The collaboration will plant thousands of deciduous flowering plants called poplars at the Pee Dee center to evaluate the possibilities of employing specific varieties of the plant as feedstock for bio-energy generation.
ArborGen southeastern field research manager David Brown noted that biomass for bio energy gives landowners another market for their crop and the Clemson’s Pee Dee center plays a key role in developing bio energy markets by growing a variety of bio energy feedstock.
"In the case of this project, we are working to determine the absolute best tree for bio energy and having that available to South Carolina forest landowners," added Brown.
Clemson and ArborGen had formed a research cooperative in 2009 that aimed for the development of purpose-grown woody biomass as feedstock for the bio fuels industry.
The alliance collaborate in areas such as plant genetics and development, field trials, equipment engineering, material handling, and woody biomass pretreatment, among other areas.
