The soaring cost of heating oil and the impact it is having on state and municipal budgets should have policy makers and budget committees looking to the forest for the trees.

At the Morrison Elementary School in Troy, Mont., an investment of $235,000 today will result in saving approximately $750,000 over the next 30 years, as it switches from burning 6,700 gallons of fuel oil annually to burning 60 to 70 tons of wood pellets. According to the Western News, half the cost of the project was provided by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service. The school district will take out a 10-year loan for the remainder.

The grant comes with the requirement that half the amount of pellets purchased be from a supplier participating in the state fuels reduction program, in which slash-pile debris is used to manufacture pellets.

The school district hopes to eventually expand the pellet program to Troy high school, and others have expressed interest as well, such as the Flathead Valley Community College and Eureka public schools. In addition, the new Kalispell high school will receive a $240,000 state loan to help fund a biomass wood chip project anticipated to cost $480,000.

According to the U.S. Forest Service and the Maine Forest Service, Maine is the most heavily forested state in the nation. With an abundance of Eastern hardwoods in our backyard and heating fuel at an all time high, perhaps it’s time to look at a renewable natural resource and put another log on the fire.

Cheryl H. Russell

Chester