Oregon's Malheur Lumber to donate US$50,000 in wood pellets for first 10 years of new biomass facility's operation at Grant Union school in John Day

Audrey Dixon

LOS ANGELES , April 16, 2012 (Industry Intelligence) –

Ochoco Lumber Co. and its subsidiary Malheur Lumber Co. were among those gathered April 6 in John Day, Oregon, to celebrate the new 2 million BTU per hour biomass boiler that went online March 14 to heat a school campus, the Blue Mountain Eagle reported April 11.

The boiler burns about one ton a day of wood pellets to heat the Grant Union Junior-Senior High School campus. Depending on the weather, the biomass facility will use 170 tons to 190 tons a year, and Malheur Lumber will donate US$50,000 in wood pellets for the first 10 years of the biomass facility's operation, reported the Blue Mountain Eagle.

Ochoco's Bruce Daucsavage said Malheur Lumber in John Day uses contractors and forest products from the region to produce wood pellets for the boiler. The pellets have moisture levels of about 4%, said Malheur pellet plant manager John Rowell.

When its biomass facility operates two shifts, Malheur Lumber employs nine workers, reported the Blue Mountain Eagle.

Superintendent Mark Witty said the district was paying US$80,000 a year in heating oil and that cost savings were the key factor driving the changey. Energy bills are expected to fall to about $30,000 a year.

The primary source of this article is the Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, Oregon, April 11, 2012.

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