Rapid City, SD (PRWEB) September 29, 2014 -- The Earth Partners LP, a land restoration and bioenergy development company, announced that it has acquired Deadwood Biofuels LLC, a company based in the Black Hills of South Dakota that produces wood pellets for heating and industrial markets.
“We are excited to execute on our strategy of acquiring and developing a pipeline of bioenergy projects. I am confident with our supportive capital partners and our team’s experience spanning corporate finance, biomass markets, forestry, and pellet facility operations, we can continue to execute on the pipeline of opportunities we have established over the last four years,” said Tepper.
The Deadwood Biofuels plant is part of The Earth Partners' portfolio of “conservation biomass.” The Earth Partners coined this concept, which refers to biomass recovered from marginal and degraded land through programs that bring about tangible restoration benefits. These projects focus on generating commercial, high quality biomass products while improving wildlife habitat, restoring native plant communities, and enhancing soil carbon sequestration, among other environmental objectives.
The Black Hills, where Deadwood’s raw material is sourced, is a historically fire-maintained conifer ecosystem. Fire suppression over the past century has allowed the forest to become overstocked and characterized by unbroken stands of old trees, fueling the risk of catastrophic wildfire, insect infestation, and habitat loss. This is fertile ground for the mountain pine beetle epidemic, which has caused trees to rot on hundreds of thousands of acres of Black Hills National Forest and private land. The Earth Partners and Deadwood are using these forest residues, thinnings, and low-grade timber resources to improve forest health.
“We are working closely with the Forest Service regional offices to use trees killed by the mountain pine beetle, along with timber residues that are destined to be burned in the forest as waste. This conservation biomass is supporting restoration of degraded landscapes while simultaneously providing a source of renewable energy,” said The Earth Partners CEO David Tepper.
Reuben Munger, founder of Vision Ridge Partners LLC, and Board Member and investor in The Earth Partners, said, “We believe that Deadwood Biofuels is a great investment opportunity and we look forward to continuing to invest in The Earth Partners’ strong pipeline of projects, which align with our sustainable asset investment mission.”
About The Earth Partners LP
The Earth Partners is a company that develops, owns, and operates land restoration and bioenergy projects. Specializing in best-in-class land management and stewardship, its activities include management of pine forests, natural forest ecosystems, invasive brush removal, and native prairie grass restoration. The Earth Partners has an experienced, multi-disciplinary team to support its portfolio of projects in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and now South Dakota.
For more information visit our websites:
http://www.deadwoodbiofuels.com
http://www.theearthpartners.com
Or contact info(at)teplp(dot)com
Emily McGlynn, The Earth Partners, http://www.theearthpartners.com, +1 2024878136, [email protected]
SOURCE The Earth Partners
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