities on National Forest System lands. Forest Service Urban and Community 

Forestry program assistance promotes optimal tree location to reduce power 

consumption for heating and cooling of buildings. Focused management on 
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sustainable operations is reducing Agency energy consumption. The Research and 

Development program is continually improving methods for conducting 

inventories and assessment of resource conditions, improving biomass energy 

production, and developing knowledge and tools for forest and grassland 

managers to sustain and enhance the provision of goods and services for the 

benefit of present and future generations.

Energy security is also an urgent national concern. The Nation will require fossil 

fuels to meet our energy requirements as a bridge to the new energy future. 

Production from domestic energy sources is critical, and extraction of energy 

minerals from National Forest System lands while sustaining other resource 

values will be an important Forest Service contribution.

Goal 2: Science

Produce, acquire, disseminate, and effectively use science and technology to: (a) sustainably

produce and transform the Nation's renewable and abundant forest biomass resources into 

cost-competitive, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, thermal energy, biopower and 

combined heat and power; and (b) integrate energy production into sustainable forest and 

grassland management in conjunction with management goals and ownership objectives.

The Forest Service will produce, acquire, disseminate, and effectively use science 

and technology to integrate energy production into sustainable forest and 

grassland management. Appropriate life-cycle tools and models will be used to 

integrate energy conservation and efficiency into daily operations without 

compromising mission outcomes. 

Capturing the potential of forest biomass resources requires addressing major 

challenges such as: reliability and sustainability of feedstock supply; land use 

change and resource competition; and reducing costs for growing, recovering, 

transporting, and converting biomass to energy and substitutes for fossil-fuel 

intensive products. 

Integrated research and development on biobased products and bioenergy 

considers a full range of sustainable production, management, harvest, delivery, 

and conversion and utilization studies extending from molecular to global 

analyses. Such research operates across the supply chain of forest bioenergy and 

bioproducts with the goal of ensuring productive, sustainable, efficient, and 

affordable forest bioenergy systems and options. Research and development will

provide landowners and land managers with science and technology based options 

for sustainable and economical forest biomass management and production 

systems; efficient, competitive conversion technologies for biofuels, biopower,

and bioproducts; and information and tools for decision-making and policy 

analysis.

The Forest Service will work with partners to use emerging knowledge when

siting wind, solar, and conventional energy installations. Decision support tools 

will be used to understand effects of expanded interstate electric transmission on 

wildlife and plant populations, and to inform future decisions on transmission 

siting, including the design of appropriate mitigation options.
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Goal 3: Alliances

Build strong alliances and partnerships with energy interests in other Federal agencies, State 

and local governments, Tribes, private landowners, non-governmental organizations, and 

international partners to provide sustainable forests and grasslands for present and future 

generations.

As a national and international leader in forest and grassland conservation, the 

Forest Service has a responsibility to share information and expertise on energy 

issues related to forests and grasslands. The Forest Service has extensive 

experience in working with diverse partners to achieve shared objectives. The 

mission of the State and Private Forestry program extends the Agency’s 

responsibility to provide technical, financial, and educational assistance to State, 

tribal, and private forest lands. The mission of the Research and Development 

program clearly extends the Forest Service’s responsibility and ability to provide 

knowledge, tools, and assistance applicable to all forests and grasslands.

The Nation’s significant energy challenge means building on the Agency’s 

collaborative experience and making proactive, integrated efforts to expand 

existing partnerships and actively seek new ones to address common energyrelated objectives, such as Job Corps training for renewable energy. Many Federal 

agencies—along with numerous local conservation groups and other nongovernmental organizations—are addressing energy and carbon emissions and are 

positioning themselves to develop energy strategies for the Nation’s energy 

security and carbon markets. The Forest Service’s aim is to identify these Federal 

agencies and non-Federal partners and to work in cooperation, collaboration, and 

partnership with them to maximize overall Federal energy results.

Goal 4: Education

Promote and provide problem-solving, energy awareness, sustainable resource conservation,

and energy-related assistance to States, Tribes, and local communities through a variety of 

educational outreach efforts.

