Tree planting for fuel

[jungle_re]

Back in the day Hornbeam was what was grown as a fuel (before and instead of coal) it is reported that the queen would only burn Hornbeam. It why you get loads of hornbeam woods all around greater london and the M25. Not sure on the growing cycle but it be worth looking at for long term planning

Added
copied from a website
'Historically Great Groves was managed as hornbeam coppice with oak and ash standards. The oak and ash were periodically sold. Auctioneers' handbills for 1875, 1876 and 1877 offered almost 200 fine oak for sale. At the end of the last war the timber trees were stripped out of many of the woods in East Hertfordshire but those in Great Groves were left. When we bought the wood in 1994 it was packed with fine oak and ash.

Hornbeam is an excellent firewood and it was used both as domestic fuel and to fire the numerous malting kilns in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Essex. "Rangewood", the old name for coppice wood, was sold from Great Groves in the 19th century. During the 20th century small local maltings gradually closed down and the demand for hornbeam fell away. A the same time firewood was replaced by coal, then gas and electricity as domestic fuels and by the beginning of the last war firewood was completely out of favour. Hornbeam used to be cut on a 15 - 25 year cycle but when coppicing ceased the stems grew up to the canopy, casting an intense shade on the ground beneath. The stems competed for light and nutrients and eventually the weakest ones died leaving five or fewer on each stool. Thus hundreds of acres of neglected hornbeam coppice became a feature of East Hertfordshire. '

 

[EdS]

short rotation coppice ie willow and poplar will not produce logs.

It will produce a good amount of fuel but it is only suitable for units that will burn chips. THe stuff itself will need to be harvested, chipped and stored to dry. Haversting by hand is a non strated even with a heavy duty chainsaw type brushcutter - I know I've done it, anything more than a small patch needs a proper harvester.

It he wants to burn logs you are looking at long rotation +20 years.

I

 

[EdS]

Yeah - because it's so quick-growing, you will get more heat per unit area per year than you would with a more energy-dense wood. Oak has fantastic energy density, but it takes a long time to grow. Short-rotation willow coppice is usually harvested on a 4-year cycle, rather than the 6 or 7 year cycle for other coppice trees.

Normally 3 years. Als odifferent spiecies of willow burn differently. Those that a used as SRC also patented cultivars that are breed to give both a higher yield and better joules.