BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar:
MACON COUNTY, ALABAMA
& SOUTHWEST COLORADO
On November 6th, 2025, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative, in collaboration with TheDigest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting two investment grade BDO Zone communities in North America: Macon County, Alabama, rated A for Woody Biomass, and Southwest Colorado, rated BBB for Woody Biomass as well.
The webinar was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest, and featured key insights from Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative. Participants included Joe Turnham, Director, Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA); Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado. The webinar underscored the regions’ abundant biomass resources, robust infrastructure, shovel-ready sites and attractive local incentives, positioning these BDO Zones as prime locations for biobased projects seeking a reliable supply of biomass feedstock.
BDO ZoneCONNECT, a joint initiative with The Daily Digest, aims to facilitate connections and stimulate development interest within BDO Zone communities. It serves as a catalyst for networking, sharing new BDO Zone ratings, and attracting a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.
To view the webinar, please click below:
Summary of Presenter Remarks
Marcin Lewandowski, Senior Director, Operations & Risk, Ecostrat:
- “We’ve rated 1 million bone-dry tons per year of low-risk woody biomass in Macon County, AL. While the region contains more biomass overall, 1 million tons is classified as low risk. Pricing ranges from $60-$90 per bone-dry ton, including $60-$70 for sawdust and bark residuals, and $60-$80 for other residues. Pulpwood accounts for the largest share, at nearly 900,000 bone-dry tons per year. These numbers reflect biomass available within a 75-mile radius of Tuskegee, Alabama.”
- “There is a growing forestry industry and that’s of course due to the large availability of sustainable and affordable sawtimber and pulpwood.”
Joe Turnham, Director, Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA):
- “MCEDA was established by a legislative act of the Alabama Legislature and is designated as the official entity responsible for fostering economic development, investment and industry in Macon County.”
- “In addition to just targeting forest products, we have a CSX select site, which is a Platinum site, which is the highest ranking, so we figured with a great industrial site where we’ve taken all the risk out, perhaps to add in a third party BDO designation, we feel makes this one of the strongest sites in the Southern United States for forest products.”
- “The Macon County labor shed (within 50 miles of Tuskegee) includes over 1 million people with roughly half a million in the workforce. We have a higher average (in skilled labor) than the US average within most forestry sectors, including logging, harvesting and transportation of timber.”
- “One of our biggest incentives is through the Alabama Industrial Training Institute (AIDT)… They actually do industry-specific training programs… equipment, CDLs, skidders, mass harvesting. Forestry works of the Alabama Forestry Association is now a Southeast leader in workforce development, exposing young people in high school to wages that can be earned in forestry.”
Marcin Lewandowski, Senior Director, Operations & Risk, Ecostrat:
- “This community is defined as a 75-mile driving radius around Mancos, Colorado, where 60,000 bone-dry tons of low-risk biomass are available at prices ranging from $55–$100 per bone-dry ton delivered. Of this, 36,000 tons are pulpwood or small-diameter trees, about 22,000 tons are residues, and the remainder consists of other residuals.”
- “There’s existing logging and grinding equipment capacity, which is sufficient to supply those quantities that are rated. And there’s a great opportunity to actually co-locate with an existing sawmill and pellet mill, sharing infrastructure.”
Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado:
- “We represent five counties, ten cities and towns, and the only two tribes in southwest Colorado. We are centrally located in the Four Corners, equidistant from Albuquerque, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Denver.”
- “All of those governments, including the tribes, are represented on our board of directors. We have 100,000 people in our entire region, which is only 3% of the state’s population.”
- “We pursued a BDO Zone rating to help diversify our rural economy and revitalize our timber industry potential. We oversee projects and programs that cross county lines, including broadband, transportation, housing, and economic development. Our BDO Zone is truly a regional economy – 30% of our workers commute across state lines, giving us an incredibly flexible labor force and cross-state collaboration opportunities.”
- “Our BDO Zone includes three hospitals, a four-year college, two community colleges – including a CDL training program – and strong tribal community partnerships that support a skilled and diverse workforce. Region 9 EDD also has a Business Loan Fund for businesses”
For more information on the Macon County, AL BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.
For more information on the Southwest Colorado BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.
Contact Information:
Joe Turnham, Director, Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA), (joeturnham@aol.com).
Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado (laura@region9edd.org).
Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative (aryn@ecostrat.com).
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