Understanding the full range of energy opportunities is critical to supporting 

communities that seek a sustainable supply of renewable energy while conserving 

and enhancing the health and productivity of the Nation’s forest and grassland 

resources.

The Forest Service can play an important role in accelerating the understanding, 

transfer, and adoption of science and technology. This knowledge will help to 

reduce the risk of investments by both public and private enterprises while 

ensuring that a balance between affordable energy and the use and health of 

natural resources is not impaired.

Renewable energy is a topic that is of great interest across generational 

boundaries, and the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner to meet the 

Nation’s renewable energy goals will require a working knowledge of ecological 

systems. The Forest Service’s priority of “Kids in the Woods” is an excellent 
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entry point for the larger inter-generational discussion that is needed around forest 

and rangeland health and management.

The Forest Service in partnership with other organizations will support a variety 

of educational outreach efforts such as on-site demonstrations, knowledge fairs, 

collaborative Web- and social-media-based knowledge sharing, and classroom 

instruction.

Goal 5: Decision-making

Ensure that life-cycle analysis of the energy and environmental impacts of Forest Service 

decisions and actions is standard operating procedure throughout the organization and that 

broad policy decisions are made in the context of accomplishing the Agency mission as a

whole rather than as unrelated actions.

Appropriate life-cycle tools and models will be used to integrate energy 

conservation and efficiency into daily operations without compromising mission 

outcomes. The Agency will conduct complete and relevant life-cycle assessments

of different forest management scenarios. Additionally, the Forest Service will 

promote development of methods, operational processes, and decision support 

tools to incorporate life-cycle analyses into resource management decisionmaking for all forms of energy development and transmission. This includes the 

capturing and sharing of lessons learned and best practices as well as any 

emergent knowledge on energy resources.

Mission-consistent information for reducing individual environmental 

footprints—such as recycling, telecommuting, and video conferencing—will be 

provided to employees. Life-cycle assessments will also inform energy efficiency 

and conservation, facility upgrades, and other major decisions and investments.

Next Steps

The next step is to implement concrete actions to achieve the vision and goals of 

this Framework. See Appendices 1 and 2 for goals and recommendations.

Agency actions to implement this Framework will be incorporated into planning, 

budgets, and the annual programs of work of Agency units, where appropriate, 

nationwide. When the Forest Service strategic plan is updated, it will provide the 

basis for future budget and performance integration that will call for sustainable 

production and transmission of renewable and non-renewable energy and 

reduction in Agency energy consumption. The strategic plan will also 

significantly enable the implementation of this Forest Service Strategic Energy 

Framework.
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References

Biomass Research and Development Board [BRDB]. 2008. National biofuels 

action plan. http://www.usbiomassboard.gov/pdfs/1_nbap_Oct08.pdf.

U.S. Climate Change Science Program [USCCSP]. 2008. The effects of climate 

change on agriculture, land resources, water resources, and biodiversity in the 

United States: synthesis and assessment product 4.3. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Sustainable buildings implementation 

plan, August 13, 2007. 

http://www.usda.gov/oce/global_change/sap_2007_FinalReport.htm.

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]. 2008. Biofuels Strategic Production 

http://www.fs.fed.us/sustainableoperations/documents/USDA 

SBIP Final August 13.pdf

 Report, June 23, 2008, considering the EISA restrictions in the definition of 

 “renewable biomass.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]. 2010. A USDA Regional Roadmap to 

 Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022. 

 http://www.usda.gov/documents/USDA Biofuels Report 6232010.pdf

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Forest Service. 2008a. Fiscal year 2007 

national environmental footprint report. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Forest Service. 2008b. Woody biomass 

utilization strategy. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/sustainableoperations/documents/fy2007-environmentalfootprint.pdf.

http://www.fs.fed.us/woodybiomass/strategy/documents/FS_WoodyBiomassStrategy.pdf

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Forest Service. 2010. Forest Service 

National roadmap for responding to climate change. Washington, DC. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/climatechange/pdf/roadmap.pdf.

