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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

DOE Biomass Program Sponsors Land-Use Change and Bioenergy Workshop

May 15, 2009

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program sponsored the Land-Use Change and Bioenergy workshop in Vonore, Tennessee, from May 12 to May 14, 2009.  Over 50 experts from around the globe working on land-use change (LUC) issues gathered to review the state of the science, identify opportunities for collaboration, and prioritize future steps for research needed to address key issues in the area of land use change.

Participants engaged in a series of small group sessions to discuss the current suite of model assumptions, available global data sets, disconnects between model needs and data availability, and proposed research needs.  Research plans were discussed to respond to key issues and gaps in current understandings and implementations of LUC modeling related to bioenergy.

Participants recognized the importance of biofuels in a sustainable energy future and suggested that the development of a comprehensive framework to understand the impact of bioenergy policy on land-use decisions is necessary.