Biomass Definition

From time to time I've been asked what biomass is. I've used the term here in my blog. I've heard it used in a variety of situations, and I find that the meaning has a bit of a spin to it, depending upon where it is being used. But basically, biomass is plant or animal material used as a base resource for some higher purpose. 

On my farm, biomass can include:

...any and all plant material (leaves, twigs, branches, roots, grass clippings, fruits, etc) 

...any and all animal material (manure, bones, feathers, fur, meat, entire carcasses, etc) 

I'm a big user of biomass. It helps create my soil, is the main component of my compost, and provides me with fertilizer to grow my food and pasture. I use vast amounts of biomass to create my hugelpits. I use it for mulch. 

The term biomass is often used when referring to energy production. It is the base component for burning to create energy (heat, steam, electricity), and for making various biofuels. While I do burn some some wood for creating biochar, heating the house, cooking livestock feed, and (soon to be) heating water, mostly the biomass I collect goes into building soil fertility, by one means or the other. 

Much of the biomass I use comes directly from this farm. I'm in a good growing location, thus the greenery is constantly growing, giving my lots of trimmings, weeds, garden waste, etc. Plus I keep livestock, giving me plenty of manure. But I also bring a lot in from off the farm. This is because I am busily creating soil so that I can farm. Therefore I have brought in truckloads of gathered biomass for making compost, plus grass clippings for using as mulch. And whenever I find myself with extra biomass that I can't immediately use in the compost bins, it goes to filling in my hugelpits where I grow bananas. 

Biomass is the "fuel" that runs this homestead farm.