Information Resources

At our October Demo Event at Mysercough College, near Preston, experts from UKCEH and PBC4GGR provided live demonstrations of eddy covariance towers for monitoring carbon fluxes and led sessions on soil carbon testing and biodiversity monitoring.

At our October Demo Event at the Boghall Demonstrator Hub near Edinburgh, Craig Bothwell of SAC Consulting discussed Scottish Government policy on Whole Farm Plans.

At our October Demo Event at the Boghall Demonstrator Hub near Edinburgh, David Eadie presented on available forestry grants and the economic potential of biomass integration.

At our October Demo Event at the Boghall Demonstrator Hub near Edinburgh, Sarah Erbanova focused on industry upskilling and carbon literacy to address the challenges of achieving net-zero carbon emission

Professor Jeanette Whitaker of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) presented on the carbon capture potential of willow, offering insights into how cultivation can support the UK’s net-zero goals. This was presented at our October Demo Event at Mysercough College, near Preston.

Jamie Rickerby of Willow Energy delivered an engaging presentation on the commercial uses and markets for willow at our October Demo Event at Mysercough College, near Preston.

William Macalpine from Rothamsted Research discussed advancements in breeding new short rotation coppice (SRC) willow varieties, supported by the UK Government’s Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme. The project utilises genomic selection to accelerate breeding for improved yield and disease resistance, with willow genotypes being tested across various UK environments. Will emphasised the importance of breeding for sustainable production.

Lindsay Whistance from the Organic Research Centre (ORC) spoke on the nutritional value of tree species for livestock, underscoring the importance of a multi-species approach. She highlighted the nutritional benefits of species like willow, while cautioning against the risks posed by others, such as yew. Her insights aligned with ongoing tree trials at the Demonstrator Hubs, where willow and alder are being grown.

Simeon Day, from the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Service (FWAG) discussed the benefits of agroforestry for livestock farming. He highlighted how good planning can optimise the advantages of tree cover for both silvopasture and silvo-arable systems. He emphasized improved animal welfare, increased productivity, and enhanced ecosystem services, noting that these systems are financially supported in the Sustainable Farming Incentive ( SFI) schemes for both the planning and establishment costs.

This case study features the planting of two varieties of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), a fast-growing tree species not normally cultivated in the UK. This pioneering trial is being undertaken on agricultural land owned by H.G. Matthews, a traditional brickmakers located in Buckinghamshire

This case study explores the use of blocks of willow as riparian protection in order to reduce nutrient run-off into the water environment.

Two farms, each containing a different biomass crop (Miscanthus and willow), were visited and surveyed for their birdlife. This report provides a snapshot of the birds using each farm in June 2024.

Upscaling UK Miscanthus Production - A factsheet.

Slides from Prof. Yit Arn Teh's informative talk on multifunctional landscapes, biomass crops, and end-uses. His talk focused on how to design farms that are multifunctional, and the benefits and trade-offs of multifunctional landscapes.

At our Newcastle Demo Event on 3rd July 2024, Prof. Jeanette Whitaker, project lead for Biomass Connect gave an overview of the Biomass Connect project, emphasising the need for more homegrown biomass feedstock for renewable energy for heat, power and transport, and other end-uses.

This field report follows on from the previous winter bird surveys conducted at two farms, one in Devon and the other in Somerset. One farm had a mixed age willow crop, while the other had a Miscanthus crop.

A double-sided factsheet with infographics showing the end uses of biomass crops and their potential for CO2 removal.

These guidelines are written with the expectation that Reed canary grass (RCG) is being grown for the energy market. However, reference is made to other uses.

This case study features a successful farm-scale Miscanthus growing enterprise.

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation by Dr. Rebecca Rowe (UKCEH) presented at the NIAB Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub on 16th May 2024 as part of the Biomass Connect demo event. The presentation outlines the SFI Biodiversity Scheme

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation by Judith Ford (University of Leeds) presented at the NIAB Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub on 16th May 2024 as part of the Biomass Connect demo event.

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation by Mark Needham presented at the NIAB Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub on 16th May 2024 as part of the Biomass Connect demo event.

Slides from a recent Biomass Connect presentation about the potential end-uses of biomass crops. By Jeanette Whitaker from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

This report outlines a three-day bird survey conducted at two farms, one in Devon and the other in Somerset. One farm had a mixed age willow crop, while the other had a miscanthus crop. The aim of the surveys was to record and map the birds seen at each farm to see what benefits each crop may have for different species.