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Forest Service. [No date]. Climate 

change glossary. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Forest Service Research and 

Development. 2009. Forest Service Research and Development Bioenergy and 

Biobased Products Strategic Direction – 2009 – 2014. 

http://www.fs.fed.us/climatechange/documents/glossary.pdf.

http://www.fs.fed.us/research/pdf/RD_Bioenergy_Strategy_March_2010.

pdf
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Appendix 1 

Additional Opportunities to Support Strategic Energy 

Framework Goals

# Goal

1 NATIONAL ENERGY 

SECURITY, ENVIRONMENTAL 

QUALITY, ECONOMIC 

OPPORTUNITIES – Contribute 

to National energy security, 

environmental quality, and 

economic opportunities through 

sustainable energy production, 

conservation, and efficiency. As 

work on the Action Plan

progresses, the Agency will 

have an integrated approach 

toward energy resource 

knowledge, best practices, 

lessons learned, policies, 

program guidance, tools, 

decisionmaking, partnerships, 

communication, and outreach.

1.1 Revise Forest Service Manual Chapter 1920, Land Management 

Planning, to provide direction and policy for production and 

delivery of renewable energy across National Forest System 

lands.

1.2 Include evaluation and implementation of increased renewable 

energy production and transmission in regional strategic 

business plans developed as part of budget and performance 

integration.

1.3 Implement integrated efforts to achieve national energy security, 

environmental quality, and economic opportunities:

• Create zone energy teams to work cooperatively with similar 

Department of the Interior units and share expertise on the 

processing of permits and assessing the effects of the siting, 

operation, and maintenance of energy facilities on forested 

lands and leadership across the 11 Western states.

• Identify and market the most promising suitable locations for 

renewable energy resources on National Forest System 

lands and grasslands.

• Improve energy efficiency in Agency facilities by 2015 to 

meet the intent of EO 13514.

• By 2013, complete CROP Studies on national forests for 

potential wood-to-energy investors. 

• Promote e-Government solutions for all minerals and clean 

energy resources.

• Promote minerals resources practices and technologies that 

least affect natural and human resources.

• Expand the concept of oil and gas leasing analysis to an 

“energy analysis” model to include all energy and associated 

infrastructure needs.

• Integrate energy efforts to meet Executive Order 13514, 

Federal Leadership In Environmental, Energy and Economic 

Performance.

1.4. Recruit, hire, train, and support employees to improve the 

Agency’s ability to incorporate increasingly sophisticated and 

vital clean energy resources and their purpose, use, and results 

into communication, management, technical assistance, and 

research and development programs.

1.5 Balance the benefits of renewable energy resource development 

with the need to protect fish and wildlife and the habitats needed 
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# Goal

to sustain viable populations of native biota.

1.6 Actively use green teams in fostering place-based efforts across 

environmental footprint areas to achieve greater energy 

efficiency, conservation, sustainable buildings, and a green 

organization.

1.7 Identify the impacts of development and operations of solar, 

wind, and geothermal energy on recreational facilities [summer 

homes, ski areas, resorts, etc] and forests and grasslands 

resources.

• Undertake a programmatic environmental impact statement 

on solar, wind and geothermal development.

1.8 Create new knowledge and decision support tools on the siting, 

design, and operations of hydropower facilities to mitigate the 

effects of climate change on the distribution of native aquaticdependent biota on national forests and grasslands.

2 SCIENCE – Produce, acquire, 

and use science and technology 

(a) to sustainably produce and 

transform the Nation’s 

renewable and abundant forest 

biomass resources into costcompetitive, high performance 

biofuels, bioproducts, thermal 

energy, biopower and combined 

heat and power; and (b) to 

integrate energy production into 

sustainable forest and grassland 

management in conjunction with 

management goals and 

ownership objectives.. 

