A year ago I wrote a blog calling on the Environment Agency to officially publish a report and briefing note that was produced back in 2010 about the possible impacts (good and bad) of planting energy crops on flood plains. Unfortunately, the report and briefing note are still invisible on the internet so I have decided to post them here. […]
Back in 2011 a review of the potential role of woodlands in improving water quality and alleviating flooding issues was published by Forest Research. It’s called Woodland for Water: Woodland measures for meeting Water Framework Directive objectives This deals with a very broad definition of woodlands and includes short rotation coppice (SRC) and short rotation forestry […]
The British summer of 2012 has so far been a complete wash out with heavy rain and floods causing events such as the Badminton Horse Trials and the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park to be cancelled. Such unseasonal weather also poses a severe risk to our homes with one in every six houses […]
Background Climate change is progressing at an alarming pace. Every day there are new facts emerging: Hottest June (in the UK) on record, hottest year on record, wettest July (in many places in the UK) on record, hottest ocean temperature, wild fires in southern Europe and North America. Various organisations including the Intergovernmental Panel on […]
As part of the Envirocrops project, C4E and our partners (Calvium, AFBI and NFU Energy) have devised a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) game called Cropper. This is aimed at young people, agricultural students and biomass rookies who want to understand what it takes to succeed in growing willow and miscanthus. The aim of […]
Below is our response to the ongoing DEFRA consultation on Environment Land Management. The consultation closes on 31st July 2020. Do you have any comments on the design principles on page 14? Are they the right ones? Are there any missing? I think the overall design principles look sound. However, I am concerned by the […]
When you tell someone that something is a good idea because it can do one thing really well that person might be interested. If you tell them it can do three things really well they may be very interested. But if you tell them it can do ten things really well they think you are […]
If you missed my presentation this morning it’s still possible to see it by registering online on the Cereals website. Just click the New Specialist Crops Markets Join Webinar button and submit your name and email address. I’m on 17 minutes into the session and also in the Q&A from 31 minutes. 7 minutes isn’t […]
I’m quite busy this spring with speaking engagements across the UK. If you would like to hear me talk and find out all about the biomas potential and multi functional benefits of Short Rotation coppice (SRC), Short Rotation Forestry (SRF), Miscanthus and non-wood fuels then read on. The venues, dates, times of each talk are […]
Since I wrote the SRC variety guide back in 2012 some new information has come to light. I always hoped that I would be commissioned to do a follow up but this hasn’t been the case. As people are always asking me about site specific information and different applications of the varieties I have decided […]