Training ignites enthusiasm to branch out into renewable wood fuel

Training ignites enthusiasm to branch out into renewable wood fuel

A training initiative in north-east England has lit the spark for more people to get involved in developing the use of wood as a fuel to supply boilers to produce heat and hot water – a priority for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The raw material and technology are available, but infrastructure is needed to support the supply chain. Now a training programme named Ignite is helping woodland owners, small and medium-size firms and self-employed contractors to harvest, process and supply wood for heating.

The training, a winner in the latest National Training Awards, includes Rural Development Initiatives, the Forestry Commission, English Nature, Defra, the Countryside Agency, the Confederation of Forest Industries and local authorities.

The partnership’s training and advice centre, Northwoods, in Northumberland, developed Ignite to teach the technical aspects of wood-fuel burning for boilers and power stations, chipping, drying, pelleting, woodland management for wood fuel and the risks and opportunities of the wood-fuel business.

The six-and-a-half-day programme, jointly funded by the Learning Skills Council Northumberland, Government Office North East and the Forestry Commission, ran at various locations around the region, and 52 people attended one or more units.

Kate Hutchinson, project officer at Northwoods, said: “18 Ignite beneficiaries are now actively engaged in the supply of wood for use as a renewable fuel and 12 businesses have declared that Ignite has increased their job security and been of benefit to their business.”

Among the business ventures started are a pelletisation mill and a new wood-fuel supply company. Other businesses have won new customers for wood fuel, or have diversified.

The Forestry Commission’s regional-development officer, Richard Pow, said: “An appropriately trained and skilled workforce is vital for the sustainable development of the supply chains that are necessary for the growth of the embryonic wood-fuel sector. It is no surprise that this pioneering course is being picked up and delivered elsewhere in the UK – something that the Forestry Commission warmly welcomes.”