Wood Fuel in The National Forest

Renewable energy sources are suddenly a hot topic in the media. Climate change is highlighting the need for us all to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

The availability of large amounts of timber that will come out of The National Forest through managing the growing woodlands will give local individuals and businesses an ideal source of renewable energy on their doorstep, as well as opening up the woodlands to greater nature conservation habitats.

Woodland management is also fundamental to the Forest’s underlying principles of stimulating economic regeneration and promoting a woodland economy.

The NFC is working closely with landowners to try and ensure the necessary management contributes to the economic sustainability of their woodland and results in thedevelopment of rural-based skills and jobs.

As the landowners start to thin out the close growth amongst some of the earliest planted trees, the resultant timber will have a number of uses: fuel in the form of logs or wood chips, ornamental and decorative use and in some cases it may be suitable for furniture or larger items. Much of this was promoted at the recent National Forest Wood Fair, a very successful showcase for timber-based products and skills.

An increasing number of organisations are recognising the potential for wood heat due to the production of wood chips in the Forest.

This winter the whole site at Rosliston Forestry Centre will be heated by a centrally located wood heat boiler – fuelled by wood chips produced from trees grown on site. Up until now the whole site has been heated by conventional electricity.

Old coal-fired boilers at Newbridge High School, Coalville, have been replaced by a wood pellet-fired heating system. Wood fuel heating is just one of the many ‘green’ credentials for the newly converted offices at Catton Hall Estate near Burton upon Trent. The modern woodchip boiler uses timber from the Estate’s National Forest Tender Schemes.

Dr Hugh Williams, Incentives & Land Management Officer with the National Forest Company, believes that the use of wood fuel as a source of energy needs to be encouraged. The NFC has already supported a number of wood fuel initiatives and wishes to encourage more pioneering projects into the Forest.

“Using wood in electricity producing power stations could well be of value but there is a risk that large, capital intensive projects may not be commissioned for several years,” says Dr Williams.

“In the short term, a number of smallscale local wood heat units, providing hot water for fixed facilities such as schools, halls, and community buildings, offer the most potential for rapid results.

“In the medium term, the development of combined heat and power plants for new, bespoke housing developments is an exciting possibility.” Anyone interested in installing a similar wood heat unit should contact the NFC on 01283 551211.