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and operations varied widely between these counties due to differences in the specific makeup of the local economy. The total annual operating impacts (first year) for a 20 MW plant ranged from $10.8 to $12.8 million in output (revenue), 177 to 242 jobs, and $6.9 to $7.6 million in value added (income). Total operating impacts for a 40 MW plant ranged from $22.1 to $26.7 million in output, 393 to 546 jobs, and $14.1 to $15.8 million in value added. The first year impacts for plant operations are representative of the ongoing annual impacts; however, future impacts could change due to prices of inputs such as fuel, unexpected maintenance activities, and general economic inflation. Total construction costs were valued at $48.7 million for the 20 MW plant and $86.8 million for the 40 MW plant, including land, site work, construction, plant equipment, and engineering fees. Local construction impacts differed dramatically for these two counties. Construction impacts for a 20 MW plant ranged from $7.9 to $45.3 million in output, 74 to 379 jobs, and $3.9 to $26.0 million in value added. Construction impacts for the 40 MW plant ranged from $10.7 to $78.7 million in output, 98 to 653 jobs, and $5.1 to $44.9 million in value added. The significantly higher construction impacts in Orange Table 4. Economic Impacts of 20 and 40 MW Power Plants County reflect the presence of manu- facturing industries for boilers and turbines, key components for power plants. This results in greater impacts as more money would be retained in the local economy. Prediction of the distribution of economic impacts across various sectors of the local economy is possible. More than 60% of all jobs would occur in the agriculture and forestry sector, which supplies wood fuel to these facilities. There would also be significant employment impacts in the sectors for professional services, retail trade, and government sectors, reflecting the indirect effects on the local economy associated with purchased supplies and employee household spending. Conclusions Economic concerns are important to discussions of using wood for energy in the South. For many communities, the conversation begins with the recognition that there is enough wood at an affordable cost. Our supply analysis suggests that, indeed, enough wood at a reasonable cost is available in Buncombe and Orange counties to make a continued conversation possible. 2.0 and 3.9 trillion Btu (i.e., 17 and 33 MW or energy to power 6,800 and 13,300 homes annually) of woody biomass are available at less than $2.60 per MMBW in Buncombe North Carolina County Wood Fuel Cost ($Million) Annual Operations Impacts (first year) Plant Construction Impact Output ($Millions) Employment (Jobs) Value Added ($Millions) Output ($Millions) Employment (Jobs) Value Added ($millions) 20 MW Buncombe 3.74 12.84 242 7.59 7.89 74 3.90 Orange 2.88 10.81 177 6.91 45.27 379 25.95 Average 3.31 11.82 210 7.25 26.58 227 14.92 40 MW Buncombe 9.37 26.65 546 15.77 10.72 98 5.06 Orange 7.35 22.08 393 14.07 78.73 653 44.88 Average 8.37 24.36 470 14.92 44.73 376 24.97