2.1 Provide the Nation with science and technology for sustainable 

and economical forest biomass management and production 

systems:

• Develop sustainable management and utilization systems 

that integrate bioenergy feedstock production with biomass 

and residue management, forest health, fuels reduction and 

restoration treatments, and production forestry.

• Provide the science and technology for short-rotation woody 

cropping systems that use a variety of tree species. 

• Develop forestry best management practices for sustainable 

expanded biomass removal.

• Develop new varieties of woody crops that are fast growing, highyielding, pest-resistant, and water- and nutrient-use efficient.

• Synthesize environmental outcomes of forest biomass 

production approaches. 

• Develop improved harvest, collection, handling, and 

transportation systems for woody biomass.

• Provide cost and equipment information and options for field 

biomass processing to improve efficiency and mitigate 

impacts.

• Develop strategies to integrate forest systems into 

agricultural landscapes to provide services as well as 

income.

2.2 Provide the Nation science and technology for competitive 

biofuels, thermal energy, and biopower conversion technologies 

and bioproducts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 

fossil fuel use: 

• Develop wood-based biofuels, chemicals, and products that 

economically substitute for petroleum-based and other fossil 

fuels intensive materials.

• Develop economically efficient bio-refinery pathways and 

processes.
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# Goal

• Produce feedstock characteristic database.

• Develop integrated bioenergy and biofuels production 

processes to diversify product lines, expand markets, and 

provide value-added energy options for conventional woodprocessing facilities.

• Produce efficient biomass deconstruction techniques for 

chemical and fuels production through fermentation and 

improved fermenting organisms.

• Develop robust bio-refining technologies that can use a 

variety of lignocellulosic feedstocks. 

• Develop value-added chemicals and fuels from 

thermochemical platforms including pyrolysis and gasification

2.3 Provide the Nation information and tools for decision-making and 

policy analysis: 

• Develop higher resolution, consistent national and regional 

tools for more accurate assessment of forest bioenergy 

resources.

• Provide mapping products to identify potential sites for shortrotation woody energy crops.

• Create models to assist with identification of opportunity 

zones and site selection for bioenergy facilities considering 

supply, competition, transportation, water, and infrastructure.

• Develop sustainability criteria for forest bioenergy feedstocks.

• Provide life-cycle analysis and assessment tools for all 

aspects of forest bioenergy/bioproducts, including carbon 

and greenhouse gas accounting.

• Develop integrated models of future land use patterns, goods 

and services delivery, and markets as influenced by 

expanded bioenergy production. 

• Provide logistics and decision support tools to reduce costs 

of treatments involving biomass removal and to improve 

harvest and transport efficiency. 

2.4 Collaborate on research to understand and mitigate the impacts 

of wind turbines, solar arrays, geothermal energy, hydropower, 

fossil fuel development, distributed wood fuel combustion, and 

rights-of-way on animal and plant populations.

2.5 Periodically, review and adjust priorities for the most critical focus 

areas for Forest Service energy and bioproduct research, 

development and application activities.

2.6 Effectively move science into application, including synthesis of 

current science and technology, developing and using decision 

support tools, disseminating new knowledge to users, integrating 

tools into common data and analysis structures, and acquiring 

and deploying information by users.

• Develop feedstock selection, sorting, and preprocessing 

technology optimized for various biofuels conversion 

technology platforms.
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# Goal Recommendation to Achieve Goal

3 ALLIANCES – Build strong 

alliances and partnerships with 

energy interests in other Federal 

agencies, State and local 

governments, Tribes, private 

landowners, non-governmental 

organizations, and international 

partners to provide sustainable 

forests and grasslands for 

present and future generations.

3.1 In collaboration with partners and stakeholders, carry out 

integrated regional and sub-regional landscape-scale 

assessments of: (a) the multiple implications of climate change,

to improve adaptation, mitigation, and conservation activities on 

forest and grassland ecosystems; and (b) the values, outputs,

and ecosystem services provided by national forests and 

grasslands.

4 EDUCATION – Promote energy 

awareness, sustainable

resource conservation 

education, and energy-related 

assistance to States, Tribes, 

and local communities through a 

variety of educational outreach 

efforts.

