County’s burning ambition sees wood at the heart of a trail-blazing venture

Andrew Vickers recently fulfilled a lifelong ambition. He bought a wood.

It only takes half an hour or so to amble the length of Sorrs Wood in Loxley, but while it may not have the grandeur or sweeping panoramic views of a Dalby or Sherwood Forest, it’s not the size which is important to the 46-year-old sculptor.

Loxley is not only reputed to be the birthplace of Robin Hood, but it was also where Andrew used to play as a child and is a little corner of South Yorkshire he’d long considered magical.

However, when he signed on the dotted line – he doesn’t like to discuss money, but says it cost him a significant sum – he realised that it would take more than fond memories to properly manage the wood.

“The idea of owning a little slice of woodland seemed all very idyllic,” he says. “I had looked at various places, but none of them felt quite right. Completely coincidentally, I happened to bump into the woman who owned Sorrs Wood. I asked her if she wanted to sell and she said yes. It really was as simple as that.

“The only problem was that I had absolutely no experience of woodland management. I knew what a tree was, but that was pretty much about it.”

Fortunately, Andrew was in luck. The Forestry Commission and the South Yorkshire Forest Partnership had just secured a £200,000 pot of European Union money to help woodland owners tap into the growing market for woodfuel. The scheme, targeted at private woodland owners, is the first of its kind in the UK and as a by-product of reducing the density of trees, it hopes to extend the area’s wildlife habits.

Having secured a £7,000 grant to help him transform the overgrown site and boost woodland birds like the tree creeper, spotted woodpecker and wood warbler, the Forestry Commission also helped Andrew draw up a five-year management plan.

“The woodland probably hadn’t been managed for 20 years and you can’t change things overnight,” says Andrew, who more than makes up for in enthusiasm what he lacks in practical knowledge.

“It was, and still is, an incredibly dark place, but this year I have removed 20 sycamores and sold the timber and, over time, they will be replaced with oak trees.

“The problem is oaks grow very slowly, so I’m also in the process of introducing some silver birch. I really want to create a habitat where the wildlife can thrive. It’s already happening, I’ve spotted a pair of tawny owls nesting in the wood; in fact, there’s so many different birds I really ought to buy a book.”

While he has a few occasional volunteers, Andrew is doing much of the work himself, including the back-breaking project of building a drystone wall to retain one of the woodland’s banks. However, the project is a labour of love and if the sale of logs can help offset some of the cost, it will be a bonus.

“Look, the size of wood I own means the timber from it is never going to make me a millionaire, but every little helps,” says Andrew, who is also using the wood as an exhibition space for his stone sculptures.

“Plus, whatever money I happen to make from the wood, the real reward is bringing this little corner of nature back to how it once was. For me, it’s about valuing what’s on your own doorstep.”

While Andrew’s may be a small-scale venture, South Yorkshire as a whole is home to 15,000 hectares of woodland and much of it remains an untapped resource. Many wooded areas were replanted during the Victorian era and having been left to nature for the last century, it has resulted in large, dense pockets of trees.

For decades, nobody has given much thought to these privately owned woods, but that is about to change. The demand for woodfuel is soaring – there are currently 24 woodfuel heating installations in operation in South Yorkshire and a further 30 under development – and with the price of wood having risen by around 20 per cent in a year, thanks largely to escalating gas and oil prices, suddenly these wooded glades have become a commercial opportunity.

Some have compared the resource to the oil fields of Dubai, and while that’s probably overstating it a little, the figures do seem to stack up. According to the Forestry Commission, in eight years, two million tonnes of woodfuel could be harvested annually in England to heat rural schools, flat developments and businesses.

Its calculations, which were unveiled this week as part of a long-term plan to harness the country’s timber resource, show it would provide enough energy to heat the equivalent of 800 hospitals or 3,000 schools.

Overall, the organisation estimates, the woodfuel industry could generate £1bn, create hundreds of jobs and save the country 1.5m tonnes in CO2 emissions a year.

“Win, win, win is a phrase which is often wheeled out, yet it is not always convincing,” says Pam Warhurst, chair of the Forestry Commission.

“But for woodfuel it is absolutely true. Sustainably grown and locally used woodfuel is good for rural businesses, improves the health of woodland and wildlife and cuts climate change emissions.

“According to our figures, about half of the woodland in England is under-managed. This means there is a great deal of wood, that it is just sitting there as woodlands slowly suffer.”

The trick is working out how to persuade those who own the land to come onboard. However, South Yorkshire is already one step ahead.

In Barnsley, which was once at the heart of the coal industry, the new council offices at Gateway Plaza are heated by woodchips, and a number of other businesses are also switching from traditional oil and gas.

“It’s been gradually growing over the past few years and South Yorkshire has really been a bit of trail-blazing project,” says Vince Carter, regional forestry strategy delivery manager for the Commission.

“All four councils in the area have invested heavily in biomass technology, and businesses are also in on the act. With plenty of under-managed woods, strong demand and a history of using solid fuels like coal, the area is really well placed to capitalise. It’s a golden opportunity and what we need to do is ensure local supplies keep up with local demand.”

The 246 different private woodland owners in South Yorkshire are now being encouraged to join forces and set up a collective to sell their woodfuel direct to businesses and local authorities.

“In the past, the approach has been a little fragmented,” adds Robin Ridley, at the South Yorkshire Forest Partnership. “All those owners have a slightly different approach to the land. However, if they formed a co-operative, then, collectively, they could guarantee a supply and reduce their own overheads.”

Cawthorne Park Wood, near Barnsley, is proof of what can be achieved. Owned by Len Batty, who started his career as a wood machinist before setting up his own business, he successfully applied for a £95,000 grant to remove 20,000 tonnes of conifer timber over the next five years.

“It’s good to see woodlands worked rather than becoming neglected,” says the now retired 65-year-old, who has owned the wood since 1998.

“There’s plenty to do here, and by selling the timber for woodfuel, the long-term management costs can be offset. The results will be a better place for wildlife, but it also makes sound business and environmental sense.”

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