Farm forestry has energy potential to heat 58,000 homes

THE celebrated Fields of Athenry didn’t reveal any gushing oil wells yesterday, but farm forestry owners were told they could become heat suppliers of the future.

A conference ahead of today’s Farmfest-Bioenergy event, which is expected to attract up to 20,000 visitors to Mellows College, heard farm forestry has the potential to produce enough energy to heat 58,000 homes.

Teagasc outlined research indicating that private investment in forestry provides a massive opportunity for the wood energy sector.