When concluding the conference series ‘Residues-to-Revenues’ Forest Industry Engineering Association’s (FIEA) event director John Stulen said “Industry players on both sides of the Tasman now have access to proven technologies to make residues both profitable and environmentally-positive for their already-green forestry and wood products businesses or to gain credits from selling these resources to other industries to produce clean, green energy.  It would be even more promising if governments in the region could just try a bit harder to keep up the pace with technology in making true-green policy decisions rather than lagging behind industry.” The 2009 running of this FIEA biennial wood bioenergy conference gatherings saw a big shift from companies just talking about their how they might plan to turn forest and sawmill wood residues into viable products for sale and profit, to notable opening of new plants for wood pellets as a record of positive industry action.

For those unable to attend ‘Residues-to-Revenues’ 2009, limited copies of the proceedings are available and can be ordered by visiting the Residues to Revenues 2009 web site www.woodresiduesevents.com . Some of the key issues and presentations that were addressed in the last two weeks’ conferences will also be covered in future issues of Friday Offcuts and WoodWeek – check out www.fridayoffcuts.com or  www.woodweek.com  For more information relating to this conference please contact the FIEA offices in Rotorua on +64-7-921-1380 or in Dunedin on +64-3-470-1902.