As well as boosting the Ribble Valley economy, the renewable energy source aims to make the educational establishments more environmentally friendly.

The firm which has won the contract to supply the schools works out of woodland in Downham.

Special boilers are being installed on the sites in Burnley, Nelson, and Padiham as part of Lancashire County Council's £250m. Building Schools for the Future programme.

Mike Ingoldby, a chartered forester with over 30 years' experience, is company director of Bowland Bioenergy. He said: "The woodlands will be re-planted. Lancashire grows enough timber every year to supply the schools easily. This is currently our biggest contract, but we have interest from around 20 other schools in the North West."

Paul Bullimore, project officer with the Lancashire Woodlands Project, said: "This will enable woods in Lancashire to be better managed, it will create jobs and lower the carbon emissions from schools."

And County Coun. Vail Patel, cabinet member for schools, said: "We have always said Building Schools for the Future is about more than providing state-of-the-art facilities for education. This wood-burning technology is helping to stimulate the local economy and improve the environment. It is exactly the sort of joined-up thinking people want from their local authorities."