There are many important tree related intiatives growing in Transition groups around the county... we will start to gather details some of them below ...

In March 2011, 14 people from around the county gathered for a first "moot" of Transition Tree projects. Thanks to Lady Hawkins School Eco Classroom in Kington for accommodating. That first meeting had ended before we had begun to consider how to co-operate as allies, but Networking for mutual support and information seemed to be really useful.

Follow-up meetings are happening regularly. If you are interested please contact Richie Cotterill at treesmatter@live.co.uk

There is certainly lots of good news to share from Kington... click here for some beautiful photos and event opportunities. 

Introduction to the Fownhope Wood-Fuel Project

The Woolhope Dome Community Wood-Fuel Project will make renewable heat a reality in the Woolhope Dome area centred around Fownhope, South of Hereford. This innovative renewable energy project will use sustainably harvested wood from local woodlands to fuel wood-chip boilers that will heat local business, residential and community premises. The project will be run by a community-owned co-operative Energy Supply Company (ESCO) which will:

Own and operate woodchip-powered boilers in local premises
Provide fuel for these boilers from local sustainable sources

The project is a collaboration between two not-for-profit organisations: Fownhope and District Carbon Reduction Action Group (CRAG) and Sharenergy, part of Energy4All, the UK's foremost enabler of community owned renewable energy.

The current position is that we have employed a part time project manager, Ben Dodd, to get all aspects of the project up to speed before hopefully launching the ESCO later this year. Ben is concentrating on boiler customers at present, working through a list we have already and would welcome any suggestions (woolhopedomeproject@gmail.com). We are concentrating on premises within a 15 mile radius of Fownhope, anyone using £5000 pa particularly if on oil may be suitable.

We are well on course for getting customers and woodland owners (large and small) on board but the viability of the project depends on the Renewable Heat Incentive which is long awaited but not yet announced by Govt.

Where the wood fuel is concerned the project is focusing on the fraction which is underutilised between timber and best quality logs with an additional emphasis on bringing un(der)managed woodland into management to the benefit of wildlife habitat and more productive woodland.