4.1 Develop a communications plan for this Framework that

emphasizes collaboration, social networking, success stories, 

best practices, and lessons learned in concert with such partners 

as States, Tribes, and local communities; and that results in 

easily understood products aimed at appropriate audiences, 

including visitors to national forests and grasslands.

4.2 Develop and sustain a regular exchange of information through 

quarterly conference calls, webinars, email, and other social media. 

4.3 Encourage and enable diverse participation in demonstration 

projects; pilot programs; and national and regional conferences, 

workshops, and training sessions.

4.4 Produce Web-based (including social media-based) and hard-copy 

information to document successful energy-related projects and 

facilitate an exchange of the latest renewable research findings.

4.5 Collaboratively produce a reference that identifies both technical 

and financial assistance available for renewable energy projects 

from public sources.

4.6 .Sponsor an energy resource knowledge fair at conferences, 

special events, the Capitol Rotunda, National Mall, and the 

USDA Display to share new research and practices and continue 

to promote awareness

5 DECISIONMAKING – Ensure 

that life-cycle analysis of the 

environmental impacts of Forest 

Service decisions and actions is 

standard operating procedure 

throughout the organization and

that broad policy decisions are 

made in the context of the whole 

rather than as unrelated actions.

5.1 Promote development of methods, operational processes, and 

decision support tools to enhance the capacity of bioenergy and 

bioproducts to offset fossil fuel emissions and to sequester 

carbon.

5.2 Promote efficiency, transparency, security, and compliance as 

standard operating practices when addressing multiple 

challenges and investment opportunities in support of sustainable 

land management.

5.3 Update Forest Service handbooks and manuals to reflect 

appropriate use of life-cycle analysis for Agency planning and 

analyses.
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Appendix 2 

Recommendations Responsive to OIG Audit Report No. 08601-52-SF, 

August 2008

# Goal Recommendation to Achieve Goal

1 NATIONAL ENERGY 

SECURITY, ENVIRONMENTAL 

QUALITY, ECONOMIC 

OPPORTUNITIES – Contribute 

to National energy security, 

environmental quality, and 

economic opportunities through 

sustainable energy production, 

conservation, and efficiency. As 

work on the Action Plan

progresses, the Agency will 

have an integrated approach 

toward energy resource 

knowledge, best practices, 

lessons learned, policies, 

program guidance, tools, 

decisionmaking, partnerships, 

communication, and outreach.

1.4 Create a National Energy Working Group composed of 

appropriate directors to better coordinate Agency energy actions 

and over-see implementation of Strategic Energy Framework.

1.5 Support identification of woody biomass utilization and bioenergy 

opportunities in State Forest Assessments and Response 

Strategies.

1.6 Implement integrated efforts to achieve national energy security, 

environmental quality, and economic opportunities:

• Facilitate the use of renewable forest-based biomass, wood 

residues and wood energy crops to contribute to the US 

goals of 16 billion gallons of advance biofuels by 2022, with 

expected contributions from woody biomass in the order of 

2.8 billion gallons, primarily from private forest lands.

• Facilitate sustainably produced woody biomass contributing 

to energy goals in the US producing renewable electricity 

and thermal energy, in distributed heat and power systems 

that are scaled and suited to use small diameter material 

from forest restoration treatments.

• Identify Forest Service facilities for biomass pilot projects. 

• Collaboratively develop and bring to operation bioenergy 

facilities by 2014 to meet intent of EO 13514.

• Construct bioenergy R&D facility at the Forest Products Lab.

1.4. Provide policy and guidelines addressing the development of 

renewable energy resources on National Forest System lands:

• Wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and other renewable 

energy;

• Collaborate in broad-scale analysis to assess effects of 

potential low flow hydropower development on aquatic 

resources, especially native aquatic dependent biota; and

• Planning and development of energy analysis at the forest 

level tiering to broad-scale assessments.

