May summit will explore opportunities for wood chips, sawdust and bark

Wood residuals from forest industry operations and related sectors can be challenging to manage. They tend to be offloaded for energy generation, mulch or animal bedding, manufactured into composite products, or, unfortunately, sent to landfills.

"Biomass energy facilities around the Upper Great Lakes that convert residuals into energy have been taken offline, and many pulp and paper mills have closed. That leaves wood residuals as a burden instead of a revenue source for the forest industry,” according to Brenda Haskill, manager of timber sales and wood utilization for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Green Gold: Wood Residuals Summit 2025 May 6-8 in Traverse City, Michigan, will showcase new markets and opportunities that will increase the demand for wood chips, sawdust, or bark and related wood-based materials.

The Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute is organizing the event in collaboration with the DNR and colleagues in Finland to leverage expertise from across the U.S. and other countries.

“This is a global challenge, and we all need to learn from each other. Commercial technologies exist; it’s time to bring them here to Michigan,” said Julie Manley, board Chair, MIFBI.  "We encourage all stakeholders in wood residuals to join the discussion this May in Traverse City, Michigan."

Highlights include: 

• Biochar developments. Eden Lakes Inc. will introduce its applications benefiting both forests and water – two of Michigan’s abundant natural resources.
• Lignin and cellulose require downstream partners to develop products for diverse markets including building and construction, apparel and textiles, and others. BASF and Dow will share their perspectives on expanding into new markets.
• Sustainable aviation fuel and other biofuel projects are possible from Michigan’s woody biomass. Nathalie Ionesco, chief operating officer of Haffner Energy, Inc., and David Winsness, president of Comstock Fuels, will share how their operating models align with their interest in Michigan.
• In-woods residuals are of particular interest to PJ Woodlands, which is  developing wood-fiber plastic composite for the building sector; and Cambium, which is developing a range of products including furniture and mass timber, leveraging technology to manage the supply chain of fallen or salvaged wood.
• Market development is important. Experts from Metsä Spring, VTT, Natural Resources Institute Finland, and others will share their experiences in product and market development.
• Funding models will be explored to help support the range of needs to build more stable and higher value markets from wood residuals.

Register for the summit ►

Find the full agenda and speakers list online. You can attend in person or virtually. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact institute@mifbi.org with any questions.