woodfuel opportunities in oxfordshire 5 august 2012 matthew woodcock forestry commission – south...
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Woodfuel opportunities in
Oxfordshire
5 August 2012
Matthew Woodcock
Forestry Commission – South East England
2 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
South east England Woodland - Background
Undermanaged mixed (conifer/broadleaf)
woodland planted in the 1950’s
Typical broadleaved woodland of south east England – overstood coppice last cut > 40 years agoAlso ancient woodland with high ecological value – declining through under-management
3 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Our energy culture
Didcot Power Station
• We’re used to the convenience of energy from large scale power stations• Yet the overall efficiency in converting solid fuels into usable power is low (around 30-35%) – all the steam going up the cooling towers is wasted energy!• On the continent powerstations are often smaller and the heat is circulated around the community via district heating mains (just as we have gas mains)
4 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Pearl-bordered fritillaryrecords 1970-82
The case for woodland management
Pearl-bordered fritillaryrecords 1995-99
Pearl–bordered fritillary populations 1970-1982
Population 1992-1995Decline due to lack of active
management maintaining the diversity of woodland habitat
this, and many other native woodland species, require
5 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Woodland cover
6 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
A vision for Oxfordshire’s woods?
Active management of coppice with standards woodland
Impacts of management
7 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Maintaining our history
8 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Potential for sustainable production?
Traditional broadleaved trees like beech and oak
can grow at 4m3 per ha per year
Conifers like Scots pine can grow at > 8m3 per ha per year
Traditional coppice species like sweet
chestnut and ash can grow at > 6m3 per ha
per year
9 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Potential production from Oxfordshire
Non FC Woods ha
Est YCm3/ha/
yr
m3 per yr From 75% of
woodsProportion of sawlogs
Proportion of woodfuel
Prop. Of Slabwood
Energy of Wf MWh/yr
Conifer 899 8 7,200 5,400 3,200 2,200 1,600 3,900
Broadleaved 10,643 4 42,600 31,900 3,200 28,700 1,600 71,800
Mixed (*3) 2,683 6 16,200 12,100 7,200 4,900 3,600 10,600
Coppice (*8) 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coppice with standards (*8) 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0
Windblow (*4) 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
Felled (*4) 85 4 300 200 0 200 0 400
Open space 3,286 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 17,606 66,300 49,500 13,600 35,900 6,800 86,700
FC Woods ha Est YC m3 per yr Assume all is managed Sawlogs Woodfuel Slabwood MWh/yr
Conifer 262 10 2,600 1,500 1,100 700 1,800
Broadleaved 124 4 500 50 450 20 1,100
Mixed 243 6 1,500 900 600 400 1,300
Coppice 0 6 0 0 0 0 0
Coppice with standards 0 6 0 0 0 0 0
Windblow 0 4 0 0 0 0
Felled 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
Open space 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL (*2) 629 4,600 2,450 2,150 1,120 4,200
11 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
• Heating oil at 60 pence per litre• Provides 10kWhrs per litre • Cost = 6 pence per kWhr• Seasoned beech (30% MC)• Provides 2,800 kWhrs per m3
• Matched against oil = > £160 per m3
• OR the cost of heating oil to deliver the same heat as the 35,900m3 of wood which could be sustainably produced from 75% of Oxfordshire’s existing woods is about £5million per year!
• OR enough to heat about 6,000 homes
Potential opportunity?
12 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Existing markets: timber and wood
Verdo
Slough
Bedmax
13 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Medium scale CHP
BAA – Heathrow T2
14 Woodfuel opportunities in Oxfordshire
Small scale CCHP
Waitrose