OUR RAW MATERIAL: WOOD
Wood is a material that is so familiar to us that the definition might seem obvious and trivial.

WHAT IS WOOD?
Chemically wood consist of 40-50% cellulose, 20-30% lignin and the remaining 20-30% of other substances (carbohydrates, fats, tannins, mineral salts).

Just like any other plant tissue, wood is a product of photosynthesis and a complex series of chemical reactions that, by way of solar energy and starting with simple “raw materials” (the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, water and mineral salts found in the ground) that are ever present on the surface of our planet, allow green plants to produce new organic substance.

Wood is the oldest fuel used by man for heating dwellings and cooking food. Only about 200 years ago it started to be replaced, first by coal and then by petroleum and natural gas, until it was almost completely replaced, in developed countries, by fossil fuels, more practical to use and, for a long period of time, more economical. In the last few years however there has been an inversion of tendency, witnessed in Italy by the increased sales in fireplaces, stoves, boilers and the creation of medium and large thermal power stations, with a combined system that includes wood biomass feeding.

Wood is a source of energy:

		RENEWABLE: because it continually reproduces, in short time frames based on the human scale, when trees and shrubs grow. Cutting wood in a responsible way provides more vital space for trees in the woods; actually it is a great stimulus for taking care of them and broadening them. Wood used today for heating usually comes from “dedicated” plantations.
		NEUTRAL: as far as carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere (“CO2 neutral”) because CO2 emitted by the combustion is the same as what was absorbed a few years ago through photosynthesis. (s. cycle of nature)
		CLEAN: because at the end of the combustion process (if it is done correctly) ONLY natural substances remain. These substances can already be found abundantly in our environment, in concentrations that are not toxic for living organisms.

We are used to thinking that trees are our friends because they give us oxygen. Let’s start considering them friends because they remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and they make it possible to use the energy from the sun to heat our homes.

IS THERE ENOUGH WOOD IN OUR COUNTRY?
In Italy there are more than 8 million hectares of forests that grow at least 25 - 30 million m³ of wood. A portion of this wood is high quality, destined for special uses (construction, furniture).

A portion of the forests are is in areas that are difficult to access or are of great naturalistic value, where it is best to allow the woods to age and gradually gain a more natural appearance.

Even if only half of the wood that is annually added to what is already present was used for creating energy, Italian woods would be able to provide 12 - 15 million cubic metres of wood destined for burning every year, this is equal to approximately 7 - 8 million tons of dry wood.

Harvesting wood, if done according to principles and techniques of proper forestry, has no negative effects on forests that can actually be cultivated better this way. The valorisation of wooden residue should also be able to provide another 8 - 9 million tons of dry wood every year.

The total dry wood available in Italy to be used for creating energy is 20 - 25 million tons.

At this point one can add the wood that will be produced by tree farms, specifically for the purpose of creating energy, using special subsidies made available by the European Union. This wood can be estimated at about 5 - 10 million tons of dry wood per year.

It is therefore reasonable to estimate that within a short period of time there should be a supply of about 30 million tons of dry wood in this country, sufficient for completely heating at least 3 million homes.

Incentives for using wood as an energy source do not constitute a risk for our country’s tree and forest wealth, actually it is a strong stimulus to take care of it and broaden it.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENERGY AND ECONOMY
The availability of energy is one of the determining factors for developing economic activities. Humans use a diversified range of energy sources, but planet distribution is not homogeneous.

Many populations do not have sufficient energy resources for their economy within their country. In ages of abundance, availability, and liberalized commercial trading, the availability of energy sources only has marginal influence on the competitiveness of different countries, highlighting the quality of their scientific research, the dynamism of their businesses, and the general government organization. The memories from a period where the objective scarcity of energy sources conditioned the economy of countries that are poor in energy (for ex. the “oil crisis” of 1973) are not too far

Future forecasts are not very rosy: even though we still have an enormous quantity of fossil fuels, it is also true that global energy consumption is growing rapidly and the rate of discovery of new fossil fuel repositories does not keep up with the consumption rate.

the cost of energy is destined to grow and at that point the relationship between economy and availability of energy will be felt once again. The European Union gives incentives for using renewable sources; financing research and supporting a wide variety of actions that are aimed at helping their use take off.