Information Sheet 18: The wood fuels market

Wood fuels are sustainable and carbon-neutral and offer a real opportunity for New Zealand to become greener and less dependent on fossil fuels. We grow trees as quickly as anywhere in the world but currently do not make full use of this value resource.

Wood fuel is a solid biofuel and can be produced from any source of woody biomass. Until recently the parts of a tree left over after processing were often considered as waste (also often referred to as forest residues or wood processing residues). Today this so called ‘waste’ is recognised as a valuable source of energy and reference to it as waste in particular under-values its economic potential. Considering wood fuel on the same basis as fuels such as coal or gas reinforces that it is a valuable commodity (which we often overlook).