There are a fair amount of wood boilers in NC, yes, but I have not always lived in NC. Here is an article that does a fair job of explaining why I think these boilers are silly in most circumstances:
http://www.woodheat.org/technology/outboiler.htm Regarding "carbon footprint;" You would have less of a carbon footprint if you burned natural gas or electricity. Natural gas appliances pollute much less, and electrical plants have enormous boilers and extract heat from whatever fuel they are using in much more efficient ways than any wood boiler. Most also have EPA mandated scrubbers and afterburners to make sure there is very little particulate and unburned fuel escaping their stacks. It would be better to either leave felled trees (or chip them for mulch) rather than burn them, as the carbon on the trees would be re-sequestered rather than inefficiently burning it in an appliance with such poor combustion qualities.