Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

[wtcobb]

Basically I'm calling BS on Otten claiming he's all for renewable energy and that's why he's backing Northern Pass. $2M seems like a more compelling reason to back a project.

 

[jaytrem]

Yes, sorry, Biomass. And having more trees today than any time in the past 200 years doesn't change the consumption of wood vs. the growth. I burned 2+ cords this winter. Denser NE hardwoods - the ones we strive after for heat - are slow growth. Point here is that Biomass isn't renewable the same way solar/wind is. Yes, the trees grow back, but if you harvest faster than they grow, it's not really renewable...

I'd say it's pretty renewable. Most of the pellets are made from a byproduct of saw mills, sawdust. And apparently soft woods make for better pellets (see link below). Driving around Northern BC about I month ago I think I saw enough massive piles of sawdust to heat the whole world with pellets. So until demand is higher than supply I'd say it's renewable.

http://www.pelletking.com/wood-pellet-information.aspx

 

[VTKilarney]

Wood is a carbon neutral fuel, which is important to some people. Harvesting the wood and transporting it is far from carbon neutral, however.

Burning wood is like eating organic food. It's fine if some people do it, but if everyone did it the environmental consequences would be devastating.


.

 

[AdironRider]

Yes, sorry, Biomass. And having more trees today than any time in the past 200 years doesn't change the consumption of wood vs. the growth. I burned 2+ cords this winter. Denser NE hardwoods - the ones we strive after for heat - are slow growth. Point here is that Biomass isn't renewable the same way solar/wind is. Yes, the trees grow back, but if you harvest faster than they grow, it's not really renewable...

A properly managed woodlot can produce 1-1.25 cords per acre a year, every year, for eternity. If you were really savvy it would be a sugarbush as well.

 

[Harvey]

A properly managed woodlot can produce 1-1.25 cords per acre a year, every year, for eternity. If you were really savvy it would be a sugarbush as well.

How big a lot do you need to produce that much?

I'm using a bit less than a cord, and have a pretty large lot. Unfortunately buying the word "makes more sense" (not for the environment, but by my own selfish calculus) when I figure the value of my free time. It ends up split and stacked right where I need it.

 

[SIKSKIER]

I like to just turn the dial on the thermostat.I burn wood for the ambiance in my fierplace at the skihouse.It sucks the heat right out of the place but its nice to look at.

 

[AdironRider]

My in laws have been getting it done for 50 years or so off their 10 acre lot.

No argument on the just pay and get it stacked, I do the same. I was referencing the notion that wood isn't sustainable, when in fact it is when managed properly.

 

[wtcobb]

That's really cool your folks manage the land. Wish my property was more heavily wooded to achieve that. I'm still behind VTK's comment:

Burning wood is like eating organic food. It's fine if some people do it, but if everyone did it the environmental consequences would be devastating.

Here's a neat graphic showing total and annual energy reserves from different sources:

Anyways, point of the post was Otten's funding from F-NH / Northern Pass.

 

[Newpylong]

My in laws have been getting it done for 50 years or so off their 10 acre lot.

No argument on the just pay and get it stacked, I do the same. I was referencing the notion that wood isn't sustainable, when in fact it is when managed properly.

I have 22 acres and still pay for some of the wood I use! Lotta labor in the whole process from downing to splitting.

 

[bdfreetuna]

A properly managed woodlot can produce 1-1.25 cords per acre a year, every year, for eternity. If you were really savvy it would be a sugarbush as well.

Managed to get 10-15 cords a year out of 11 acres for about 10 years straight without thinning out the woods.

So that sounds accurate based on my experience.

Very time and labor consuming though. Lots of weekends spent cutting and hauling dead or diseased trees.

 

[AdironRider]

Never said it was easy.

I don't think anyone is saying wood would replace everything (as that chart implies total energy use, not just heat like 99.9% of wood is used for), but there is plenty of resource there to go around in colder climates.

Besides, its a pretty local thing. The logistics of moving cord wood around (even without cutting, splitting, etc to begin with) is ridiculous.

