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Independent wood fuel broker
Woodland development support
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| Home | About Westwoods | Project news |
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Project
news
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General news and what's been happening in the Westwoods project. |
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Seven new woodchip tender opportunities
Westwoods has released 7 tenders for
woodchip. The potential contracts
total 1,429 tonnes of woodchip for
the 2010/2011 heating season. If you
are a woodchip supplier and would
like to quote for these contracts,
then email
admin@westwoods.org.uk
for more information.
Closing date
for quotes is 12.30pm Friday 30th
July 2010. |
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Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death)
Phytophthora ramorum is a pathogen
that kills trees and is a major
threat to forest and woodland
related industries. Last year there
were a number of outbreaks in south
west England and this year the first
in south Wales has been confirmed.
Rhododendron is known to be a host
to the spores, but confirmed
outbreaks in the UK have been in
Japanese larch, sweet chestnut,
beech, birch, Turkey oak, holm oak,
horse chestnut and western hemlock.
Our two native species of oak
(sessile and pedunculate) are much
more resistant to the disease; the
name ‘sudden oak death’ comes from
North America where millions of
native American oaks and tanoaks in
California were devastated.
A full
list of hosts and findings in Europe
can be found by clicking here.
Symptoms include:
- withered shoot tips
- leaves or needles blackened or wilting
- branch die-back
- branches or trunk bleeding resin – bleeding cankers (see image alongside)
Further images of the symptoms
can be found by clicking here.
The Forestry Commission, Forest Research, and Food and Environment Research Agency are all
working to control the spread of this disease. However, vigilance is necessary. The disease is spread
by air currents, rain or mist. It can even spread on shoes, tyres or animal feet.
The Forestry Commission has put in place measures to try and limit the transmission through removing and destroying any
rhododendron on infected sites. Other trees or plants on which P. Ramorum can produce inoculums are also being removed
and either made into wood products or used as biofuel or destroyed by burning or deep burial. The timber from such a site
has to be moved under licence and taken to an authorised processing facility with appropriate biosecurity precautions to
prevent accidental spread.
The following are best practice guidelines produced by the Forestry Commission which should be followed by any operative when
working in a woodland with a confirmed outbreak of P. Ramorum:
Before leaving the site, footwear, tools, equipment, plant and machinery should be cleaned so they are free from any soil or plant debris. This applies to not only moving from site to site along main roads but also within the forest boundary. As much soil and plant debris should be removed as reasonably practicable by simple brushing.
Measures will be outlined in a Statutory Notice and will include disinfecting with an appropriate fungicide. Note that normal disinfectants will not work against P. Ramorum.
All staff and any operators who come into contact with infected rhododendron should be made aware of these precautions and adhere to them.
For woodland owners/managers with an infected site the Forestry Commission has produced a set of guidelines as a PDF document that can be downloaded by clicking here.
Update:
Phytophthora ramorum and woodchip fuel
It has been confirmed that the disease is spreading eastwards. Licenses for carrying out sanitation fellings are being given.
The spores are carried in the bark and needles but the timber can be seasoned in the woodland as once the tree is cut down it stops
producing spores. When the round wood is removed from the woodland it must be moved under license in a covered wagon.
It can be used for woodfuel but must be processed in a separate area of the yard, since once uninfected and infected material is mixed it is all
considered infected. If the woodfuel supplier is to supply small-scale operations, such as schools, the customer must be informed to ensure that
chip is not used for any other purpose, especially horticultural.
If you are a woodchip supplier and would like to use P ramorum infected wood contact Daniel England (01626 890666) or Mark Prior (07836 607029) for more detailed information.
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June 9th 2010 - Westwoods scheme
launch
Held at Bush House on the Bristol
harbourside, the event was attended
by delegates from local authorities, the alternative energy sector,
estate owners and managers, and the media.
Below is a summary of each of the five speakers' presentations.
(Click on picture to enlarge image) |
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Andrew Harvey
Andrew is one of the two directors of Westwoods. He spoke of the need to create a viable infrastructure, facilitating the entire
supply chain from consumer to producer. New energy forms cannot rely solely on ethical or philosophical arguments but must be practical and economic.
The aim of the project is to establish ourselves as a trustworthy broker acting for the benefit of all parties. |
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Mark Prior
Mark is
the Woodfuel Partnership Officer for
the South West Regional Development
Agency on secondment from the
Forestry Commission.
Woodfuel is one of the ways to tackle climate change and
meet climate change targets.
Renewable sources need to quadruple
in next 10 years to meet EU
Renewable Energy Strategy target.
Biomass is important part of this. Key driver will be
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI); if
this operates as per the
consultation paper it will halve
payback time of installations.
Woodfuel is a carbon-lean renewable
energy resource. Southwest has
nearly 120,000ha of under-managed
woodlands as well as sources from
current forestry, tree surgery
arisings, joinery offcuts, energy
crops, sawmill co-products and
reclaimed wood.
Demand for woodchip is increasing
throughout the UK and there's a need
to ensure fuel supply to build
confidence in the market. Westwoods
is a key player in this – organising
and streamlining the supply chain. |
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George Ferguson
George Ferguson is Chairman of
Ferguson Mann Architects and a
former president of the Royal
Institute of British Architects.
True to character, George opened his
address by saying that if you don’t
believe in climate change then you
are mad. It’s like saying that grass
doesn’t grow – just because you
can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s
not happening. Biomass boilers are
one of the ways forward for us to
combat climate change. He underlined
the importance of quality woodchip,
as he has seen a number of biomass
boilers that have been fed poor
quality fuel and the problems it
causes. |
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Paul Barker
Paul
is the Energy Management Officer at
Bristol City Council (BCC).
BCC has a 40% carbon reduction
target by 2020 and this is going to
be met by 'big wind' and the
installation of woodchip boilers.
Biomass has a high carbon saving and
provides financial paybacks. BCC has
been a leader in biomass production
and installations and understands
how woodfuel quality is essential to
the smooth operation of a boiler.
BCC has commissioned 7 more boilers
to be operational this year and
other local authorities are
following suit. BCC can self-supply
the existing boilers, but the
majority of newly-commissioned
boilers will need external wood fuel
supply (approx 1000 tonnes per
annum). As a customer requiring wood
fuel, BCC wishes to ensure that the
fuel is locally-grown, to the
correct specification, competitively
priced and delivered when needed.
Westwoods will help BCC to source
local wood fuel, ensure it's from a
sustainable source and to the
correct specification for the
boiler. |
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Mark Letcher
Mark
is a director of Westwoods.
Mark became involved with Westwoods
through his climate change
consultancy and recognises the
importance of biomass in reducing
carbon dioxide emissions. It takes
around 18 months to 2 years to
produce good quality woodchip once a
tree is felled and we need to plan
ahead to ensure a secure supply is
established.
Westwoods aims to stimulate local
production of biomass from local and
sustainably managed woodland, and
ensure a very high standard of
product. Westwoods' role is to
provide easy access to the woodfuel
market and promote confidence in the
fuel. Westwoods will act as a broker
between producers and users of
woodchip, assisting both parties
throughout the tendering process.
Quality assurance is key. Westwoods
will sample and test for moisture
content, chip size, bark content and
contaminants and this testing will
be part of the assurance prior to
the contract being taken out, and as
a matter of course during dispute
resolution.
We would like to encourage you to
join Westwoods - membership is free
and we are happy to discuss the
opportunities with you. We also need
to locate and secure depots or wood
stations around the area. |
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Symptoms of
Phytophthora ramorum
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