THE HEAT IS ON TO SWITCH TO GREEN WOODFUEL

People in the West Midlands are being urged to think green and to look at using woodfuel boilers to heat their homes.

The Forestry Commission in the West Midlands, and Heartwoods, the region's wood champion, want to encourage the use of more eco-friendly energy sources in a bid to cut the rise of greenhouse gases.

Not only does woodfuel have less harmful impact on the environment than fossil fuels, it can also offer the consumer over 90 per cent efficiency – more than the average gas boiler.

The Forestry Commission's Simon West says:

“Climate change is one of the biggest threats to life on Earth. Sustainably produced woodfuel and other biomass fuels can have an important role to play in mitigating climate change, because they have already taken up as much carbon as they release to the atmosphere.

“Woodfuel, when it is produced in managed forests - which we do in Britain - is a sustainable resource that can be supplied forever, unlike fossil fuels, which, once they have been used, cannot be replaced.

“Over the past few years the Forestry Commission has spent a great deal of effort on research into the science and technology of woodfuel and other biomass fuels, and we are committed to developing the market and increasing their use.”

As the Government commits to reducing carbon emissions in its new Climate Change Bill, there is an increased urgency to look for alternatives to oil and gas.

Many areas of the world are already well ahead in their use of woodfuel and other sustainable energy sources. The UK is now in the process of catching up and the forestry industry is increasingly getting requests for information and support about this traditional source of energy.

The Forestry Commission recently awarded Heartwoods Ł8000 to lead on promoting the use of wood in the West Midlands, and in particular to encourage more people to consider using woodfuel, working with key regional networks such as BioenergyWM.

Heartwoods project officer Andy Grundy says:

“‘Using wood for fuel is one of the oldest but most sustainable ways of helping ensure our woods are well-managed and creating jobs in the countryside.

“Heartwoods is committed to working with woodland owners and managers and others to encourage use of our greatest sustainable resource - wood. We are here to help people find the information they need to use more wood in the region.

“Climate change is a very real threat to the future of the planet. So we have got to come back to renewable energy. In the West Midlands we only harvest 15 per cent of wood that our forests produce annually. We could harvest six times more than this and it can only benefit our neglected woodlands.”

The initial cost of installing a woodfuel boiler is higher than for oil or gas, but this cost is recouped in as little as three years because it is so much cheaper to run.

To meet the growing demand for information, three new guides have also been made available. These are:

"Woodfuel - Frequently Asked Questions", a Forest Research factsheet with answers in non-technical language questions about woodfuel. The factsheet is a component of Forest Research’s Woodfuel Information Pack, which contains information on a range of woodfuel subjects. The pack costs Ł10, and more information can be found at www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/infd-66sjac.

“The Quest for Sustainable Energy – Woodfuel Meets the Challenge”, a 10-page, layperson’s guide to woodfuel published by Forest Research with support from the Commission and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). The leaflet is available from the Forestry Commission’s West Midlands Conservancy office on 01905 362730.

The Biomass Energy Centre (BEC) website, which is a “one-stop shop” information centre hosted by the Commission’s Forest Research agency on behalf of the Commission and Defra. It contains a wealth of technical information about all forms of biomass fuels, including woodfuel. Biomass fuels are fuels based on biological sources, such as plants, sewage and even parts of animal carcasses. It can be found at www.biomassenergycentre.org. For a woodfuel supplier near you see the National Energy Foundation website www.logpile.co.uk.

BioenergyWM (www.bioenergywm.co.uk) is a key West Midlands regional network that seeks to promote interest in, and markets for, new and non-food crops. Initially funded through the Defra Challenge Fund, it has led to the development of a network of over 400 members.

The key agencies involved in BioenergyWM are Advantage West Midlands, the Forestry Commission, Energy West Midlands, the Government Office for the West Midlands and Natural England. Further details are available from Dr Andrea Humphries on 01952 815327.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Wood produced in constantly renewed forests is a “carbon-lean” fuel because the carbon emissions generated by burning it are reabsorbed by the next crop of growing trees in a continuous cycle. Therefore the only net emissions to the atmosphere are caused by processing and transporting the wood.
2. The Woodfuel Information Pack also contains factsheets entitled: Woodfuel: Introducing the Benefits; Renewable Trading Systems; Combustion of Woodfuel to Produce Heat and Electricity; Short-rotation Coppice; Woodfuel Harvesting; Woodfuel Chipping; Converting Biomass to a Solid Fuel; Converting Biomass to a Liquid Fuel; Woodfuel End Users & Associated Needs; and Woodfuel Heating Systems: Installation & Management.
3. The Forestry Commission is the government department for forestry in Great Britain. It supports woodland owners with grants, tree felling licences, regulation and advice; promotes the benefits of forests and forestry; and advises Ministers in the UK Government, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government on forestry policy. It manages more than a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of national forest land owned by Ministers for public benefits such as sustainable timber production, public recreation, nature conservation, and rural and community development. For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk.
4. Forest Research is the Commission's agency that carries out world-class scientific research and technical development relevant to forestry for a range of internal and external clients. For further information, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Simon West on 07769 881346