Forestry Investment Blog

An interesting story ran in the times last week about the United Kingdom, where forest cover could double as a result of the plans.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6995796.ece

I f you don’t want to read the whole article here’s a quick summary……The plan is for the conversion of land to forestry plantations for wood burning power stations using eucalyptus and willow trees, chosen for their speed of growth. The forestry plantations could be planted on moorland, hillsides, even industrial zones.

Ultimately the trees would be turned into pellets and used for electricity generation in biomass power stations. Power stations are due to play a key role in reducing Britain’s emissions of carbon dioxide because the trees absorb it as they grow. The new forests would be cut down and replanted in a continuous cycle.

According to the report by the Times, a partnership between the Government and major energy companies states that almost  two and a half million hectares could be converted to plantations for biofuel.

The partnership is conducting a study to identify which areas are the most suitable for conversion to plantations in order to reduce the UKs reliance on imported wood. The amount of foreign-grown timber consumed in the UK is due to grow by 150 per cent because of plans for 16 large new biomass plants.

A biomass plant being built inWales, will use three million tonnes of wood per year and generate 300 megawatt hours of electricity.

Drax is planning to build three more 300 megawatt biomass plants in Yorkshire.

Britain needs to remove all carbon emissions from its electricity generation by 2030 in order to meet its target of cutting greenhouse gases by 50 per cent by 2050.

The Forestry Commission began trials last year to measure the yields from eucalyptus planted in six areas. Unlike conifers, which can take up to 40 years to produce a crop, eucalyptus can be harvested in as little as  five years.

Forestry invest is sponsored by Greenwood Management