Kerry growers target local sales to expand wood fuel production
Tuesday July 06 2010
Wouldn't we all love to be able to provide light, heat and power for our homes and businesses and do so using natural renewable resources?
Producing ones own energy is what most farmers dream of and I, for one, would dearly love to be able to dry freshly harvested wet timber without using expensive oil or waiting, as I do at present, a year or more for the wind and sun to do the job for me.
I attended the Bio Energy conference in Tralee recently to see if we had moved any closer to achieving this aim but I must admit that the thought of heading for a beach in Dingle after the presentations did also have its attractions. It's one hell of a journey from Kilcock to Tralee but if you can stretch the visit to two days, as I did, its well worth the effort. The prices for food and accommodation have fallen dramatically and Kerry is a great spot for a short break, especially if the weather is kind.
I have always nurtured a dream of owning a little cottage somewhere near the sea and saw many derelict houses around the Dingle peninsula. However, on enquiring as to why they were left to fall into disrepair in such a lovely area, I was told that this often stemmed from disagreements over title which meant the property could not be sold. It's a familiar tale but maybe this keeps at least some parts of our wild and wonderful countryside from being over-populated.
However, I still had to earn my keep, and the conference itself was remarkably well organised in that the presentations were brief and to the point. It was most encouraging to see what the people of Kerry have actually achieved rather than just talking about it.
Burning wood chip is now commonplace and is a viable way of heating housing developments, hotels and other large buildings. Firms and individuals are making a good living harvesting timber, drying it, chipping it and delivering to a growing number of customers. The log business is also alive and well, and one contractor I spoke to spends the 12 months of the year delivering chip, while in the winter months he sells large volumes of logs to home owners.
He stressed the importance of only selling quality fuel and said he found freshly harvested spruce needed at least 12 months to air-dry. He carefully covers all his stacks of wood along the top but ensures that the sides are left open to allow the full benefits of a drying wind to filter through.
Despite a difficult start, pellets are now gaining in popularity as quality and supplies become more reliable, and the pellet stove manufacturers and installers have eliminated a lot of the earlier problems. There are now some excellent makes on the market, which are dependable and economic to run, but, as ever, avoid the cheap options -- and the same applies to stoves. A good log or pellet stove will give reliable service for years. The cheaper models can often prove the costliest in the long run.
All of this is good news for farmers with woodland, especially in places such as Kerry, where there are no other large commercial outlets for pulpwood. Transport costs are important when dealing with a bulky and relatively low value product such as fuel wood. Delivering long distances to customers is not viable and the Kerry producers have responded to this by creating demand in their own county.
One problem that is not easily solved, however, is access to isolated pockets of woodland.
Good forest roads and turning bays are essential if the best use is to be made of our private timber resource, and county councils also need to be aware of the need to allow timber to be transported on minor roads throughout Ireland. There are currently great markets available for our timber and, despite all the talk of scarcity, the private sector is well placed to meet this demand if the problems of access are dealt with.
I hope to write in more detail shortly about the new markets coming on stream for co-firing our power stations and the producer group being formed for the woodland owners in the counties surrounding them.
They say that God helps those who help themselves and the entrepreneurs of Kerry are certainly doing their share.
For further conference details, including details of how to join the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance Scheme, go to www.woodenergy.ie. You can also download the new wood-fuel cost calculator and use the site to access lots of other useful information.
- Joe Barry
Irish Independent
