How much energy could forestry contribute if some of the hill land currently used for sheep farming were used to produce coppice timber for biofuel?
 
 
There are approximately 220 square miles (58,000 hectares) of upland in Tweeddale currently used for sheep production.
 
If 30,000h were turned over to sustainably managed (e.g. coppiced) native woodland, each hectare would produce about two tonnes of air dried timber a year or 60,000 tonnes a year.
 
This, if burned in an integrated power station, would be enough to provide energy for about 6,000 people.
 
The downside would be the loss of 25,000 ewes producing 25,000 lambs each year.

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