Woodfuel is wood that is burned to generate heat or electricity. It can be a clean, sustainable, low-carbon form of endlessly renewable fuel.
Woodfuel comes in three main forms - logs, chips and pellets of compressed sawdust. It can be produced directly from woods and forests, from the off-cuts and sawdust generated in sawmills and other wood-working places, from branches pruned and trees removed as part of the care of trees in streets, parks and gardens, and from recycled wood.
Using woodfuel as a substitute for fossil fuels can play an important part in reducing nett greenhouse gas emissions. It can also help to improve fuel security, reduce fuel poverty, generate new jobs and business opportunities, reduce the amount of material that goes to landfill, and improve the condition of woods and forests.
Find out more from our Question and Answer factsheet and the Biomass Energy Centre. Learn about what the Forestry Commission and its Forest Research agency are doing to help the development of a sustainable woodfuel industry in England and Scotland.