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Seeing The Wood From The Trees
Posted Thursday, November 22, 2007
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A fallen tree is removed from Bradford Dale, Youlgrave.
The valley of the River Bradford has a potentially huge resource that currently is only partially tapped – woodland waste.
Following a visit from the Peak District National Park Forester and the local Forestry Commission officer earlier this year, we learnt that there is a potential of 4 tons/hectare of local wood waste available annually, if woodlands are managed properly, for use as fuel. They encouraged us to contact landowners, so starting with the National Park, they have also spoken with Haddon and Stanton Estates on our behalf, to obtain details of their woodland size and interest. Since then we have been approaching the remaining private landowners.
The Director of the East Midlands Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) gave us an estimated overall local woodlands figure of 196 hectares; but the research carried out by the National Park and ourselves suggests that there is in fact as much as 278 hectares. This would amount to 1,100 tonnes of woodfuel per year, which would equate to 1.1 MWh of electrical generation and over 2 MWh of heat. This assumes the woodfuel would be converted to producer gas in a gasifier, to fuel in turn a gas engine generating both electricity and heat (CHP), for use, say, in a local district heating scheme to offset existing energy supplies.
However, only a proportion of the potential wood waste will be recoverable (although local sawmill residues might swell that figure?) but even then this could offset a major part of our existing carbon footprint. When added to the potential from anaerobic digestion (and perhaps some energy crops?) biomass resources could well provide us with the means to go carbon neutral — and beyond.
Brian Mallalieu, Sustainable Youlgrave
