DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (97/07) issued by
The Government News Network on 28 March 2007
A plan to boost
the supply of environment-friendly woodfuel to cut greenhouse
gases and produce enough energy to power 250,000 homes was
unveiled today.
The Forestry Commission's Woodfuel Strategy for England (http://www.forestry.gov.uk/england-woodfuel),
launched by Biodiversity Minister Barry Gardiner, aims to boost
the woodfuel market with an extra two million tonnes of wood a
year by 2020, saving 400,000 tonnes of carbon annually - the
equivalent of taking 550,000 cars off the road.
Carbon released into the atmosphere by burning woodfuel is
absorbed by growing more trees. As well as cutting carbon and
producing renewable energy, woodfuel benefits biodiversity through
sustainable management of neglected woodlands and boosts the rural economy.
Barry Gardiner visited a trailblazing woodfuel scheme in Bristol
today. Blaise Plant Nursery's boiler uses clean recovered
wood from Bristol's parks to heat greenhouses, saving £19,000
a year on fuel bills and contributing to climate change targets.
Barry Gardiner said:
"Using wood instead of fossil fuels means that sustainably
managed woodland can be a significant resource for a low-carbon
economy. Producing fuel from timber taken from well-managed
woodlands benefits wildlife too.
"Stimulating the woodfuel market is good for jobs too, and
this new strategy gives people the tools to realise the broad
range of benefits that woodfuel has to offer. Government,
business, communities and local authorities can together make
woodfuel work for everyone's benefit. "
Biomass such as woodfuel currently supplies three per cent of
total UK energy.
The strategy recommends provision of capital investment and
technical advice and support for the supply chain, and highlights
the need to find new ways to engage with the estimated 50-80,000
owners of woodland in England.
Forestry Commission Chairman Lord Clark of Windermere said:
"Over half of England's woodlands are currently
under-managed. This is a significant and sustainable resource that
we want to tap into.
"This will also bring additional benefits including
biodiversity. Bringing more woodland back into management will
benefit a range of flora and fauna including species such as
nightingales and woodland butterflies. Using wood to substitute
for fossil fuels means that well managed woodland can help to
combat climate change. So woodfuel is a winner on many counts."
The Forestry Commission will be working with delivery partners,
including Regional Development Agencies, local authorities and
private businesses, to produce a detailed implementation plan to
support the strategy.
Editors' Notes
1. The publication of the Strategy will be followed up by a
detailed implementation plan in the summer.
2. The Forestry Commission is the government department
responsible 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
Government on forestry policy. It manages more than a million
hectares (2.5 million acres) of national forest land for public
benefits such as sustainable timber production, public recreation,
nature conservation, and rural and community development. For
further information, visit http://www.forestry.gsi.gov.uk
3. Defra's biomass pages are at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/crops/industrial/index.htm
The Government has set a domestic target to reduce carbon
emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2010 and 60% by 2050.
Biomass as a renewable source of energy, including woodfuel, can
make a contribution to achieving these targets.
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