A selection of biomass related guidance notes and documents from DEFRA, DECC the Forestry Commission and other sources

• Establishment and maintenance of a woodfuel resource

Guidance on establishing and maintaining a short rotation forestry (SRF) plantation for energy. A Technical Note from Forest Research (PDF – 142 kB)

• Establishment and Management of Broadleaved Coppice Plantations for energy

A Practice Note from Forest Research that reviews existing knowledge and gives outline guidance on site selection and preparation, plantation design, planting, weed control, crop management, pest management and yield for coppice plantations of a range of broadleaved species that may be grown alongside short rotation coppice (SRC) of willow and poplar (PDF – 100 kB)

• Establishment and management of short rotation coppice

A Practice Note from Forest Research that reviews existing knowledge and gives guidance on site selection and preparation, plantation design, planting, weed control, crop management, pest management and yield for short rotation coppice plantations of willow and poplar grown as sources of renewable energy

• A farmer’s guide to the planning system

A Defra publications from the ODPM giving guidance to the planning system for farmers (PDF – 784 kB)

• Guidance on site selection for brash removal

A protocol from the Forestry Commission giving guidance on site selection for brash removal to minimize site damage from loss of nutrients, carbon and base cations, and mechanical damage

• Wood Fuel Development Guidance

A report, launched November 2010, giving guidance to Local Planning Authorities when processing applications for wood fuel development

• Local air quality management guidance

Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 Part III Local Air Quality Management Technical Guidance LAQM.TG(09) From Defra February 2009 (PDF – 2.6 MB)

• Air quality and biomass installations – a briefing for local authorities

Help for local authority officers specifying or reviewing biomass boiler proposals in London Boroughs in assessing the impact on air quality

• Technical guidance: Screening assessment for biomass boilers

This report from AEA provides background information on methods of assessing the impact of biomass combustion appliances on air quality proposed for inclusion in the new Technical Guidance

• Planting and growing Miscanthus

Best practice guidelines for applications to Defra’s Energy Crops Scheme on the growing of Miscanthus as an energy crop

• Growing short rotation coppice

Guidance on the choice of site, planting techniques, crop management
and harvesting methods required when growing short rotation willow or poplar coppice as an energy crop

• Small-scale Systems for Harvesting Woodfuel Products

A Technical Note from Forest Research providing guidance on the selection of appropriate systems for small-scale harvesting of forest products for woodfuel
Information about production and use of woodfuel for energy from the Forestry Commission.

This is also available in a loose leaf ring binder format for £10 from the Forestry Commission. Please visit www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-66SHAG for details

• Environmental Permitting Guidance – The Directive on the Incineration of Waste

Environmental Permitting Guidance The Directive on the Incineration of Waste. From Defra (PDF – 803 kB)

• Timber Procurement Advice Note (6th edition)

Guidance from CPET on government timber procurement to ensure legalist and sustainability (PDF – 175 kB)

• Biomass for London: Wood fuel demand and supply chains

This report assesses the number and capacity of planned wood fuel plant in London and their potential fuel demand. It examines the potential sources of fuel and makes recommendations for enabling the growth in fuel production from London’s own resources

• Biomass strategy: What it means for our woodlands

A two-minute read from Northwoods

• UK Government Biomass Strategy 2023

With a link to a 204-page document, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which sets out the role sustainable biomass can play in reaching net zero.

• A beginner’s guide to pellet production

The first of a series of five guides on making biomass fuel pellets from a British manufacturer and supplier of pellet mills. This first guide covers many of the factors that can affect the quality of the final pellet and the pellet making process in general, while the following ones provide more detail on specific factors in the manufacturing process such as binders, moisture content, die thickness, etc. These subsequent guides can be accessed from the PelHeat website.