BRACKEN FUEL

I drove through Scotland last week and was told about a new idea that farmers and Scottish Power have at controlling bracken, which is one of the countries most invasive weeds. Firstly a farmer has been harvesting the dried bracken much the same as the hay and straw is collected in the big bales. The leaves and stems are then rotted down and ground up to make a substitute for peat and potting compost. Scottish Power on the other hand is looking at ways to use the dried bracken as a source of electricity. Dried pellets made from the weed produce the same amount of heat as coal when burned. Researchers at Aberdeen University claim that the plant is more effective than willow as well and the bracken ashes can make a very effective organic fertiliser. Bracken is resistant to herbicides and can be poisonous to livestock as well as having carcinogenic properties that could be harmful to people. In Scotland the bracken invasion covers 500,000 acres and could generate enough power to provide a city the size of Edinburgh. The only drawback is accessibility to the areas that the bracken can be found. The plant grows on rough hillsides and damp gorges but even so it’s estimated that at least 2.5 million tonnes could be harvested for use.

Environmental.