Moore County has become the first community in North Carolina to receive a Bioeconomy Development Opportunity Zone rating, earning an “A” designation for its woody-biomass resources and supporting infrastructure.
The rating covers an area extending approximately 75 driving miles from a central point in Robbins. The assessment identified an estimated 925,000 bone-dry tons of low-risk woody biomass available annually within the zone.
What the rating measures
BDO Zone ratings evaluate whether an area has the feedstock supply, infrastructure and other conditions needed to support biobased industrial projects.
Moore County’s “A” rating indicates strong prospective viability for feedstock supply and infrastructure, along with a relatively low expected risk of a project failing because it cannot obtain the necessary materials.
The assessment noted that approximately 87% of the standing timber volume within the region is located on privately owned forestland. It also identified an established loblolly pine base and a mixture of pulpwood, forest residue and sawmill residue.
Rating could support recruitment efforts
The Moore County Economic Development Partnership plans to use the rating to market the area to companies considering bioenergy, biomanufacturing and other wood-based industrial projects.
The designation does not mean that a new plant has committed to Moore County or that new jobs have been announced. Instead, it provides third-party information that economic-development officials can present to prospective investors evaluating the Robbins area and surrounding region.
Economic-development officials say the designation could help Moore County compete for future industrial investment while highlighting the county’s forestry resources, infrastructure and available development sites.
Source: BDO Zone Initiative, in partnership with the Moore County Economic Development Partnership and Ecostrat.
