BioRegional Charcoal Company Ltd
Facts & Statistics

•Each tonne of local charcoal and each 6 tonnes of firewood sold supports 1 hectare of coppice woodland in long term management. So BioRegional Charcoal Company is therefore supporting over 400 hectares of woodland.

•Some wildlife species in the UK are now dependent on coppicing to maintain viable populations. The beautiful pearl-bordered fritillary, the UK’s fastest declining butterfly species, is one example of a species that has become locally extinct as coppice woodlands have fallen into neglect.

•BioRegional’s local charcoal involves only one short journey from the production site to the retail outlet, an average trip in a small van or LandRover of 48km. Although deliveries by these vehicles are a lot less energy efficient than bulk haulage lorries, the transport distances are very much shorter. The CO2 released per 3kg bag of BioRegional Home Grown Charcoal is 0.13kg.

•Imported charcoal releases 10 times more CO2 than local charcoal, and therefore has a 10 times greater contribution to global warming. Through our local supply network we have reduced the CO2 footprint of transporting charcoal by 90%.

•The UK’s historical charcoal burning industry was revived following the Great Storm in 1987, as foresters and tree surgeons experimented with products they could make from the huge surplus of wind blown wood. Using simple steel ring kilns, it was not difficult to get started in production again and a small but ready market was found selling barbecue charcoal to local grocery stores and garden centres.

Last updated 18th September 2007