Welcome to Forestry Commission Wales homepage on Wood Energy. Forestry Commission Wales supports the development of wood energy, a clean, efficient and renewable energy source. Using wood from well-managed woods provides a renewable source of fuel and other products as well as giving woodland owners an incentive to manage their land productively, improving conditions for wildlife and amenity. Although burning wood releases carbon dioxide, this is balanced by the CO2 absorbed in the original growth of the trees and in the growth of new ones. It can be viewed as a form of stored solar energy captured by trees as they grow.
UK Government is committed to combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% (1990 levels) by 2050.
Woodfuel is a sustainable and low carbon source of bioenergy that can make a substantial contribution to achieving these targets. For more information on national renewable energy and climate change policy visit the Department for Energy and Climate website. Within the Forestry Commission, England, Scotland and Wales are working in partnership with many private and public sector organisations to help deliver these national bioenergy targets.
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Research and development has built on the long history of using wood for fuel, with clean and efficient wood fuel boilers, that burn either wood chips or pellets, becoming more popular in the UK. These are easy to operate and efficient – and provide a market for a local, renewable resource.
Although they are more expensive to buy the cost of running a woodfuel boiler is comparable to, or cheaper than, an oil boiler. Woodfuel works best on a local scale – using locally grown trees in efficient boilers to provide heat for business and community use reduces haulage costs and emissions.
