Woodstock Nation

America's flirtation with wood-burning stoves has flamed into a love affair. So strong has the affinity become that more U.S. homes are now heated by wood than by electricity from nuclear power plants. A recent study by Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering also found that more than 49% of all industrial boilers built in 1980 burn mainly wood. Says Energy Expert Nigel Smith of Worldwatch: "The U.S. is on the crest of the wave of nations returning to wood."

Nonetheless, burning wood has important drawbacks. It produces polluting gases, soot and ashes and has sharply increased the number of burn victims treated by hospitals. Such considerations lead planners to downplay wood's potential. Says a Department of Energy spokesman: "Wood fuel is important, but nuclear power is still the most viable alternative energy source available."

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