Kent Downs Woodfuel Pathfinder

Woodland Contractors Workshop

Evolving market opportunities

17 November 2011
Matthew Woodcock Forestry Commission South East England

Issues to cover

The importance of markets

How much wood do we have in Kent?

Incentives
Implications?

The current state of many of our woods?

Major Sawmills

Established markets:
Slough Heat & Power

Bedmax

Verdo Renewables

Evolving woodfuel markets:

LARGE SCALE
BAA - Heathrow

SMALL SCALE
Firewood

Waitrose Estover LC Energy MEDIUM SCALE Local Woodheat users:

Not just woodfuel:

Chestnut fencing Post and Rail

Faggots

Chestnut panels
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Sawn wood

Simple shelters etc

Homes:

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Offices:

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South East England Woodfuel Strategy suggested targets by County

County

Woodland Area (hectares)

% Woodland cover

FC holding (Hectares)

% of woodland cover

Non FC holding (hectares)

Woodfuel Strategy target by % non FC woodland area (m3/yr)

Woodfuel Strategy Suggested County Target (m3/yr)

Berkshire Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Surrey Hampshire Isle of Wight West Sussex

18,308 17,573 18,235 37,564 66,939 4,549 37,507

14.5 9.4 7 22.4 17.7 12 18.9

444 1,753 629 1,588 20,136 1,146 3,789

2.4 10.0 3.4 4.2 30.1 25.2 10.1

17,864 15,820 17,606 35,976 46,803 3,403 33,718

38,103 33,743 37,553 76,735 99,828 7,258 71,919

35,000 33,000 35,000 70,000 105,000 7,000 70,000

East Sussex
Kent

29,924
39,487 270,086

16.7
10.6 14.4

2,643
3,540 35,668

8.8
9.0

27,281
35,947 234,418

58,189
76,673 500,000

55,000
90,000 500,000

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Whats the potential?

Conifers > 8m3/ha/yr

Traditional broadleaved 4m3/ha/yr

Traditional coppice species >6m3/ha/yr

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How much heat is this?

1 cubic metre of seasoned chestnut:
@ 30% moisture content will provide > 2,200kWhrs heat

So 90,000m3 of wood could provide

Approx. 200,000,000 kWh

An average home uses about 15,000kWh/yr

So in South East England we could heat >13,000 homes

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Value of wood as a heat source?

Heating oil at 60 pence per litre

Provides 10kWh per litre Cost = 6 pence per kWh

Seasoned chestnut (30% MC)

Provides 2,200 kWh per m3 Matched against oil = 130 per m3

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RHI Calculator

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Self supply: Stansted Park

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Local supply: Surrey sports centre

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 An evolving market for low quality wood Local markets offer:

reduced costs improved market security higher margins undertake silvicultural operations improve timber quality

Markets for low quality wood allow us to:

Interest in woodfuel is stimulating interest in wood as a whole and encouraging interest in woodland creation.

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