A selection of reports and studies on the use of woodfuel from forestry sources

Commercial woodchip storage drying trials

A trial to assess the efficacy of using forced air drying through a bed of woodchips to achieve an agreed moisture content, on a commercial scale (PDF – 1.2 MB)

Energy from biomass: Volume 1: Wood fuel supplies and supply chains

Summaries of biomass projects carried out as part of the DTI’s New and Renewable Energy Programme. Volume 1: Wood fuel supplies and supply chains (PDF – 317 kB)

Energy from Biomass: Volume 3: Converting wood fuel to energy

Summaries of biomass projects carried out as part of the DTI’s New and Renewable Energy Programme. Volume 3:Converting wood fuel to energy (PDF – 327 kB)

Environmental impacts of the extraction of forestry residues

The project aimed to assess the environmental implications of the shift in forestry operation and management practice necessary to supply significant quantities of fuel wood in the timeframe to 2020 (PDF – 918 kB)

Identification and characterisation of factors affecting losses in the large-scale, non-ventilated bulk storage of wood chips, and development of best storage practices

Results of a project to determine and characterise factors affecting losses in the large-scale non-ventilated bulk storage of wood chips and to develop best storage practices which can be implemented on a commercial scale (PDF – 621 kB)

Woodfuel production from a thinning operation in Sitka Spruce

An extended summary from Forest Research Technical Development. Woodfuel production trials in Wales to compare the outputs and costs achieved when thinning Sitka Spruce to produce conventional and unconventional (woodfuel) specification (PDF – 180 kB)

Small scale chippers – standards review

An extended summary from Forest Research Technical Development. Woodchips produced from ten small scale chippers were assessed for particle size variability against the CEN/TS 335 biofuel specification (PDF – 1.2 MB)

Calorific Value of Brash Bales

An extended summary from Forest Research Technical Development. A trial took place in Wales to analyse the calorific value of brash bales produced from a Sitka spruce clearfell (PDF – 1.1 MB)

Assessment of the use of landscape management arisings as a feedstock for commercial pellet production

This report, produced by Harvest Wood Fuels and released by the Forestry Commission on 11 August 2010, summarises the findings of a study that investigated the potential of producing fuel pellets from material harvested from heathland, including gorse, heather and rhododendron. The study concludes that pellets potentially suited to commercial heat and power generation applications can be successfully produced with the feedstocks tested. These findings suggest that material harvested during habitat restoration and management operations could: contribute to the development of a biomass based low carbon economy, help offset the cost of habitat management, provide rural employment in the energy sector (PDF -808 kB)

Assessment of the use of gorse and heather arisings as a feedstock for commercial pellet production

This report follows a feasibility report completed in July 2010 – Assessment of landscape management arisings as a feedstock for commercial pellet production. It is a follow-up investigation, on behalf of the Forestry Commission, into the potential use of gorse and heather for fuel pellet production. The focus was on discovering whether it would be possible to produce a gorse or heather pellet which achieved the highest ‘Grade A’ European quality standard for use in domestic pellet boilers (PDF – 775 kB)

The economics of harvesting wood for heating fuel from hedgerows

A study by the Devon Hedge Group to look at the economics of using material from laying a hedge for woodfuel (PDF – 196 kB)

Woodfuel production from undermanaged coppice

An extended summary from Forest Research Technical Development. Studies were undertaken on three methods of harvesting and extracting densely stocked, small diameter coppice stems in the Wyre Forest (PDF – 365 KB)

Woodfuel Production from Pine Thinnings

An extended summary from Forest Research Technical Development. Two studies were undertaken to investigate the cutting of woodfuel from mechanised pine thinnings in the Wyre forest (PDF – 319 kB)

Real potential for changes in growth and use of EU forests

The final report from the EUwood project. The EUwood project, financed by the IEE programme, continued this research and has created a more reliable and precise overview on future supply and demand. It brought together data and analyses from a wide range of sources in the comprehensive and structured framework of the Wood Resource Balance. Furthermore, the EUwood project offers a detailed and transparent estimate of future potential wood supply in Europe

Estimating the Woodfuel potential of the Woolhope Dome

This report describes a study carried out by Forest Research as part of the Woolhope Dome Project to estimate the extent of the wood fuel resource available in Woolhope Dome woodlands, and identify physical and environmental constraints on wood fuel production and to quantify their potential influence