Increasing Supply for Woody-Biomass-Based Energy through Wasted Resources: Insights from US Private Landowners

Quan Hoang Vuong, Quang-Loc Nguyen, Ruining Jin (), Minh-Hieu Thi Nguyen, Thi-Phuong Nguyen, Viet-Phuong La and Minh-Hoang Nguyen
Additional contact information
Quang-Loc Nguyen: SP Jain School of Global Management, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia
Ruining Jin: Civil, Commercial and Economic Law School, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing 100088, China
Minh-Hieu Thi Nguyen: School of Psychology, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
Thi-Phuong Nguyen: Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
Viet-Phuong La: Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
Minh-Hoang Nguyen: Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Woody biomass is suggested as a substitute for fossil fuels to achieve sustainable development. However, transitioning the land purpose to produce woody biomass entails investment and a tradeoff between wood pellet production and the current utilities created by the land, hindering the willingness of private landowners. To many forest landowners, forest trees and residues considered unprofitable to transport would be left in the forest without other proper use. The wasted woody resources on the land can be a potential source to increase the woody biomass supply. To support the policymakers, logging companies, state agencies, and landowners to better capitalize on these wasted resources, we aimed to identify the characteristics of woody-resource-wasting landowners and examine how to increase their likelihood to contribute to woody-biomass-based energy. By employing Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics on a dataset of 707 private landowners in the United States (US), we discovered that landowners being male, having higher income, and being a member of a state/national forestry organization were more likely to waste woody resources. Moreover, woody-resource-wasting landowners perceiving woody-biomass-based energy as a substitution for fossil fuel were more likely to sell wood. In contrast, those perceiving environmental costs over the benefits of woody-biomass-based energy were less likely to sell. These findings can be used as insights for policymakers, logging companies, and state agencies to find an additional supply of woody-biomass-based energy from landowners likely to waste woody resources.

Keywords: woody biomass; environmental psychology; landowners; mindsponge theory; wasting behavior; environmental knowledge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Increasing supply for woody biomass-based energy through wasted resources: Insights from the US private landowners (2023)
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