Forest Residues - making the most of forest residues and arboricultural arisings

It has been estimated that there are over 2,000 arboricultural contractors in the UK, undertaking larger scale land and railway line clearance, utility work, as well as tree surgery and single tree removals for householders. Most of these contractors are located in England, and collectively they produce some 1 million tonnes per annum of arboricultural arisings (arbo for short). In the past, much of this has been chipped to waste, i.e. left on site, but this is not always allowed by the Environment Agency.

Much of this material is hardwood, which produces excellent biomass fuel because of its inherently higher wood density and lower moisture content than softwood chips. It is also less suitable for panelboard manufacture because of the leaf/needle content, even when steps are taken to stock such material for a time prior to chipping to allow the leaves to drop off.

The challenge is to organise consolidation of quantities and collection from wherever the material is produced. To this end AW Jenkinson is working with arboricultural contractors to set up supply lines and develop ways to build up full loads.

We offer a nationwide service to tree surgeons, arborists and land clearance operators, with a dedicated fleet of bulk haulage vehicles with walking floor trailers and all equipped with on-board weighers.

To maximise the development of biomassfired heat and power plants in the UK, it is essential to access this type of material, which could add substantially to the overall fuel availability. It prevents the material having to go to landfill at a substantial cost to the landowner, and provides a return to help with the overall costs of the job.