Woodland fuel £4m project begins
added november 24th 2008
A £4m project to increase the use of wood as a future fuel for the East is to begin later.
The Woodfuel East project aims to cut carbon emissions by providing locally produced and sustainably sourced fuel.
And the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) awarded £4.3m to Woodlands East to fund the idea.
The project, which should increase the use of wood-based energy production, will be launched at Home Farm, Heveningham, near Halesworth, Suffolk.
Landowners will be urged to manage woodlands to provide habitats for wildlife, and use wood which may otherwise go to waste, for fuel.
The scheme also aims to create jobs and businesses in the rural economy.
Undermanaged woodland
There are about 140,000 hectares of woodland in the East, around 7% of the total land area, but 50,000 hectares are undermanaged or not managed at all, EEDA said.
Felled trees and cut branches, which might otherwise go to waste, can be chipped for use in specialised boilers and provide heat and hot water for buildings such as schools, village halls and offices, particularly in rural areas with no gas supply.
Woodfuel East is a regional initiative governed by a steering committee with representatives from 25 organisations and institutions, and is co-ordinated by the Forestry Commission East of England.
The aim is to boost sustainable economic regeneration in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
