Loggers
When the first load of wood chips was delivered in the summer of 2006 to PSNH's Northern Wood Power, Harvey Woodward was at the wheel of the truck. Typical of many of the loggers who supply wood to Northern Wood Power, Woodward's company is not large—in fact he works alone much of the time, delivering about five loads of wood each week to Northern Wood Power.

In 2007, during its first year of operation, Northern Wood Power received fuel from about 60 certified loggers or licensed foresters from New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The largest logging company had about 20 employees, with the average company employing about five.

History of Logging
The mid 1800s marked the decline of the so-called 'family hill farms' in New Hampshire, as the textile mill industry gathered strength in the cities. Commercial logging took over in the hills, and timber was brought out of the forests via river and rail. Later, large mills were developed to process the 'pulp' portion of the trees, which is not acceptable for hardwood needs, into paper products. The wood used as fuel by Northern Wood Power and other wood-burning power plants is generally chipped from the smaller limbs, branches, and tops of trees which would otherwise be discarded.