Andy Bradford is a Duchy of Cornwall second generation tenant with the existing tenancy starting in 1969 at Brimpts Farm. It is 282 hectare Dartmoor hill farm comprising a beef enterprise, Adventure Clydesdale which includes a breeding programme and long distance horse riding; and a conference centre, accommodation and camping.?
In 2009, Andy decided that it was time to reduce the Brimpts Farm carbon footprint with the installation of a biomass boiler. The project was a great success and Brimpts farm subsequently became the site of The Dartmoor Woodfuel Cooperative (DWFC), which was setup in 2009 by a local group of Dartmoor residents and with support from the Duchy of Cornwall. ?
The cooperative has grown and now supplies nearly 40 local installations with around 10,000 cubic metres of woodchip biomass per year. ?
Their application is to fund the assessment of hedgerow wood chips after it was recognised that hedgerows may be a suitable source of woodchip but the full-scale impact of this on biodiversity; replacement of bought in straw bedding; and reducing bought in mineral fertiliser from the use of composted chips needs to be measured. The objective of this project is to determine the impact of hedgerow woodchips in terms of carbon emission reductions, provision of enhanced hedgerow habitats as well as financial benchmarks.?
Mr Bradford explains: Hedgerows are an undervalued resource on farm. Alongside their value for biodiversity and shelter, the large production of hedge biomass each year could be sustainably harvested for wood chip. Pilot trials on Brimpts farm on Dartmoor have demonstrated that woodchip can be used for biomass boilers and for the creation of woodchip livestock bedding.?
Sustainable harvesting of hedgerows which maintains biodiversity through the management of large growth, offers a potential alternative to imported straw in grass-dominated landscapes; wood fuel from a local managed resource; and composted dirtied wood chips could replace a proportion of bought-in mineral fertiliser.?
