Florida Logger Finds Success Supplying Power Plant
- kharrisonhlc
- Oct 16
- 1 min read
Article by Patrick Dunning, Associate Editor, Wood Bioenergy
Williston, Florida – What began as a swamp and hill operation in 1971 hand-felling pulpwood in Williston, Florida, has diversified into a substantial chipping-for-biomass operation in recent years for William “Bill” Harrison, 69, and his company Harrison Logging Co. What brought the change? A variety of factors, but the biggest being the opening of a new market near Harrison’s home in Florida, a municipal electric utility burning wood chips for power, now operating under the name Deerhaven Renewable Generating Station. First brought online in late 2013 as Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (GREC), the 102.5 MW facility burns biomass chips sourced from the region Harrison cuts, so it was a natural fit.
A mix of logging iron keeps Harrison’s three chippers steadily supplied with material.
Harrison has crews that contract cut for Columbia Timber Co., and have since the 1980s. Columbia
had the first contract to provide wood for the Gainesville plant, and through that contract, Harrison was introduced to chipping-for-biomass.
In the beginning, the logging crew used the Columbia purchased Bandit 2590, but it quickly became evident that the market demanded a heavier-duty machine, and an increase in production. Now, Harrison operates three Bandit chippers, one 3590XL for M.A. Rigoni and two 3590s for Columbia Timber Co. producing a total of 250 loads of chips a week.