Cutting Carbon in Bedfordshire Means Business Bedfordshire’s woodlands are helping cut the county’s carbon emissions and providing business opportunities for people working in woodfuel supply. Woodfuel East is a regional initiative helping businesses to make the most of these opportunities, which will create jobs and improve the county’s biodiversity.
Stella Cornell received a Woodfuel East grant towards buying Rowan the logging horse – which will be in action on Sunday 7 March at the National Trust’s Chute Wood on the Dunstable Downs.
Phil Potter is Woodfuel East’s Business Development Advisor for Bedfordshire. He is working to get more woodland in the county actively managed and supporting businesses along the woodfuel supply chain.
He said: “Locally-grown woodfuel is a carbon-lean source of fuel, as the trees capture carbon as they grow. By managing more of Bedfordshire’s woodlands for woodfuel, we can improve habitats for the county’s wildlife and create jobs for people.
“By helping to fund this logging horse, we are also helping Stella’s business to provide a much-needed service to woodland owners.”
Phil explained that Woodfuel East had 25 partners, including the National Trust, Central Bedfordshire Council and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). It is hosted by the Forestry Commission and has received £4.3m from the Rural Development Programme for England, via EEDA. For more information about Woodfuel East go to www.woodfueleast.org.uk or call Phil on 01223 773073 or 07826 914 882.
The Woodfuel East Market PlaceWoodfuel East has established the Market Place to help match the supply and demand for round timber in the East of England.
This free online marketplace gives potential woodfuel customers details of their nearest suppliers.
To join the Woodfuel East Market Place, register on this site.
Please spread the word around the woodfuel sector as the more people who use this facility the more useful it will become.
Advisory servicesAre you a woodland owner thinking about managing your woodland to produce woodfuel?
Uncertain about how to start?
Woodfuel East may be able to help you!
Woodfuel East is keen to help develop an increase in sustainable woodland management - our target is to assist in bringing 15,000 hectares of unmanaged and under-managed woodland back into management by 2013. This will stimulate the production of an additional 110,000 tonnes of timber per annum which, as woodfuel, could l displace an estimated 75,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Woodfuel East can now offer a subsidised advisory service which will:
- Provide initial advice to woodland owners and occupiers of woodland which enables them to make decisions that will lead to improved management of their woodland.
- Produce a basic report on the woodland's potential and its capability to support the woodfuel supply chain.
- Provide the basis for more detailed management plans and plan sustainable woodland management activities. These could then be funded under the Forestry Commission’s English Woodland Grant Scheme or other relevant funding mechanisms.
Woodfuel East can cover 80% of costs for this advisory service through the Rural Development Programme for England(RDPE). Five advisory providers were successful in tendering to offer this service – their details are below:
FWAG
Smiths Gore Ltd
Lockhart & Garratt Ltd
UPM Tilhill
Silvicultural Systems Ltd
Woodland owners can choose the provider who is most appropriate for their needs.
Further advisory services may be supported, if agreed in advance, as long as these services fit within the aims and objectives of Woodfuel East, and are not subject to other funding mechanisms (i.e. HLS, EWGS). Your advisor will need to discuss and agree these requirements with Woodfuel East before further services are provided.
The activities of Woodfuel East cover Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Woodland owners and occupiers of woodland receiving the advisory service must be based in the region, with the majority of their woodland receiving the support being within the geographical boundaries of the region.
Woodfuel East Boiler Installation Grant
Woodfuel East is pleased to announce that it can now help with funding of to install modern, automated, woodchip fired combustion systems for farm diversification and farm modernisation projects, small energy supply companies, micro-enterprise projects, tourism projects and community buildings!
Click here for more information
MEET WOODFUEL EASTWoodfuel East will be attending shows and events across the East of England in 2010.
We will be at:
CLA Event – Woodland – the Burning Issues – Sandringham - April 21
East Anglian Game and Country Fair, Norfolk Showground - April 24/25
Essex Young Farmers’ Show, Roxwell, near Chelmsford - May 16
Bedfordshire Young Farmers’ Rally, Pertenhall, near Grafham Water, May 22
Royal Norfolk Show, Norfolk Showground– June 30/July 1
Woodworks! at Marston Vale – September 4/5 Come along and meet us there!
Funding and Support SeminarsWOODLAND - THE BURNING ISSUES
This CLA event , which has received sponsorshop from Woodfuel East, will help woodland owners and managers make the best use of their assets through improved management and woodfuel opportunities
Wednesday 21 April 2010 Sandringham Estate
PROGRAMME:
Presentations Welcome and introduction by Tim Isaac – CLA Regional Surveyor
Woodfuel overview by Gary Battell – Suffolk County Council
Managing woodland for wood fuel by Mike Seville – CLA Forestry Adviser
Stewardship and grants for woodland by Tony Hargreaves – Brown & Co ·
The importance of deer management by David Hooton – The Deer Initiative
Woodfuel boilers by Nat Bacon of Energy Innovations ·
Case study by Alexander George
Woodfuel East by Sid Cooper - Norfolk Business Development Advisor at Woodfuel East
Closing remarks by Tim Isaac
Walk through woodland and to view the woodfuel boiler
For more information contact CLA Eastern Region, Aspen Grove Farm, Assington Green, Stansfield, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 8LY or email info.eastern@cla.org.uk