 

[Smellytele]

Besides, its a pretty local thing. The logistics of moving cord wood around (even without cutting, splitting, etc to begin with) is ridiculous.

With the insect issues almost impossible to move across state lines

 

[wtcobb]

A not-really-an-update but something to push the news: planning board meeting tonight to approve clearing:

http://nhpr.org/post/balsams-ski-expansion-plan-includes-clearing-high-elevation-forest

 

[bootladder]

Les Otten is in the pocket of Quebec Hydro/Northern Pass, and as a home owner in NH I am not in favor.

$2M from "Forward NH" to Les to promote an unnecessary power line built at the expense of many acres of woodlands in Ontario (hydo power-via flooding), environmental problems in NH. Les not a good neighbor. Go back to Maine. LePage probably loves you.


http://nhpr.org/post/northern-pass-investing-balsams

This activity may have already been posted on this board, but the search feature of the board doesn't turn anything up.

 

[ss20]

Les Otten is in the pocket of Quebec Hydro/Northern Pass, and as a home owner in NH I am not in favor.

$2M from "Forward NH" to Les to promote an unnecessary power line built at the expense of many acres of woodlands in Ontario (hydo power-via flooding), environmental problems in NH. Les not a good neighbor. Go back to Maine. LePage probably loves you.


http://nhpr.org/post/northern-pass-investing-balsams

This activity may have already been posted on this board, but the search feature of the board doesn't turn anything up.

I don't think people who ski down mountains where thousands and thousand and thousands of trees have been cleared for their sport really care about the trees that are cut for a power line. I know I'm in that boat at least. And if more power up north means lower electricity costs for the resorts and therefore more snowmaking I am ALL for it.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[cdskier]

I don't think people who ski down mountains where thousands and thousand and thousands of trees have been cleared for their sport really care about the trees that are cut for a power line. I know I'm in that boat at least. And if more power up north means lower electricity costs for the resorts and therefore more snowmaking I am ALL for it.

Just my .02 cents.

I would completely disagree. I think there are many skiers that also care deeply about the environment and trees... I bet there are a lot of skiers that wish LESS trees had been cut on the mountains that they ski. Personally I like narrower trails anyway...

That said I know nothing about this Forward NH project and what it entails. The article linked had very little info so I can't make a decision one way or the other.

 

[Smellytele]

I don't think people who ski down mountains where thousands and thousand and thousands of trees have been cleared for their sport really care about the trees that are cut for a power line. I know I'm in that boat at least. And if more power up north means lower electricity costs for the resorts and therefore more snowmaking I am ALL for it.

Just my .02 cents.

The northern pass power is not scheduled to provide any power to northern NH or any of NH at all it is just transmission lines to feed Southern New England as far as I have read.

 

[Newpylong]

With the recent plan to bury all but a handfull of miles of transmission line and mandatory wholesale % of electric going to NH Utilities I am all for the Northern Pass. There is not enough natural gas into the region, coal has been priced out, and even the NIMBYs are fighting solar now. There simply is too much demand and not enough supply and electric rates are outrageous especially in winter. It doesn't surprise me that the Balsams or any company is supportive.

 

[mbedle]

The northern pass power is not scheduled to provide any power to northern NH or any of NH at all it is just transmission lines to feed Southern New England as far as I have read.

That is not correct - it will provide power to all of New England, terminating in Deerfield, NH.

http://www.northernpass.us/project-overview.htm

 

[mbedle]

With the recent plan to bury all but a handfull of miles of transmission line and mandatory wholesale % of electric going to NH Utilities I am all for the Northern Pass. There is not enough natural gas into the region, coal has been priced out, and even the NIMBYs are fighting solar now. There simply is too much demand and not enough supply and electric rates are outrageous especially in winter. It doesn't surprise me that the Balsams or any company is supportive.

See the above link - only 60 miles will be buried, but it will use 160 miles of existing transmission lines or bury the lines, leaving only 32 miles of new cut area.