Woodenergy:
warm home, cool planet

Last updated: 21 July 2010

Woodenergy.ie is dedicated to bringing you information on using wood biomass as a carbon neutral, renewable energy source. Information is given on wood fuel quality and all aspects of the wood fuel supply chain, such as harvesting, storage, transportation, handling etc. For information on boilers, refer to Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland .

Woodenergy.ie also offers a free advisory service, administered by consultant Pieter D. Kofman, where you can get answers to your questions about wood energy regarding harvesting, storage, transportation, handling and quality of wood fuels such as firewood, wood chips, wood pellets and wood briquettes. Use the online form in the "Advisory service " section of this site.

Alternatively, phone 086 300 2309 and leave your name and telephone number and your call will be returned. Pieter Kofman also uses Skype (Skype: familie_kofman) so you can call him free of charge from computer to computer.

Woodenergy.ie aims to be user friendly and all feedback is welcome. The site is owned and managed by COFORD, the National Council for Forest Research and Development with content contribution by wood energy consultant, Pieter D. Kofman.

New on woodenergy.ie

"Documents and publications" contains links to new COFORD Connects Notes on Units, European standards for solid biofuels, harvesting, use of biomass in Ireland, greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands

The link to "software " contains two applications for conversion calculations from one fuel to another and calculation of the cost of delivering wood chips to a client.

The section on standards has been updated and expanded.

The section on harvesting equipment has been updated and illustrated.

Woodenergy:
warm home, cool planet
Poetry competition results

Firewood is one of the most important fuels to replace fossil fuels in the home. Many modern stoves and boilers on the market can convert firewood with high efficiency into heat (and sometimes even hot water) for your home. There is a much lore about firewood, which tree species is best for firewood, but more important than tree species is the fact that the wood must be properly seasoned before use - as discussed in the following poem:

A firewood foreword

Most trees make good fuel
Though size for size (says Dr Joule)
Hardwood gives more flame,
Or so we scientists like to claim
Now, burn all wood when dry and clean
Not when wet, fresh cut or green,
Though ash will burn when freshly felled
Most true when winter sees the axe being held.
Still it makes good sense
To dry all wood, then burn, but recompense
The forest's carbon bank
So plant more trees, rank upon rank
The forest's growth and wood and fuel
Best fit for keeping planet earth more safe and cool.

Hendrick and Kofman (2010)

This should not be the only poem on firewood or the use of wood for energy. The users of www.woodenergy.ie were challenged to come with their own poems on the use of wood for energy. Woodenergy.ie ran a competition to find who can write a good poem on the use of wood for energy. This competition ran until 31 May 2010. The prize was a copy of the COFORD publication “If trees could talk” by Michael Carey and was awarded to Samuel Olajuyigbe from UCD with the following poem:

Wood so precious, wood so strong
Wood so warm, wood so firm
But yet we take for granted still
But yet we burn at will at most

Wood so fiery, when so dry
Wood so dangerous, when so hot
But yet we care less for its health
But yet we chop down when we like

Wood so mighty, wood so great
Wood so absorbing, wood so consuming
But yet we may not fully reap its strengths
But yet we may not use its gifts

If only we could be more wise
If only we could be more prudent
If only we could let more grow

Maybe we can save our planet still
Maybe we can reduce the warmth up there
Maybe we can transform the gas to food

Wood has its energy; wood has its source
Wood keeps us warm, for long for sure
Wood can fill our purse and hearts with gold
Wood can save us from getting so so hot.

Even though the compettion is over, you may continue to submit poems via the contact form on woodenergy.ie.

New wood fuel quality assurance scheme

The Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) is a recently launched quality assurance scheme which will certify the quality of firewood logs, wood chips, wood pellets and briquettes formed from clean wood. It provides customers with confidence that they are purchasing a quality wood fuel from a sustainable source relevant to their needs. For further details visit www.wfqa.org

DVD now available - Harvesting and Processing Forest Biomass for Energy Production in Ireland - The Forest Energy Programme

Solutions for extracting wood for energy from first thinnings of conifer and broadleaf plantations in Ireland.

To order - click here

SEAI register of wood fuel suppliers

Register of wood fuel testing laboratories