FORTROSE GEARS UP FOR FESTIVAL FUN

14 November 2011

AWARD-winning international films and a unique showcase of the benefits of heating with wood will feature at a free festival in Fortrose

The Black Isle Festival of Firewood, Forests and Film takes place in the Fortrose Theatre on Thursday, 17 November, from 10am onwards, with the film programme beginning at 6:30pm.

Government figures released recently reveal that one in three Scottish households is now in fuel poverty - meaning more than 10% of household income is spent on heating. Festival organisers Use Green Heat and Transition Black Isle say keeping homes cosy through draught proofing and insulation and switching to more renewable forms of energy will be crucial in tackling this trend.

A wide array of exhibitors will be at the daytime festival from 10am to 5pm, helping people explore the options for using firewood, woodchips and pellets to heat homes and businesses. Wood burning stoves, woodfuel boilers and firewood processing machinery will be on display, woodfuel merchants will be on hand to explain wood types, volumes, moisture content, weights and prices and there will be also be a range of suppliers of other renewable technologies such as solar panels.

Use Green Heat is an independent renewable energy advice service run by Munlochy-based charity Highland Birchwoods. “Using logs, chips or pellets from sustainably managed forests makes sense for the environment – and for your pocket too,” said Use Green Heat project manager Amanda Calvert.

“Modern wood stoves and boilers are really efficient. And of course, using locally supplied fuel cuts transport costs and boosts the economy, supporting jobs and helping local businesses thrive.

“Managing forests and woodlands to produce wood fuel can improve conditions for wildlife and recreation by creating greater diversity and allowing light to reach the forest floor. It also makes other forestry operations more economical.”

Youngsters interested in a career in the renewable energy industry will have an opportunity to pick the brains of staff from from the SEAM Centre, the new training, information and research facility for Sustainable Energy and Micro-renewables based at Inverness College, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands. Information on grants and the forthcoming Renewable Heat Incentive scheme to subsidise green heating systems will also be available.

Households in the rural Highlands have been particularly hard hit in recent winters by steep hikes in the price of heating oil. “We’re currently very reliant on fossil fuels like kerosene and coal for heating our homes, as well as depending on oil for travel, the production and transport of food and making plastic, medicines and many other essentials of modern life,” explained Catriona Ross of Transition Black Isle, a local group working to create more resilient communities.

“We’ve no control over factors affecting the price of oil, and burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, which cause climate change. By contrast, wood is a carbon neutral fuel; the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by a growing tree is the same as that released when it is burned.

“Looking to local sources of fuel, food and other products makes us much less vulnerable to oil price shocks and helps build more vibrant communities. Well managed woods have great potential to provide householders and businesses with a cost-effective, renewable source of fuel, provide jobs and strengthen rural economies.”

The daytime event will be followed by a free buffet from 5:30pm then an evening of stunning short films made for the International Forest Film Festival, part of the United Nations International Year of Forests 2011.

The films will begin at 6:30pm with Satuyama: Japan's Secret Forest which charts a year in the life of a beautiful man-made oak forest, home for the King of the Forest, a spectacular horned beetle that houses the spirit of past Samurai warriors.

Hope in a Changing Climate is a heartening tale describing how degraded landscapes are being restored and the very short film Switch Today reveals how ancient forest can be saved every time nature calls!

The final film, The Queen of Trees is about the Sycamore fig, an exceptional African tree. It appears to produce fruit without flowering, sheds leaves with no regard to seasons and utterly depends on services from an insect small enough to fly through the eye of a needle. This beautiful, intricate film was the overall winner of the UN Film Festival.

For more information on the festival see www.transitionblackisle.org

For free, impartial advice on renewable energy see www.usegreenheat.co.uk or phone 08000285858