Boost for South Yorkshire Woodfuel
Forestry Commission woodfuel chief for Yorkshire and the Humber, Rudie Humphrey, with a handful of wood chips destined to be used to generate green energy. Photo: Mark Pinder. A CASH boost of £100,000 will help local woodland owners in South Yorkshire
tap into the growing market for woodfuel.
The Forestry Commission and the South Yorkshire Forest Partnership has won the grant from a European Union fund. The funding
is spread over three years
and has been won under an EU scheme called Activating private forest owners to increase forest fuel
supply (AFO).
The region is one of the most forested in Yorkshire and the Humber, with
11,465 hectares (28,662 acres) of woodland.
Now private woodland owners are being targeted to bring more of their land into management to produce timber, possibly by joining together with other owners
to create local supply clusters or co-operatives.
Rudie Humphrey, woodfuel co-ordinator with the Forestry Commission in Yorkshire
and the Humber, said:
“The public sector can do only so much in meeting future woodfuel demands
and we need private woodland owners to make their mark. But a lot of these woods are fragmented and small-scale
so encouraging owners to work in unison makes common sense. There is a major business opportunity here to create jobs and
wealth for South Yorkshire. Bringing woodland into management also helps wildlife by diversifying
the habitat.”
• The Forestry Commission has also launched two new guides to help woodland owners and potential users of woodfuel appliances branch out. The Yorkshire and Humber Woodfuel Directory 2010 is a 'Yellow Pages' with an eco-slant, listing boiler suppliers and installers,
along with local sources
of sustainable timber
and firewood.
The other – Biomass Funding Guide for Yorkshire and the Humber – explains what grants are available to help people turn to wood-generated heat and light
and for businesses to
take advantage of new
market opportunities.
• Download free of charge at www.forestry.gov.uk/YorkshireandtheHumber >>
• For more news see Wrights Farming Register every month |
