A very typical autumn scent is the smell of wood smoke in the air. Not just the (illegal) burning of bonfires - which seem to be still widespread - but cheminées which are increasingly popular. With electricity prices set to rise and gas already going up, wood is the country's main source of renewable energy and in plentiful supply in our region.
Energy experts advise that burning logs on an open fireplace is the least efficient and most polluting way to burn wood. Closed wood burners or inserts give a much higher return in terms of heat and consumption. The industry employs some 20000 workers in the country and wood is burned by 8 million households.
The region is supposed to have a policy for renewal of forestry supplies, but to judge from the wholesale devastation of some of our local hillsides there seems to be little by way of management and re-planting to safeguard this source of "renewable" energy.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com
