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"Shelf Life" of hardwood logs


Llenya
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My first post so Hi to everyone. :001_cool:

 

I´ve been reading this forum for a few weeks now and find it very informative.

 

I have an opportunity to get into the firewood business and have progressed quite a lot with my research. One thing though has got me stumpted. (no pun intended)... I can see that hardwood prices are on the increase in my area and all around me there is a sudden hive of activity in the forests with hundreds of tonnes of trees becoming available every week.

 

I am wondering if it is prudent to buy a few hundred tonnes now, with a view to them becoming more valuable by the time they season. However, i fear being left holding the baby if the market changes in a couple of years.

 

In your collective experiences ... is there a "Shelf Life" for either trunks or split wood? For example, can split logs survive 3 years, 5 years, 10 years?

 

Any help gratefully appreciated

Edited by Llenya
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I think the better question is whether there is sufficient profit in logs to be able to take both the hit of working capital costs of holding over 5 years and the investment in storage to hold the logs over that period (and my guess would be no!)

If you really want to invest in wood better to buy some woodland and hold that - land doesn't deteriorate in quality over time, the trees will still be growing over that additional 5 years and trees don't need storing :)

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My first post so Hi to everyone. :001_cool:

 

I´ve been reading this forum for a few weeks now and find it very informative.

 

I have an opportunity to get into the firewood business and have progressed quite a lot with my research. One thing though has got me stumpted. (no pun intended)... I can see that hardwood prices are on the increase in my area and all around me there is a sudden hive of activity in the forests with hundreds of tonnes of trees becoming available every week.

 

I am wondering if it is prudent to buy a few hundred tonnes now, with a view to them becoming more valuable by the time they season. However, i fear being left holding the baby if the market changes in a couple of years.

 

In your collective experiences ... is there a "Shelf Life" for either trunks or split wood? For example, can split logs survive 3 years, 5 years, 10 years?

 

Any help gratefully appreciated

 

 

The wood can last many years split or un split. It all comes down to how it is stored. For example if you stack the trunks outside on grass or a track, it will become damp and begin to rot. However, many foresters lay two logs on the bottom and then stack there timber on top as to keep the majority nice and dry while sacrificing the 2 bottom logs :001_smile:. Keep them dry and off the ground the timber will last a long time hard to confirm in years as species of tree is different.

 

Split logs if you can dry them with a kiln or Air drying them with a fan to reduce the moisture content to 20% and below and store them away from moisture they will last a very long time and will be ready to deliver when orders are placed :biggrin:

 

Hope this helped :blushing:

 

Personally I would buy in a smaller amount that you can process and be able to sell later in the year or the next year depending on how far along the timber has seasoned :) sitting on wood for a period of 2 years is hard enough to fund as storage becomes an issue as well as monitoring the logs for mould, fungi and rot :)

 

I am sure many on here will give better advice :thumbup1:

Edited by A Pettersen-Firewood&Chip
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My first post so Hi to everyone. :001_cool:

 

I´ve been reading this forum for a few weeks now and find it very informative.

 

I have an opportunity to get into the firewood business and have progressed quite a lot with my research. One thing though has got me stumpted. (no pun intended)... I can see that hardwood prices are on the increase in my area and all around me there is a sudden hive of activity in the forests with hundreds of tonnes of trees becoming available every week.

 

I am wondering if it is prudent to buy a few hundred tonnes now, with a view to them becoming more valuable by the time they season. However, i fear being left holding the baby if the market changes in a couple of years.

 

In your collective experiences ... is there a "Shelf Life" for either trunks or split wood? For example, can split logs survive 3 years, 5 years, 10 years?

 

Any help gratefully appreciated

 

Hello Llenya, firewood is hard work! Storing timber ain't the way to go. (Ask Mendiplogs) he's sells (seasoned) logs from trees he cut yesterday.:laugh1:

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They aint bananas that have to be sold in the next week or they're ruined

If they're cut n stored properly should be no problem

 

Gamble is if price will go up or down whilst in store

 

Lots of guys on here complaining price of raw material is going up

And woodburners are still selling well

So good chance price of logs will go up .......possibly a lot

 

But local market might vary Too

 

But then I don't believe in money in the bank, why let suits use your money......

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Thanks guys so far.

The wood is Beech and oak. Storage space is not a problem.

I suppose really that part of my question is "what to do to avoid rot"? Obviously keeping it away from water would play a large part...but what about insects, animals or mixing wood lots in the same storage area?

Is there anything you guys can tell me about ensuring rot doesn´t set in?

 

Again thanks

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