This case study features a successful farm-scale community heating scheme using short rotation coppice (SRC) willow as a fuel source. The project has been cost-effective and provided a range of benefits, including energy self-sufficiency, reduced carbon emissions, and potential biodiversity enhancements.

When incorporated into agroforestry systems, biomass crops contribute in various ways, including, support for pollinator populations, biodiversity enhancement, flood risk reduction, minimized runoff and soil erosion, improved water quality, increased soil carbon sequestration, improved soil health and contribute to climate change mitigation

Uses, Benefits, Establishment, Cultivation, Harvesting, processes and economics of Switchgrass.

This Consultation Workshop Report identified the main challenges for the industry, the major opportunities and made recommendations to Biomass Connect on how to improve its continued support of the industry. The report took the comments and core points from the workshop, expanded on them and took into consideration other factors to provide a fuller picture to a broader audience.

Burlerrow Farm is a 303-hectare mixed farm based in Bodmin, Cornwall. It is run by James Mutton who has been growing miscanthus since 2002. Initially, the crop was used to produce miscanthus rhizomes, but since 2009 they have been producing premium equine and animal bedding.

Willow as a biomass crop - All the information in an easy-to-read Factsheet.

Uses, Benefits, Establishment, Cultivation, Harvesting, processes and economics of Reed Canary Grass.

Everything you need to know about growing hemp for industrial biomass: its biology, agronomy and its credentials as a biomass crop. All in a factsheet that is easy to read and easy to share.

Food and bioenergy need not compete for land, instead, biofuel crops should be integrated into existing landscape and agricultural lands in a multifunctional approach to offer multiple benefits including use as fuel and for other ecosystem services.

Food vs Fuel Factsheet

Hemp has great potential to become a promising commodity crop for producing both biofuels and value-added products. It is an excellent rotation crop that fits well with food and feed crops and improves the yield of the subsequent crops due to the beneficial effects of hemp on the soil.

Efforts to reduce harvesting costs by improving the performance and reliability of the harvesters and chip collection system are essential for the profitability of the willow biomass production.

A number of Eucalyptus species have been identified as having great potential as a short rotation forestry (SRF) or coppice (SRC) species in the UK. Eucalyptus is suited to short rotation forestry due to its fast growth rate and high biomass yield, which can exceed that of other native species.

Eucalyptus as a biomass crop - All the information in an easy-to-read Factsheet.

Wider adoption of Biomass Buffers could help better manage landscapes to be more resilient to the effects of climate change, mitigate flood risk, and reduce the environmental impacts of intensive agriculture.

A buffer strip is an area of land which is either left uncultivated or planted with perennial grasses, shrubs and trees. Planting strips or alleys of perennial biomass crops on existing agricultural land can provide a number of important benefits in terms of flood management, soil recovery and improvements in biodiversity, in addition to providing a harvestable resource. Wider adoption could help better manage landscapes to be more resilient to the effects of climate change, mitigate flood risk, and reduce the environmental impacts of intensive agriculture.

This article explores the critical issues in the biomass pelletisation process, biomass pellet characteristics and the standardisation of high-quality biomass pellets for energy production.

Things to consider when harvesting willow

BECCS could provide an important mechanism to reduce emissions and remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. However, full life-cycle assessment of biomass production and supply will be critical to ensure BECCS is truly net-negative and does not result in other deleterious effects on our natural environment or food production systems

In this article, we provide insight into the dynamics of interaction of SRC willow and its effect on plant and animal biodiversity.

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is formed from the interaction of ecosystem processes such as photosynthesis, respiration and decomposition of SOM. Soil carbon provides the benefit of enhancing soil quality which is essential to sustain and improve food production, increase supply and quality of water, enhance biodiversity, and reduce atmospheric CO2. For these reasons, planting biomass crops help to improve soil quality, provide resilience to physical soil degradation and help mitigate climate change.

Find out how planting biomass crops provides a mechanism to enhance soil carbon.

The utilisation of solid biomass as a fuel in generation of heat and power has seen a significant increase over the last ten years as many coal-fired power stations converted to using biomass. This article provides a summary of the data reported by BEIS and OFGEM specific to solid biomass use in the UK heat and power sector over the last 5-10 year period.