Slash and learn: Revealing stakeholder knowledge, support, and preferred communication methods relative to wood-based biofuels projects

Abstract

The Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) is examining the feasibility of a woody biomass-tobiofuels supply chain in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. A part of the ongoing feasibility study involved conducting a survey of informed stakeholders on the use of woody biomass from forest residuals in producing sustainable bioenergy. Survey findings indicated that the more knowledgeable stakeholders considered themselves, the more supportive of biofuel-related activities they were. Also, survey respondents generally wanted to be able to obtain information on the topic on their own and at their own convenience, such as by accessing a website, and through face-to-face forums, where they could ask questions.