Latin America regional forum on promoting wood-based bioenergy using wood residues and wastes

Following up of the recommendation of the International Conference on Wood-based Bioenergy held in Hannover, Germany 2007, the Brazilian Forest Service and ITTO will organize this important Forum in Manaus, Amazonas (Brazil) from 13 to 16 July 2009.

The primary objective of the Forum is to raise awareness of decision makers on the technical and economic potentials of utilizing logging residues and wood-processing wastes for energy generation, thereby increasing resource utilization and energy efficiency in ITTO producing member countries in Latin America. In this context, the Forum will deliberate on key aspects of wood-based bioenergy including: 

• Opportunities for improving energy security through wood-based bioenergy; 

• Potential use of wood residues for the co-generation of energy in wood industries to increase the cost-effectiveness of their operations; 

• Use of wood-based bioenergy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

• Meeting the needs of wood-based bioenergy sector through sustainable forest management; and

• Development of an efficient and cost-effective wood-based bioenergy sector in Latin America, including the transfer of appropriate technology and investment.

The official languages of the Forum is Spanish. 

The Forum will feature the following:

• Presentations by the experts on key issues and discussions in working group on specific items, including consideration of elements for the design of action plans.

• A field visit to relevant forest industries 

Participation in the workshop and contribution to its work is open to all ITTO member countries and others, institutions and actors involved in tropical forest industry.