The UK must make better use of domestic woodland to supply the expanding biomass industry otherwise reliance on imported material will threaten forest habitats overseas, an RSPB report says.

Bioenergy: A Burning Issue says there are 31 biomass power stations operating in the UK, with 39 more in various stages of planning and construction. If all are built, the amount of biomass burnt each year will increase tenfold from 5m tonnes to 50m tonnes.

The RSPB is concerned that much of this will be imported from countries such as Canada, Russia and the US, putting extra pressure on wildlife habitats. It suggests wood imports will rise from 13% to 68%, three times higher than the UK’s total current wood production.

“Biomass power stations should be using wood fuel produced in the UK from better management of our forests and woodlands,” Martin Harper, RSPB conservation director said. “We must also use the large amounts of unused waste and agricultural by-products the UK produces.”

The RSPB urges government to use an impending review of renewable energy subsidies to avert this potential problem and cut back subsidies for bioenergy using imported wood, while increasing support for UK-sourced biomass fuel. It also wants a new set of sustainability rules covering imported wood fuel and a better system of accounting for carbon emissions from biomass plants.