NORTH YORKSHIRE TIMBER TO HELP FUEL GREEN POWER STATION

North Yorkshire's forests are set to play a key role in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Forestry Commission is despatching the first consignment of 27,500 tonnes of timber from the region to Britain's biggest wood-fuelled power station, being built on Teesside.

Constructed by SembCorp Utilities UK on the Wilton International site, the Ł60 million plant, called Wilton 10, will generate enough "green" power to run 30,000 homes.

Although commissioning is not due until spring 2007, stockpiling of timber and testing is under way. The contract is the biggest individual deal sealed by the Forestry Commission in North Yorkshire.

"This is an exciting time," said Mark Weston, harvesting forester. "Our forests are managed for people and wildlife, but they have a crucial role to play in providing a sustainable resource. Our contract with SembCorp will be met out of our annual timber output of 100,000 tonnes, so it's very much business as usual on the ground. Using wood produces fewer emissions than fossil fuels, and woodfuel comes from a renewable source."

The Forestry Commission manages 22,000 hectares (55,000 acres) of woodlands in North Yorkshire, all of which have been certified as meeting top environmental standards by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Timber will be harvested from woods including Langdale Forest, near Pickering, Guisborough Forest, Silton, near Northallerton, and locations along the western fringe of the North York Moors, including Boltby, as part of on-going forest management. This will provide opportunities to improve recreational facilities and conservation sites. Sourcing timber locally also means reduced haulage distances and therefore less road pollution.

The Wilton 10 boiler will require 300,000 tonnes of chipped wood every year. About 20 per cent will be supplied from the North York Moors and Kielder Forest Districts. A further 40 per cent will be come from recycled wood, 20 per cent from sawmill off-cuts, and the reminder from short-rotation coppiced willow, a fast-growing energy crop.

Steve Bishop, biomass manager for SembCorp Utilities UK, said:

"The Forestry Commission is one of our key suppliers, and it's great to see wood arriving at the site. Construction at the site is continuing, but the project is powering ahead."

North Yorkshire timber already finds its way into construction, fencing and pallet markets and also housing interiors. The annual planting season, which gets under way in the New Year, will see 400,000 saplings planted by hand to replace the trees felled and to broaden wildlife habitats.

Note to editor

The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. Forestry makes a real contribution to sustainable development, providing social and environmental benefits arising from planting and managing attractive, as well as productive, woodlands. To find out more go to www.forestry.gov.uk

Media calls to Richard Darn on 0113 2836598. mobile: 0775 367 0038

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE FORESTRY COMMISSION BY RICHARD DARN, GNN, CITY HOUSE, LEEDS, LS1 4JG. TEL: 0113 2836598.