Warmth from Wood

There has never been a better time to discover the benefits of burning wood for heat. Modern wood burning stoves offer an affordable and attractive way to heat your home, office or business.  

Wood is a renewable source of energy, therefore you are doing your bit towards fighting climate change and helping woodlands across the region to thrive both economically and ecologically. Well managed woodlands will also be more able to adapt to future changes in climate. Well managed woodlands are more efficient at locking up carbon. You will also reduce your heating bills and support local jobs in woodlands. Burning wood grown and harvested locally has huge benefits. Wood is already a low emission fuel, but by reducing the distance it is transported brings additional savings of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Bittern Countryside CIC has recently produced fact sheets on woodburning stoves and buying logs. Follow this link to the "Heat from Trees"  leaflet, to learn more about the advantages of using a wood burning or multi-fuel stove and other benefits of woodfuel over coal and other non-renewable fuels. The leaflet uses local case studies to help you understand what's involved and provides local contacts who are willing to share their experiences. The other fact sheet about buying, storing and using woodfuel can be download from this link - "Woodfuel Wisdom". This fact sheet helps de-mistify the art of buying, storing and using logs. The leaflet provides a simple "do's and dont's" guide and points you to other local woodfuel resources on the internet. 

Another useful resource is the Forestry Commission's official Biomass Energy Centre website. Whilst intended more for technical and forestry industry use, the site does contain a huge amount of information on the various types of energy that can be derived from plant material. Of most interest to householders is the database of woodfuel suppliers for Lancashire and for Cumbria.
Using this website it is also possible to find a supplier nationally as it is search-able county by county.

Yet more recommended reading is available from Cumbria Woodlands. This link will take you to a pdf download of their Warmth from Wood publication - a good general guide to using wood for fuel. Printed copies can also be obtained from the AONB Office. 

the need for change

The need to develop fuels for domestic and business heating that have low carbon emissions is becoming ever more pressing. The drivers for change are many and even multiplying as time goes on and the sustained high price of all fossil fuels is forcing change.

Cutting down trees may not seem like the most sensible way to protect the environment but management creates thriving woodlands, allowing younger trees to be planted and existing trees and habitats to be looked after. Well managed, productive woodland is proven to absorb more carbon per hectare than neglected woods and unmanaged plantations. They will also generally be better for wildlife and recreation too.

The latest research into climate change suggests that the best way to protect the forests we have is to manage them, so there is a diverse range of species and ages. For example, less than half of Cumbria's woodlands are managed, the rest are fallow. Burning wood creates a much larger market for woodland owners to sell their trees and timber and in turn generate sufficient income to support effective management in more woodlands.

The damaging changes burning fossil fuels is causing in the Earth's atmosphere and climate are becoming ever more serious as continuous and cumulative stress is placed on the whole Earth system. Increasing concerns over security of supply are also adding to the current woes in the energy market. In order to deliver solutions to our energy problems we need to recognise the nature of the impact we currently have - working out a "carbon footprint" can provide a greater understanding of the impacts energy use has on the environment locally and globally.

Woodfuel - Logs, woodchip and wood-pellets - has a real role to play in delivering modern heating systems for both domestic and business premises, that as part of sustainable forestry and improved woodland management deliver big reductions in CO2 emissions and even cost savings - given the rising cost of oil, gas and electricity.

a strategic AONB approach

There are a number of factors which provide an impetus to develop a strategic approach to the issues of fossil fuel use, energy security and carbon footprinting locally, focussed on the AONB:

• Proposals developing as a result of the UK Government Energy Review, and associated legislation changes, which may drive renewable energy infrastructure provision and stimulate changes in demand and supply of energy

• The existing opportunities provided by the natural environment in and around the AONB for the adoption of sustainable development and renewable energy schemes are recognised, but need to be developed further

• The UK Woodfuel Strategy and the North West England Biomass Woodfuel Strategy provide strong encouragement and adoption of woodfuel and the uptake of positive management of woodland to supply fuel

• The extent of woodland cover in the AONB and/or South Lakeland, and the proportion not in effective management indicates considerable potential to produce more woodfuel, timber and woodland products than is achieved at present

• Increasing levels of Fuel Poverty and the implications of "peak oil" potentially stimulating demand for woodfuel as a sustainable low-cost option

It is in response to these factors that the AONB Partnership is now developing a Low Carbon Landscape Initiative within the AONB. The AONB Team will be working with stakeholders and local communities over the coming months to develop a set of proposals that will contribute to wider adoption of sustainable lifestyles and provide savings in greenhouse gas emissions.

Part of the Initiative will be to stimulate the reliable supply of woodfuel, encouraging consumers to switch to woodfuel heating. Improving the market and demand for woodfuel is a pre-requisite to facilitate the better management of woodlands in and around the AONB.