In Tanana, Alaska, high efficiency wood boilers provide energy and heat to key community buildings.
Are there any connections between subsistence activity and perceptions of renewable energy? That was the question researchers Jen Schmidt and Amanda Byrd addressed in their recent paper, “Stoking the Flame: Subsistence and wood energy in rural Alaska, United States,” published in Energy Research and Social Science.
Alaskans in rural areas are faced with a number of challenges, including increasing costs for energy and imported foods into their remote communities. Many residents rely on subsistence foods as part of their culture, but also to avoid high prices in the local store. Communities have begun turning to renewable energy to make energy more affordable as well. Understanding the acceptance and perceptions of renewable energy is key to facilitating their sustainable development in northern communities, said Schmidt and Byrd in their paper.
They analyzed Alaska Department of Fish & Game subsistence surveys from 89 communities to estimate differences in subsistence harvest between households that harvest wood and those that do not. They also interviewed 61 households in the rural community of Tanana in 2017 to understand how residents perceive a community biomass program and its association with subsistence activities.
Tanana’s biomass boilers burn locally-sourced wood to provide heat and energy to key buildings. In its washeteria alone, three boilers burn about 200 cords of wood annually, which displaces approximately 20,000 gallons of imported petroleum. Locals are employed to harvest and process the wood, and to operate the boilers.
Residents use all terrain vehicles and boats to harvest wood for the biomass energy program in Tanana, Alaska.
Schmidt and Byrd found that people who harvest wood for the biomass program were six times more likely to engage in subsistence. Subsistence harvests were nearly double in households that harvested wood for personal use versus those that did not. Overall, the program was perceived as having a positive effect for the community because it has created jobs, saved people money, promoted sharing, and reduced fuel use by the community.
“Our research shows that biomass programs have the potential to complement subsistence activities and enhance the sustainability of communities in rural Alaska that are faced with high energy costs,” wrote Schmidt and Byrd.
About the authors
Jennifer Schmidt is Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Management and Policy and researcher with ISER. She is interested in interdisciplinary research that examines people, ecosystems and their interactions.
Amanda Byrd is the Chief Storyteller at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, based at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
