The Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, John Griffiths, visited a family-run timber factory that has become one of North Wales’s biggest success stories.
Clifford Jones Timber began processing timber in 1989 and today employs more than 100 people at its two sites in Ruthin and another in Gretna, Scotland.
The company is one of the leading manufacturers of machine round timber in the UK, with an annual turnover in excess of £7 million.
It even uses timber from Welsh Government woodlands and other sources to heat its factories in place of fossil fuels, thereby reducing its CO2 emissions.
It received a Wood Energy Business Scheme (WEBS) grant from Forestry Commission Wales in 2008 to help it develop its pellet production facility, which can make up to 30,000 tonnes of wood pellets and briquettes every year to heat homes, schools and businesses.
In addition to creating clean energy, wood from the factory can also be found in fences on farmland all over Wales and beyond, as well as in the construction industry.
Following a tour of the factory, the Minister said, “What I’ve seen here is an excellent example of how wood and its residues can be used in their entirety, and it demonstrates how the versatility of wood can be put to a multitude of uses, all of which come from a renewable resource.”
The Minister said the company’s contribution to the economy and the renewable energy sector in Wales was “extremely valuable”.
“Just as importantly, its products and plans for future development support the Welsh Government’s vision of a sustainable Wales and a sustainable forestry sector.”
The Clifford Jones Timber plant was the first in mainland Britain to use timber sourced directly from sustainable forests in the UK.
Alan Jones, chairman and son of the company’s founder, said, “Our commitment and investment, together with the support from both the Welsh Government and Forestry Commission Wales, have enabled us to invest in new and exciting sustainable forms of energy.
“We’re pleased to be assisting the Welsh Government in meeting its carbon reduction targets and helping to provide renewable fuel security for the future of Wales.”
