A tree uses energy from the sun to grow, making sugars and cellulose. This absorbs carbon dioxide and generates oxygen.

At the end of its lifecycle, whether wood is burned as fuel or left to decay in the forest, it releases the same amount of heat and carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Normal decomposition releases heat slowly – which is why a compost heap generates heat. Burning wood in a stove releases the same amount of heat in a short period, and the best way to use this heat is with a good quality stove. If you are heating with wood, you are heating in an environmentally friendly way. Supplementing or replacing your heating with an efficient stove is a significant step towards energy independence.

Wood fuel is described as carbon-neutral because it recycles carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and does not release carbon trapped in fossil fuels like oil and coal. Some energy is used in cutting, sawing, splitting and transporting wood, but burning wood releases between 1% and 5% as much carbon, compared to burning gas or oil.

Fuel with a Future

Consumers are increasingly turning to sustainable wood fuel in the search for an environmentally friendly energy source. A tree is the most perfect energy source because it self-plants, provides food and shelter throughout its life and when mature, provides timber. Waste products can be burned to provide warmth and flame.

A forest is a huge battery of stored solar energy. Large areas of low grade land are ideally suited to forestation. Forests are able to absorb much of the Earth's CO₂ imbalance reducing global warming. To ensure that we have healthy trees we must have sensitive wood management and careful harvesting. Organised forestation can reduce our need to burn precious reserves of oil and gas, conserving them for more valuable purposes.