While energy prices continue to climb, particularly because of the war in Ukraine, wood heating is increasingly seen as an alternative to gas and fuel oil. The Loire department has just unveiled a support plan for the wood industry.
The Loire Departmental Council wants to take care of our forests. It has just unveiled a support plan for the wood industry: 7.8 million euros over the next six years, for example to help with the acquisition of plots or to support the creation of businesses. “We are rediscovering that we have this resource available“, explains Jean-François Chorain, departmental adviser in charge of this support plan, who was the guest of France Bleu Saint-Étienne Loire this Wednesday.
An abundant and local raw material
According to him, wood can also be one of the solutions to deal with soaring energy prices. “It is not a miracle solution, but it is one solution among others. For centuries we heated with wood and we had somewhat forgotten about it with the oil effect. It was easy and it didn’t cost anything, but when you see the effects on the planet, maybe you have to go back to simpler solutions. We are lucky, we, in France and particularly in the Loire, to have an abundant raw material at our doorstep. So you have to use it and use it, especially for heating.“
Today, heating solutions such as pellet stoves are developing more and more, in individual and collective dwellings. “It’s quite recent in France, it was much more developed in Austria, Switzerland, Germany too. But now that we have become aware of all the devastating effects of oil and fossil fuels, we need to exercise our gray matter to use this natural, sustainable and renewable material.“The problem is that the companies that supply the wood or the pellets are sometimes almost overwhelmed by high demand. “This is why it is necessary to structure and organize the sector“, continues Jean-François Chorain. “This applies to energy wood, but also to construction wood. All this, without affecting the capital of our Loire forest, even if we have room since we produce more than double what we harvest each year..”