2 SCIENCE – Produce, acquire, 

and use science and technology 

(a) to sustainably produce and 

transform the Nation’s 

renewable and abundant forest 

biomass resources into costcompetitive, high performance 

biofuels, bioproducts, thermal 

energy, biopower and combined 

heat and power; and (b) to 

2.7 Provide the Nation with science and technology for sustainable 

and economical forest biomass management and production 

systems.

2.8 Provide the Nation with science and technology for competitive 

biofuels, thermal energy, and biopower conversion technologies 

and bioproducts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 

fossil fuel use.

2.9 Provide the Nation information and tools for decision-making and 
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# Goal Recommendation to Achieve Goal

integrate energy production into 

sustainable forest and grassland 

management in conjunction with 

management goals and 

ownership objectives.. 

policy analysis.

3 ALLIANCES – Build strong 

alliances and partnerships with 

energy interests in other Federal

agencies, State and local 

governments, Tribes, private 

landowners, non-governmental 

organizations, and international 

partners to provide sustainable 

forests and grasslands for 

present and future generations.

3.2 Regional Office State and Private Forestry directors will work with 

State agencies to expand expertise in woody biomass utilization, 

bioenergy, biomass, feedstock collection, harvesting, storage, 

and transport.

3.3 Regional foresters will promote biomass energy agreements with 

Tribes of their regions as pilot efforts to find common ground in 

support of regional tribal leaders committees such as the Alaska 

Tribal Leaders Committee.

3.4 Collaborate with State and regional energy transmission planning 

efforts to effectively incorporate National Forest System lands 

into new energy facility siting and transmission strategies.

4 EDUCATION – Promote energy 

awareness, sustainable 

resource conservation 

education, and energy-related 

assistance to States, Tribes, 

and local communities through a 

variety of educational outreach 

efforts.

4.7 Conduct regular on-site national and regional meetings, including 

a “Renewable Energy Resources Summit,” to exchange 

information, examine project outcomes, and develop future 

strategies among various partners and interest groups

4.8 Sponsor and encourage formal educational courses and other 

related training for employees, Job Corps participants, and 

partners that further the Agency’s mission in renewable energy 

as part of building a new energy workforce for the future

5 DECISIONMAKING – Ensure 

that life-cycle analysis of the 

environmental impacts of Forest 

Service decisions and actions is 

standard operating procedure 

throughout the organization and 

that broad policy decisions are 

made in the context of the whole 

rather than as unrelated actions.

5.1 Develop improved and integrated life-cycle analysis of bioenergy 

and bio-products from forests and grasslands.
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Appendix 3

Key Terms

Airshed – A geographical area in which atmospheric characteristics, such as 

 mixing height and transport winds, are similar.

Alternative energy – Energy derived from non-fossil sources.

America’s forests – Include all Federal, State, tribal and private forested lands.

Bioenergy – Renewable energy made available from organic sources; comes from 

any fuel that is derived from biomass (recently living organisms or their 

metabolic byproducts).

Biofuels – A fuel produced from dry organic matter or combustible oils produced 

by plants; examples of biofuels include alcohol (from fermented sugar), black 

liquor (from the paper manufacturing process), wood, and vegetable oil.

Biomass – Organic matter available on a renewable basis; includes forest and mill 

residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood residues, animal 

wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fast-growing trees and 

plants, and municipal waste and industrial residues; can be used to produce 

liquid transportation fuels, chemicals and other bioproducts, electric power, 

steam, and heat. Also refers to the total mass of living organisms in a given 

area or volume; recently dead plant material is often included as dead 

biomass.

Biopower – Power, including electricity and heat, produced from biomass;

includes biopower from self-generation in pulp and paper facilities, and 

biopower facilities that produce power and frequently also heat for on-site use 

and/or for the power grid. Biopower provides the most non-hydroelectric 

renewable energy in the United States.

