Looking to import firewood

[Rob D]

As someone previously said why do we need to import? Can we not just manage our own woodlands better?

 

 

Most of the woods I drive through are all unmanaged and would produce huge amounts of firewood just by thinning.

 

 

Why is supply going to outstrip demand? And how much firewood do we import at the moment? I know demand is rising but it's not as if the UK has only just started to burn wood....

 

 

That's a whole lot of questions but who has accurate answers and facts!!

[AngusMF250]

Why is supply going to outstrip demand?

I think there is more danger of demand outstripping supply.

 

As someone previously said why do we need to import? Can we not just manage our own woodlands better?

Demand will dictate importing, or not, I can see JayVee started the thread to probe the market to see if there is a shortfall. I dont understand why there is so much resistance to it?

Whats so bad about importing if there is the demand for it ?

Why are woodlands badly managed, who will change this?

Bad forestry management has been going on since forests were wiped out and not replanted, during the industrial revolution, WW1 etc etc.

 

I know demand is rising but it's not as if the UK has only just started to burn wood....

The number of people burning wood has risen, the population has risen, if there is a need to import wood, and dealers resist, then they cant supply, and the result would be firewood consumers using alternate heating methods.

I call it shooting yourself in the foot.

But there will always be people who will make use of oportunities as they arise.

[renewablejohn]

Well I hope the demand is there. I have just come back from Chelford delivering stuff for the Auction tomorrow and I have never seen so many dumpy bags of wet logs. Talking to one of the auctioneers about 6 dumpy bags and he spun round and said it was only a sample he was actually selling 2,500 in total. I will now have to go tomorrow just to find out what price they make.

[BARNSLEY BOB]

Well I hope the demand is there. I have just come back from Chelford delivering stuff for the Auction tomorrow and I have never seen so many dumpy bags of wet logs. Talking to one of the auctioneers about 6 dumpy bags and he spun round and said it was only a sample he was actually selling 2,500 in total. I will now have to go tomorrow just to find out what price they make.

 

please do john.

buyers premium?

vat ? 5% or 17.5%

softwood//hardwood//mixed

number of lots and prices

 

please.

[Rob D]

I think there is more danger of demand outstripping supply.

 

 

Demand will dictate importing, or not, I can see JayVee started the thread to probe the market to see if there is a shortfall. I dont understand why there is so much resistance to it?

Whats so bad about importing if there is the demand for it ?

Why are woodlands badly managed, who will change this?

Bad forestry management has been going on since forests were wiped out and not replanted, during the industrial revolution, WW1 etc etc.

 

 

The number of people burning wood has risen, the population has risen, if there is a need to import wood, and dealers resist, then they cant supply, and the result would be firewood consumers using alternate heating methods.

I call it shooting yourself in the foot.

But there will always be people who will make use of oportunities as they arise.

 

 

 

There is resistance to importing firewood because to me it does seem a waste when we have unmanaged woods here. Who will change this? Not sure if it will change but from selling mills I know a lot of poeple out there that own woodland which could be thinned for firewood.

 

But to refer to my previous post I wouldn't mind knowing a few facts - how much wood do we import for firewood a year? How has this changed over the last few years? What sort of wood has been imported and where from?

 

Is demand outstripping supply? If so by how much?

 

I'm sure you may be right in what you're saying but do you have any figures and numbers about this?

[Treewarrior]

please do john.

buyers premium?

vat ? 5% or 17.5%

softwood//hardwood//mixed

number of lots and prices

 

please.

John , Bob, I'll be there at Chelford tomorrow having a look!

Edited November 9, 2010 by Treewarrior
forgot name

[forestry]

I currently import kiln dried firewood into the UK, believe me I would love nothing more than to use homegrown, unfortunately price dictates I import.

Their are people on here who will think i am Satan for doing so, but those same people will eat French apples, Kenyan beans, drink Dutch beer etc etc.

It comes down to price, supply and demand. I think it is enevitable that we as a nation will have to rely more and more on imported firewood as our Biomass power stations come on stream.

Jayvee, thanks for reply will drop you an email tomorrow.

[renewablejohn]

John , Bob, I'll be there at Chelford tomorrow having a look!

 

 

Give me a shout if you see me there I will be the one with a yellow moisture meter in my hand. I am taking it just to find out how wet some of this wood is.

 

There was even dumpy bags of steam coal.

 

There was also a load of chainsaws etc so if you have lost something recently it might be worth checking out.

[JayVee]

Their are people on here who will think i am Satan for doing so, but those same people will eat French apples, Kenyan beans, drink Dutch beer etc etc.

It comes down to price, supply and demand.

 

Superbly put.

 

For those opposed to importing, take it up with your MP.

 

Someone asked about prices. In Finland you'll pay around GBP56 for a cube of seasoned birch, 10 inch logs, and the stuff is never ending, I mean you will not run out of the stuff.

 

I'm still trying to get freight rates from Finland to the UK, but they are very slow to answer, even though I have been giving them some serious GBH of the earhole.

 

It really should be easy. Once you find out how much it costs to get the stuff to the UK, then you will know if it is commercially viable.

[AngusMF250]

There is resistance to importing firewood because to me it does seem a waste when we have unmanaged woods here. Who will change this? Not sure if it will change but from selling mills I know a lot of poeple out there that own woodland which could be thinned for firewood.

 

But to refer to my previous post I wouldn't mind knowing a few facts - how much wood do we import for firewood a year? How has this changed over the last few years? What sort of wood has been imported and where from?

 

Is demand outstripping supply? If so by how much?

 

I'm sure you may be right in what you're saying but do you have any figures and numbers about this?

 

Nobody is saying wood needs to be imported and demand has outstripped supply. JayVee came on here to probe the market, and got all the nonsense about homegrown wood and supporting Brit jobs etc.

Looks like some forum members have already been intouch with him!

Also, someone said they wouldnt buy birch, I wanted to point out that Finnish Birch is good quality and the primary firewood in Sweden and Finland.

 

I dont know about unmanaged woods, generally I havent seen that in Scotland, which in the past was deforested and not replanted, but in recent years forestation has risen from 4% to 17% of the land and the target is 25%Most of this is commercial, to be sold as timber products, not firewood. Now compare that to England which has a greater demand on land use, then I would doubt if supply is not a problem in some areas, but you know yourself if you can get firewood easily enough or not?

If I couldnt get wood, I d look at alternatives.