Caption: Director of forestry Dean McGraw (right) speaks with an attendee about forest resources at Forestry Day.

As woody biomass is projected to be a primary resource for North Carolina grown-and-produced biofuels, the Biofuels Center of North Carolina participated in the North Carolina Forestry Association’s Forestry Day (28 April 2009) on the Halifax Mall at the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh. The Center's purpose in participating was to provide information to educate legislators, legislative staff and the public about the issues facing our state’s forest resources and how they can be preserved and utilized most effectively in an economically and environmentally sustainable fashion for liquid renewable fuels.

With over 17.6 million acres of managed forest land, North Carolina is in prime position to lead the nation in biofuels produced from woody biomass.

Many attendees, including legislators and their staff, stopped by the Biofuels Center exhibit to discuss the future of biofuels in North Carolina and the Center’s role in bolstering the state’s newest industry sector.