A seminar on wood fuel has been held at South Ayrshire Council’s Training and Development Centre in Prestwick by the Ayrshire and Arran Woodland Partnership.

Convener of South Ayrshire Councils Planning Committee, Councillor Helen Moonie Chaired the seminar, at which delegates heard about the exciting opportunities available to people in Ayrshire if they chose to take advantage of the evolving wood fuel market.

Wood is one type of fuel used in biomass energy production systems, which is where organic matter such as wood and straw are burnt to produce either heat and electricity for domestic or industrial use. People using these systems are actively contributing towards the development of renewable energy alternatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Wood fuel systems can also play a role in sustaining rural employment and skills in the agricultural and forestry sectors by providing a market for wood products, financing woodlands to be brought back into property management, and encouraging appropriate expansion of the woodland resources.

Representatives from the three Ayrshire Councils, local Housing Associations and private sector architects attended the seminar, where they listened to a number of national and local experts on the potential of wood fuel to contribute to reduce Ayrshire’s CO2 emissions, by providing energy using a sustainable fuel source and how the new systems can be installed and managed.

Councillor Moonie said: “I am very encouraged by the positive responses from everyone who was involved in the seminar.

“Ayrshire and Scotland have a strong advantage when developing renewable energy due to their abundance of wind, water and wood. Wood fuel has the potential to provide a real opportunity to produce energy from a local renewable resource, which can stimulate the rural economy and reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels.”

The seminar was aimed at organisations in Ayrshire with an interest in developing renewable energy systems, creating sustainable communities, and promoting the development of green jobs.

The wood fuel seminar was the first in a series of events planned for 2005 to raise awareness of trees, woodland and wood products contribution to the sustainable development of Ayrshire.

The Ayrshire and Arran Woodland Partnership is a collaborative initiative established to promote and support the implementation of the Ayrshire and Arran Woodland Strategy that was published in 2003. It aims to promote opportunities for trees, woodlands and wood products, to contribute to the sustainable development of Ayrshire through delivering economic development, improved quality of life and enhanced environmental excellence.

The Partnership is supported by:

South Ayrshire Council
East Ayrshire Council
North Ayrshire Council
Forestry Commission Scotland
Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire
Scottish Environment and Rural Affairs Department
Scottish Natural Heritage

For more information please contact Bob Frost, Project Co-ordinator, on telephone number 01292 673765 or e-mail bob.frost@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

January 2005