Burning more wood for heat could save homeowners money in oil-dependent Maine, but a task force in the nation's most forested state cautioned that care is needed to avoid health problems and damage to the wood products industry. Les Otten, chairman of a wood-to-energy task force formed by Gov. John Baldacci, suggested that a 10 percent shift from oil to wood would be significantly beneficial. "Before we do anything else, we have to look at conservation and efficiency," Otten said Friday as the task force issued its report.

Maine has about 17 million acres of woodlands that could be harvested commercially, officials said. It is also the state with the highest dependence on No. 2 heating oil, with more than 80 percent of its homes using oil-based heating systems, according to the task force.

Some 440,000 households in Maine use an average of 900 gallons of oil a year, the report said. At current prices, that means each family will spend an average of $4,100 on heat this winter.

"Conservation and looking out for each other could be vital this winter," Baldacci said.

With heating oil costs expected to remain high, many homeowners may use wood stoves as a secondary heat source, the report said.

"They are a viable wood-to-energy solution if they are modern, efficient and clean-burning, and there is already a developed market for wood stoves and cordwood delivery in Maine," the report said.

At the same time, the report warned, "this situation presents potential serious public health concerns. The amount of air pollution emitted by woodstoves this winter could approach record levels."

The report proposed that the state encourage the conversion of old polluting oil-fired and wood-fueled systems through tax incentives or a direct "buy-back" program to help homeowners and small businesses replace older furnaces, boilers or stoves with more clean-burning equipment.

Increased use of wood for heat could also lead to an increase in wood prices, the report said, calling on the state to educate youth about the benefits of a career in wood harvesting.

The governor said the report could lead the state toward "more reliance on wood energy and away from fossil fuel."

Written By FRANCIS X. QUINN

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