"Re-energizing Coal Country" from NRDC
The NRDC (National Resource Defense Council) has recently published an article featuring Tree of the Field and one of our kenaf-farming operations, Pumpkin Vine Creek Farm!
From the article:
"Working with researchers at a local commercial lab, Mason discovered kenaf is a potent source of fuel, burning longer and hotter than conventional firewood—a bonus in rural areas, where wood heat is common. (In 23 Kentucky counties, more than 10 percent of homes rely on wood heat, according to statistics from the state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet.) One log of firewood tops out at 4,800 BTUs and burns for two or three hours, but a log made of compressed kenaf silage, Mason says, can provide 7,500 BTUs and will burn for four hours. The firewood alternative also helps ease the pressure on standing forests wrought by the harmful biomass industry."
Read the full article at the NRDC website.