Bioproducts – Products made from renewable resources of agriculture, forestry,

and aquaculture; a key aspect of bioproducts is that they are renewable and 

sustainable.
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Strategic Energy Framework

Carbon markets – Function like a financial market in which carbon credits (also 

called pollution credits)—representing the right to emit a specific quantity of 

greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, or other 

greenhouse gases), measured in carbon equivalents—are bought and sold.

Carbon credits are used to manage a cap on allowable emissions from specific 

facilities; within the market, polluters that are below the cap can sell the 

“excess” emissions rights as credits, or shares, to others who are above the 

limit. One goal of the carbon market is to create a scarcity of shares; the 

scarcity drives up the cost of emitting into the atmosphere greenhouse gases 

that were generated through the direct combustion of (or use of energy derived 

from) conventional fossil fuels, which encourages further emission reduction 

and investment in alternative energy sources and increased energy efficiency 

and conservation.

Cap and trade (similar to carbon markets, above) – A regulatory framework in 

which a maximum allowable rate of emission of a particular pollutant is 

established for facilities; a given facility that emits less than its cap can sell 

the difference as a pollution credit to another facility that exceeds its cap. A

cap-and-trade system for climate change sets allowable emissions rates for 

greenhouse gases in carbon equivalents; facilities can trade credits if their 

emissions are less than their cap and must purchase enough credits to offset 

their emissions to their maximum allowed emissions rate.

Cellulosic biofuels – Liquid transportation fuels produced from wood, grasses, or 

the non-edible parts of plants.

Climate change – Any long-term change in the patterns of average weather of a 

specific region or the earth as a whole. Climate change affects average 

temperatures and temperature extremes; timing and geographical patterns of 

precipitation, snowmelt, runoff, evaporation, and soil moisture; the frequency 

of disturbances, such as drought, insect and disease outbreaks, severe storms, 

and forest fires; atmospheric composition and air quality; and patterns of 

human settlement and land use change. Leads to direct and indirect effects on 

ecosystems.

Cofiring – Is a low-cost option for efficiently converting biomass to electricity by 

adding biomass as a partial substitute fuel in high-efficiency coal boilers.

Cogeneration (also combined heat and power, CHP) is the use of a heat engine

or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat.

Ecosystem – A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms 

with their physical and chemical environment functioning together as a unit; 

made up of plants, animals, microorganisms, soil, rocks, minerals, water 

sources, and the local atmosphere.

Ecosystem services – Ecological processes or functions that have value to 

individuals or society.

Energy efficiency – The ratio of energy output of a conversion process or of a 

system to its energy input.
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Energy security – A resilient energy system capable of withstanding threats 

through a combination of active, direct measures including fuel diversity and 

reliance on less vulnerable sources; policy that considers not only the risk of 

dependence on fuel sources located in remote and unstable regions of the 

world, but also the benefits of domestic and diverse fuel sources.

Environmental footprint – The impact on the land resulting from human 

consumption. 

Environmental footprint area – The amount of land area required to both 

support the resource demands and absorb the wastes of an individual, group of 

individuals, or business, as calculated by a formal foot print analysis.

Environmental quality – Set of properties, characteristics, or standards of the 

environment (such as air or water purity) that affect the lives of humans and 

other organisms; often expressed in terms of indicators or indices.

Feedstocks – A substance used as a raw material in an industrial process.

Fossil energy – Energy from fossil carbon deposits, including coal, oil, and 

natural gas.

Fossil fuels – Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the earth’s crust; 

produced from oil, gas, and coal residues of the conversion of once-living 

organisms; considered non-renewable energy sources because they take 

millions of years to form.

Geological sequestration – Also known as “carbon dioxide capture and storage,” 

whereby carbon dioxide (CO2

) is trapped in flue gas and injected into geologic 

formations including oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, and deep 

saline reservoirs. Research is being done to understand the behavior of CO2

when stored in geologic formations to ensure that sequestration will not 

impair the geologic integrity of an underground formation, and that CO2

storage is secure and environmentally acceptable.

Geothermal energy – Energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth; 

can be used for heat and electricity generation.

