North Carolina – and the southeast United States – is one of the most fertile tree-growing regions on the planet. For centuries, the abundance of trees has led to a thriving timber industry, and a near-constant fight between commerce and the health of the environment, for humans and animals.
The most recent battleground is over wood pellets. Sourced from North Carolina forests, pellets are manufactured and shipped to Europe, where power plants burn them – instead of coal – to make electricity. It's a controversial practice, abroad and closer to home.
Host Dave DeWitt talks to Celeste Gracia, WUNC's environment reporter, and David Boraks, climate reporter at WFAE, about the wood pellet industry in North Carolina, and their series "The Real Cost Of Wood Energy."
