Not the best written article.
I don’t think anyone on either side of the fence is proposing burning trees to generate energy.
No one in the US at least is proposing to use anything but forestry waste products that would be disposed of anyway.
Total insanity.
Who is proposing it?
It certainly does significantly more harm than good.
We had a forest deadfall recovery and burn industry up and down the western US, generating power. The spotted owl killed the industry and now catastrophic fires are the new normal, wiping out occasional cities.
If you want to use biomass to generate electricity, there is a solution already at hand. It involves the conversion of organic waste into energy, and it works on all manner of trash that would otherwise go into landfill.
It is called Plasma Arch Trash Reduction. Essentially, how it works, is by ionizing ALL the trash stream in a very hot electric arc, in a continuous stream.
Very hot plasma is formed by ionized gas (i.e. Oxygen, under normal pressure) in the strong electrical arc with the power ranging from 2 to 20 Mega Watts. Temperature of such plasma is very high, ranging from 2 to 6 thousand degrees Celsius. In such high temperature all waste constituents, including metals, toxic materials, silicon, etc. are totally melted forming non–toxic slag. Plastic, biological and chemical compounds, toxic gases yield complete dissociation (required minimal dissociation temperature is in the range of 1500 degrees Celsius) into simpler gases mainly H2 and CO. Simpler gases, mainly H2 can be used as ecological fuel to generate heat energy and electrical energy decreasing significantly (even to zero) cost of plasma formation and waste utilization. Regained metals from dissociation process can safely return to metallurgic industry, and slag can be used as an additive to road and construction materials.
The utilization of municipal waste using this method does not cause the emission of foul odors and does not produce a harmful ash, which is something that normally takes place in an incinerating plant.
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/plasma-arc-recycling.html
In simply clear language, the process and the products of this technology are explained, and indicate how recycling may be taken to its next logical step. And it can also generate electricity IN EXCESS of the amount necessary to initiate the process. This excess electricity is then available to feed into the power grid, and is MUCH more reliable than either solar or wind power.
Virtually free fuel can be found in old and now unusable “brownfield” waste disposal sites and even badly polluted industrial sites.
In the U.K. nearly every tree is protected. Forests there have the exact same shape and location year after year. We used to update our navigation systems using these forests. So, essentially, all the wood has to be imported.
Back in the 70’s many hippy vans sported bumper stickers that said “Split Wood Not Atoms”