Green purchasing – The purchase of products that are sourced and/or 

manufactured in an environmentally benign way; includes the acquisition of 

recycled content products, environmentally preferable products and services, 

biobased products, energy- and water- efficient products, alternative fuel 

vehicles, products that use renewable energy, and alternatives to hazardous or 

toxic chemicals.

Greenhouse gas – A gas that absorbs long-wave radiation from the earth, thereby 

heating the earth’s atmosphere and potentially leading to global climate 

change. Greenhouse gases include, but not limited to carbon dioxide, nitrous 

oxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and water vapor.

Lignocellulosic – Any of several closely related substances constituting the 

essential part of woody cell walls and consisting of cellulose intimately 

associated with lignin.
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Life-cycle analysis – Evaluation of the environmental impacts of products, 

processes, and services—from resource extraction through use and disposal—

based on life-cycle inventory data; also includes examination of energy used 

and pollution created. Interpretation of a life-cycle analysis evaluates the 

specific processes and impact indicators to determine how to reduce 

environmental burdens.

Mitigation – Actions or interventions to reduce net emissions of greenhouse 

gases and encourage the development of renewable, sustainable energy.

National Forest System – Comprises 193 million acres; the system is made up of 

155 national forests and 19 national grasslands in 41 States and Puerto Rico.

Non-renewable energy – Energy sources that come out of the ground as liquids, 

gases, and solids; includes resources such as coal, oil, gas, and uranium.

Pyrolysis – The thermal decomposition of biomass at high temperatures (greater 

than 400 degrees Fahrenheit [200 degrees Celsius]) in the absence of air. The 

end product of pyrolysis is a mixture of solids (char), liquids (oxygenated 

oils), and gases (methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide) with 

proportions determined by operating temperature, pressure, oxygen content, 

and other conditions.

Renewable energy – Energy resources that are naturally replenishing but flowlimited. They are virtually inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount 

of energy that is available per unit of time. Renewable energy resources 

include: biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar, wind, ocean thermal, wave action, 

and tidal action.

Silviculture – The branch of forestry dealing with the development and care of 

forests to meet human needs.

Small diameter – Timber that is usually 4 to 8 inches in diameter, which

traditionally has not been economical to remove for commercial timber 

production.

Solar array – Linked collection of photovoltaic modules, which are in turn made 

of multiple interconnected solar cells that convert solar energy into direct 

current electricity.

Solar energy – Energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical 

energy.

Special use authorizations – Documents (issued by a Forest Service line officer 

in compliance with national policy and Federal land laws) authorizing special 

uses on National Forest System lands that provide a benefit to the general 

public while protecting public and natural resource values; includes such uses 

as: water energy transmission, research, road and utility rights-of-way, and 

others.

Sustainability – The creation and maintenance of conditions under which humans 

and nature can exist in productive harmony and which permit fulfilling the 

social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.
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Sustainable development – Development that meets the needs of the present 

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own 

needs.

Transmission (electric) – An interconnected group of lines and associated 

 equipment for the movement or transfer of electric energy between points of 

 supply and points at which it is transformed for delivery to customers or is 

 delivered to other electric systems.

Thermal energy – Energy in the form of heat, in the case of biomass is generally 

from biomass combustion for facility or process heat, hot water, or steam.

Wind energy – The conversion of wind into a useful form such as electricity or 

motive power, using wind turbines.

Woody biomass –– Derived from any and all parts of trees and woody plants; 

includes boles, limbs, tops, roots, and foliage; insect-, disease-, or firedamaged or killed material; purpose-grown wood; wood from conventional or 

other forestry operations; pre- and post consumer paper and wood products; 

and pulping liquors. 

Woody biomass utilization – The harvest, sale, offer, trade, or utilization of 

woody biomass to produce bioenergy and the full range of biobased products 

including lumber, composites, paper and pulp, furniture, housing components, 

round wood, liquid transportation fuels, chemicals, and energy feedstocks.
U.S. Forest Service

Strategic Energy Framework
U.S. Forest Service

Strategic Energy Framework

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