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On Friday, we introduced you to Zane Peterson, a young logging entrepreneur who got his break in offering ecosystem services. We mentioned Zanes company focuses on smaller trees. He explains why.

Peterson The thinning market and forest fire prevention that requires chipping, which is basically just working down all the small trees in the forest. We don't cut down any big trees. And just spacing the trees out. And the only product that you can make out of that is a biomass chip, which is a chip that goes to the power plants.

Senate Bill 901 gave wood chip burning power plants a market, and a reason to go out and source product. Peterson saw an opportunity and began thinning trees from high hazard areas to meet this demand.

Peterson Loggers are an ecological service as well. I just am doing the stuff that they don't want to do. They want to deal with trees, 10 inches and up, and I don't want to deal with trees 10 inches and down.

Peterson has built a thriving business of 30 employees which is providing an ecological service of creating a healthier forest while providing a renewable source of energy for the state.

Link:

Logging as an Ecosystem Service - Part 2 - AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST - AGInfo Ag Information Network Of The West