By Michael Smith (Veshengro)
With the ever increasing demand and need for a carbon neutral energy and heating source wood fuel is one of the answers once again, if not indeed THE answer.
Wood, until the advent of fossil fuels, in the form of coal, and later oil and gas, somewhere around the beginning of the 19th century, or a little before that, was the source for heating and other energy production, including the power for steam engines.
In order to be able to produce enough wood (for fuel) sustainably at home, in our own country, whether as logs, chips or even material to be made into fuel pellets the woods in our parks and open spaces must be brought “on stream”.
While this suggestion of bringing the woodlands and wooded areas of parks and open spaces into the timber production and an anathema to some – in the same way as many just even see the simple cutting down of a tree, any tree, anywhere, as bad and evil – it is something of a necessity that will need to be done.
Another necessity will be actually having more (productive) trees (planted) in parks and open spaces, especially the more countryside-like ones, even if they are in towns and cities, so that they can be harvested in rotation coppice for wood fuel (and other forest/wood products).
While it is true and fact that 50% of woods in England are not (properly) managed, and those do include council-owned woods, timber production for fire wood and wood fuel must also be carried out in park woodlands.
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© 2011
