SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Fall is usually harvest time for Central New York farmers, but not for those at SUNY ESF.
Workers there are now harvesting 25 acres of shrub willow.
Shrub willow is actually a biomass fuel.
A research associate says this type of willow is not as large as the more commonly-known weeping willow.
"People here in Central New York would be familiar with shrub willow along stream banks," ESF Senior Research Associate Tim Volk said. "You know, if you're a fly fisherman or a fisherman, you've probably cursed at willows when you get your line stuck in them along streams. So, there very common here and we have got certain varieties that we have bred that perform better than other just natural wild varieties."
About 1,200 acres of shrub willow from just Northern New York alone is harvested for energy.