Rediscovering the Original Renewable Energy

How a winter ice storm became an opportunity for sustainable forest stewardship.

When a severe ice storm struck Sussex County in January 2025, it left fallen trees and broken limbs scattered throughout Black Forest Wildlife Preserve. What initially looked like a massive cleanup project became an opportunity to demonstrate how people and nature can coexist, even when nature leaves behind a mess.

At our 60-acre preserve near West Fenwick, Delaware, we're finding practical ways to put some of that fallen timber to use while allowing other trees and branches to remain on the forest floor, where they provide wildlife habitat and return nutrients to the soil.

The Original Renewable Energy

Today, much of the conversation about renewable energy focuses on solar panels and wind turbines. But long before either existed, people relied on the original renewable energy source: wood. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples, including the Nanticoke and Lenape of this region, used wood for warmth, cooking, and daily life. Long before modern developments and homeowners associations, the forests provided an essential source of energy.

Wood remains renewable when forests are managed responsibly and allowed to regenerate. Modern EPA-certified wood-burning stoves make it possible to use this traditional resource more efficiently, producing substantially fewer emissions than older conventional stoves.

Keeping Forests Standing by Keeping Them Valuable

Using wood responsibly can also help make forest preservation economically sustainable. Throughout Sussex County, local firewood suppliers turn timber into a useful product, providing income that can help landowners maintain their woodlands rather than sell them for development. A forest doesn't have to be cleared to have economic value.

For homeowners, a modern wood-burning stove may offer an attractive supplemental heating option, particularly with locally sourced, properly seasoned firewood. Supporting responsible local firewood businesses can also help sustain the working forests that supply them. Conservation and productive use need not be opposing ideas.

At Black Forest, we're putting that principle into practice. Trees that once blocked trails are now being cut, split, and stacked to provide winter heat for buildings and warmth at our woodland campsite, where community groups can gather and experience the forest. What began as storm damage has become a useful renewable resource.

You may not need firewood this winter, but this forest could use your support.

For another perspective on wood as an energy resource, we're sharing an article from Delaware's Caesar Rodney Institute exploring its role in our energy future: All-of-the-Above Energy Means Wood, Too

Help Preserve Black Forest Wildlife Preserve

As development continues across eastern Sussex County, large, connected stretches of woodland are becoming increasingly rare. Black Forest Wildlife Preserve encompasses 60 acres of forest that we are working to protect for wildlife and future generations.

Through the Black Forest Wildlife CoExist Foundation, we demonstrate how people and nature can thrive together. From forest restoration and invasive species management to wildlife habitat protection and oyster gardening, our projects show how practical stewardship can benefit both people and the natural environment.

You can help keep this forest standing. Whether you volunteer, share our work, or make a financial contribution, your support helps preserve natural habitats, restore ecosystems, and inspire others to practice conservation in their own communities.

Learn more, get involved, or support our mission: Black Forest Wildlife Preserve.

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