Back in vogue
WOOD has again emerged as a popular heating fuel in Germany and France. A programme launched seven years ago in the thickly wooded Landes region of southwestern France to promote wood as fuel has proved remarkably successful. The plan was essentially aimed at clearing waste left behind by loggers and sawmills.
About 200 wood-burning furnaces installed in government offices, schools and apartment buildings use damaged pine trees, pruned branches and even driftwood found along the Landes coast. Besides heating, the low-cost method can clean up beaches and forests and provide jobs.
Wood heating is welcome in Germany, too, where wood-based industries find it difficult to dispose of waste and loggers have been hard-hit by the import of cheap wood.