Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the environmental effect of burning wood as an energy fuel source; and if he will make a statement.

Domestic wood and coal burning are the single largest contributors to our harmful particulate matter (PM) emissions. These sources accounted for 38% of total PM_2.5 emissions in 2016 and are forecast to account for 41% by 2020. A wood burning stove can emit more PM than a diesel HGV or passenger car.

On 22 May 2018 we published our draft Clean Air Strategy for England for consultation. The strategy includes plans to introduce new environmental legislation which will ensure only the cleanest domestic fuels will be available for sale and only the cleanest stoves will be available to buy and install in England. Cleaner fuels and stoves produce less smoke, less soot and more heat.

On 17 August 2018 we published a further detailed consultation on our proposals to phase out sales of the most polluting domestic fuels in England.

Ahead of introducing new legislation my Department has been working with industry sectors to introduce voluntary initiatives. This has seen the introduction of Ecodesign Ready labelling by the stove industry in February 2017, which brings in emission standards ahead of the EU Regulatory deadline of 2022.

We have also worked with the wood fuel industry on the Ready to Burn scheme which was launched in autumn 2017 (https://www.readytoburn.org/). The scheme informs consumers about the importance of using clean, quality wood-fuel to improve air quality which will reduce harmful emissions.

In addition, my Department has also been working with other industry sectors, such as chimney sweep organisations to provide advice to consumers in their own homes. This has resulted in an informative website (https://burnright.co.uk/) which provides clear advice on the procedures to follow when lighting a stove to minimise smoke emissions.

The UK uses internationally agreed sustainable forest management principles to ensure that only sustainably sourced wood – from both domestic and international suppliers - is used as fuel. Around 42% of woodland in the UK is currently not under active management, and increased demand for wood fuel is helping to bring more woodland into active management under the UK Forestry Standard, which helps to drive improved habitats and biodiversity, as well as improved tree health and increased resilience to climate change.