Recent economic trends, especially the worldwide decline in oil prices, and an altered political climate in the United States have combined to bring about major reductions in research on renewable energy resources. Yet there is no escaping the "facts of life" with regard to these resources. The days of inexpensive fossil energy are clearly numbered, the credibility of nuclear energy has fallen to a new low, and fusion energy stands decades or more from practical realization. Sooner than we may wish, we will have to turn to renewable raw materials - plant "biomass" and, especially, wood - as...