Solutions for wood and biomass

Overview

BioRegional provides services for the whole woodfuel supply chain from sustainably managing woodland resources, establishing local woodfuel supply chains to managing biomass heat and power installations.

BioRegional’s award winning team provides you with a wealth of experience and will help you deliver practical, cost-effective and innovative sustainable solutions to these challenges. 

Our services

We can work with you to deliver tailored solutions to meet your needs however big or small. Our services include:

Woodfuel resource assessments

• evaluating potential energy resource of existing woodland
• energy crop establishment and feasibility studies.

Forestry and woodland management

• woodland improvement, conservation and management plans (UKWAS.FSC)
• contracted active woodland management by BioRegional Forestry
• training and assistance with the myForest mapping and marketing tool for woodland owners.

Processing quality woodfuel

We can take you through the whole process of setting up and operating a hub to convert arboricultural waste to premium grade woodfuel:

• site selection, feasibility and business planning
• identification of woodland owners through stakeholder consultation
• help with grant and planning applications.

Biomass installations

We offer a complete service for biomass installations from conception through to operation on individual and community scale systems, including:

• technical and economic appraisals
• system, access and storage design
• management of tendering process for supply of boiler and fuel
• grant and planning applications.

Supply chain development

• supply chain reviews
• detailed stakeholder analysis and engagement
• practical action plans to further develop the supply chain.

Training

We offer off-the-shelf and bespoke training for architects, developers, local authorities, schools and businesses, covering the following topics:

• design and management of biomass installations
• assessing biomass planning applications
• sustainable woodland management
• entering the woodfuel market as a produce or supplier.

Case study

North London Woodfuel Hub case study

Client: Forestry Commission

Woodfuel heating can play a critical part in achieving renewable energy generation goals. BioRegional on behalf of the Forestry Commission developed a feasibility study as to the viability of a woodfuel hub in North London which would process arboricultural arisings and woodland thinnings into premium grade woodfuel for biomass boilers. The study identified:

• The significant potential woody resource in and around the North London area (58,000 tonnes).
• The potential demand for woodchip for biomass boilers now and in the future.
• Possible sites and operators of a woodfuel hub.

After constructing several business models an optimum scenario emerged indicating that under the right conditions a woodfuel hub could indeed be viable. 

BioRegional decided to take this work forward with the help of funding from DECC’s Bio-Energy Infrastructure Scheme and experience gained from establishing the UK’s first Tree Station in Croydon. Arboricultural contractors, Gristwood and Toms (G&T) and woodfuel supply specialists Forest Fuels, came forward to operate and supply from the G&T site in Shenley, Hertfordshire.

Business models were developed, staff were fully trained, infrastructure put in place and equipment procured. 1,200 tonnes of premium grade chip was estimated to be produced in the first calendar year, rising to 6,000 tonnes by the end of year three with an eventual target to supply 10,000 tonnes of premium grade fuel annually.

The hub aims to take a combination of woodland and arboricultural material from the North London area, convert it into premium grade woodchip for resale back into the North London market. It is hoped that this closed loop approach to heat generation will allow for greater carbon efficiency within the fuel supply chain.

This woodfuel supply chain support package is now being rolled out to other local authorities within South London including the London Boroughs of Sutton and Croydon.

Case study

Resources to support the biomass supply chain

Client: Forestry Commission

The Forestry Commission approached BioRegional to develop a number of resources for key players within the woodfuel supply chain to encourage greater use of locally sourced woodfuel within the London area.

This project identified two key audiences that needed additional resources to support them:

• Potential producers of woodfuel - helping them link into the existing wood chain and woodfuel markets; and 
• End users of woodfuel - enabling greater appropriate installations of biomass boilers.   

The woodfuel producers pack

The first of its type in England, the producer pack provides a user friendly and practical guide on how to produce quality feedstock for woodfuel. The pack was aimed at woodland owners, local authority woodland managers, managers of private estates and tree surgeons. It provides readers with an introduction to managing woodland and arboricultural resources for woodfuel, routes to market for producers, and specification guides to ensure quality of the feedstock supplied. 

The pack was launched at a workshop and will be further disseminated by BioRegional and the Forestry Commission. 

Biomass boilers and air quality guidance document

One of the most significant barriers to the installation of biomass boilers in London is the issue of air quality standards. BioRegional worked closely with the GLA and Environmental Protection UK to produce a guidance document for local authorities on air quality issues and the use of biomass boilers in poor air quality areas. 

The document was aimed at local authority officers assessing biomass planning applications as well as those local authorities considering biomass use in their own estate. The document reviewed existing air quality guidance and outlined its implications for installing biomass in affected areas of London and additionally provided readers with a step by step biomass installation evaluation framework.

Case study

Herefordshire Woodfuel Strategy

Client: Herefordshire County Council

Herefordshire covers a predominantly rural area of 2,180 square kilometres and is rich with natural resources, which can benefit the area environmentally, socially and economically. BioRegional were commissioned by Herefordshire County Council to deliver a woodfuel resource and feasibility study as well as a strategic action plan to understand how the area’s resources could be managed better. 

The study identified a number of under-managed woodlands throughout Herefordshire. The action plan then mapped a pathway to delivering new biomass boiler installations and a local woodfuel supply chain.  The development of such a supply chain will help to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy security and create local jobs. There are also many more benefits including:

• Reducing fuel poverty;
• Increasing biodiversity by bringing woodlands back into management;
• Diverting wood waste from landfill;
• Improving the energy performance of buildings; and
• Meeting environmental legislation and commitments. 

BioRegional have delivered similar woodfuel resource mapping studies for the Gatwick Diamond area and the London Borough of Haringey.

Case study

Supporting development of woodfuel supply chains in North London

Client: DECC

Woodfuel represents a potentially valuable resource for renewable heat generation but supply chains can be fragmented and difficult to develop. In 20010-11 BioRegional embarked upon a programme of work with North London local authorities to assess and support the development of woodfuel supply chains in this area. The work was funded by the DECC administered Bio-energy Infrastructure Scheme. 

Working with the London Boroughs of Enfield, Brent, Barnet, and Islington BioRegional provided support across the key sectors of the woodfuel supply chain:

• Potential producers of woody feedstock (woodland owners, local authorities and tree surgeons)
• Feedstock processors (woodfuel hubs and fuel suppliers)
• Woodfuel end users (biomass boiler installations)

Work was carried out to assess the potential woody resource within each local authority area and guidance given on how that resource could be accessed effectively. Using a combination of GIS woodland mapping data and direct contact with tree surgeons locally we were able to map and give estimates as to the size of the wood resource and the potential energy that could be generated using this material. Approximately 10,000 tonnes of material suitable for premium grade woodchip production was identified equating to 7.5MW installed biomass capacity across the boroughs.

To support woodfuel end users multiple sites were assessed across the boroughs for their potential suitability for biomass installations. Over 100 sites were considered with detailed assessments made on 26 sites. Of the 26 sites assessed 6 were specifically recommended for biomass installations. Additional support was provided to facilitate the development of North London’s first woodfuel processing hub (see specific case study). The site, in Shenley, Hertfordshire is able to process woodland and arboricultural material into premium grade woodchip for use within the local biomass market.

The aim of the overall programme was to encourage a greater understanding of the potential for both producing woodfuel feedstock which could, after being processed locally at the North London Woodfuel Hub, then be used within the boroughs’ own buildings as a source of renewable heat.