Looking to import firewood

[JayVee]

As promised here is the link:

 

How much firewood should you store? Gentle Descent

[firewood]

As promised here is the link:

 

How much firewood should you store? Gentle Descent

 

 

Right.

 

This link takes you to a rehash of the underlying Grauniad article here:

 

Rise in domestic wood burning threatened by poor supply from local forests | Environment | The Guardian

 

The article starts by reporting the rise in wood burner sales and from this extrapolates that we will not be self sufficient in firewood.

 

note that it does not state that firewood is being imported

 

only that we have net imports of 180,000 tons of wood and wood products most of which we can surmise is timber for construction. there would be some woodchip in this figure for power stations.

 

The article then goes on to talk about rogue suppliers selling green wood as there is not enough seasoned product to go round (2008 / 2009 season).

 

what it fails to mention is that if, as a customer, you want a guaranteed supply of dry wood you should be buying it in March or April for use the following winter. you should not be trying to order it 5 minutes before you need to burn it!

 

The problem is not shortage or undersupply it is the fact that 90% of the demand is squeezed into 4 months of the year. as has been stated on arbtalk many times before customers need educating in this respect. the alternative is for us suppliers to tie up lots of capital in drying wood throughout the spring and summer until the winter. this we all generally do but you cannot respond quickly to big increases in demand. spread out that demand and you can.

 

 

As to the economics of importing firewood into the UK i do not believe it currently stacks up. my guess is that if hardwood delivered by the artic load to say Hampshire is currently £40 ton then the cost of imported product to the same location would be in the region of £60 ton. the £20 difference to cover the extra handling of loading into ship, actual shipping, unloading ship and final artic delivery. The other point to bear in mind is that if the market price ever did rise to the £60 level this would also bring more UK supply to the market, dropping the price and rendering the imported stuff too expensive

 

 

JayVee over to you.

[renewablejohn]

Approx 80,000 tonnes per annum goes to the power station on Tyneside according to a CHP seminar I attended about a year ago I think it was from one of the Latvian countries which supply it.

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

Interesting forum post this one.

 

The main problems in the UK are as follows:-

 

1. Hundreds of under maintained woodlands.

 

2. The people that own/run the woods do NOT do the commercial work in them.

 

3. There has been a huge press surge on green issues so the public has installed stoves but no idea where to source and how to store firewood.

 

4. People often assume costs less from abroad.

[forestry]

Firewood,

 

"what it fails to mention is that if, as a customer, you want a guaranteed supply of dry wood you should be buying it in March or April for use the following winter. you should not be trying to order it 5 minutes before you need to burn it! "

 

 

This is simply not true, if you want a guaranteed supply of dried wood you buy from a firewood merchant like myself selling kiln dried , ready to burn.

Yes you will pay a premium, but you are not paying for water !

Like i said in my previous post, I would love to sell homegrown kiln dried logs, but the fact is, at the moment the price dictates I import it from Europe.

 

I notice that many firewood merchants talk on this forum in tonnes, I firmly believe that until we follow the rest of Europe and start buying and selling in volume as opposed to weight we will always lag behind Europe in progressing the firewood industry.

 

This is certainly not meant to disrespect anyone on this forum but why oh why are our timber industry leaders not moving to volume sales.

[Bolt]

JayVee seems to be interested in making money. I think this is something called business.

 

Some others posting would appear to supply wood mainly for the common good. This is called being selfless, or maybe charitable.

 

Some others are intersted in local jobs for their local community. Possably this is protectionism.

 

Each to his own, it takes all sorts.

 

(but how many in the last group drive foreign cars, trucks or operate plant made from overseas? How many select foreignt produced kit instead of UK made stuff, simply because its cheaper (or better).

 

New Zealand lamb lamb anyone? or how about some Danish Bacon?)

 

Tricky 'eh?

[Rob D]

I notice that many firewood merchants talk on this forum in tonnes, I firmly believe that until we follow the rest of Europe and start buying and selling in volume as opposed to weight we will always lag behind Europe in progressing the firewood industry.

 

 

I think most people are selling now by the volume but are talking more about buying by the ton. I suppose this is to do with what an artic can carry and deliver i.e. it needs to be measured by weight not volume.

 

And I am not at all against importing wood for firewood - but I am saying why don't we explore better our own resources first? Our £1 looks like it will be worth less as the years go on - so imported timber will only get more expensive.

 

Near me I see only undermanaged woodland or woodland that is not managed at all.

[firewood]

Firewood,

 

"what it fails to mention is that if, as a customer, you want a guaranteed supply of dry wood you should be buying it in March or April for use the following winter. you should not be trying to order it 5 minutes before you need to burn it! "

 

 

This is simply not true, if you want a guaranteed supply of dried wood you buy from a firewood merchant like myself selling kiln dried , ready to burn.

Yes you will pay a premium, but you are not paying for water !

Like i said in my previous post, I would love to sell homegrown kiln dried logs, but the fact is, at the moment the price dictates I import it from Europe.

 

I notice that many firewood merchants talk on this forum in tonnes, I firmly believe that until we follow the rest of Europe and start buying and selling in volume as opposed to weight we will always lag behind Europe in progressing the firewood industry.

 

This is certainly not meant to disrespect anyone on this forum but why oh why are our timber industry leaders not moving to volume sales.

 

sorry, i didn't make myself clear. my argument is that there is more than enough firewood in the uk to meet domestic demand if the demand is spread a bit more evenly throughout the year. as a supplier it is much easier to respond to spikes in demand on a month by month basis rather than solely in November , December & January.

 

Kiln drying is a symptom of the fact that demand is not spread throughout the year. It provides a quicker way to meet spikes in demand by fast forwarding the seasoning process. the process has its own drawbacks such as increased energy inputs and moisture reabsorption if not treated carefully. The higher cost of such products to the end customer is also a big consideration. personally i'm not convinced that the extra few % mc of dryness is worth the premium you would pay for kiln dried in terms of the extra BTUs extracted when burning.

[firewoodman]

what it fails to mention is that if, as a customer, you want a guaranteed supply of dry wood you should be buying it in March or April for use the following winter. you should not be trying to order it 5 minutes before you need to burn it!

 

.

well said

 

Firewood,

 

 

This is simply not true, if you want a guaranteed supply of dried wood you buy from a firewood merchant like myself selling kiln dried , ready to burn.

Yes you will pay a premium, but you are not paying for water !

Like i said in my previous post, I would love to sell homegrown kiln dried logs, but the fact is, at the moment the price dictates I import it from Europe.

.

you are talking rubbish man, there are plenty of us out there who provide an excellent product, with top notch service and an excellent reputation for honesty, and all this without even kiln drying our wood. you and other kiln driers are NOT the only way to get guaranteed dry wood on demand.

 

 

Kiln drying is a symptom of the fact that demand is not spread throughout the year. It provides a quicker way to meet spikes in demand by fast forwarding the seasoning process. the process has its own drawbacks such as increased energy inputs and moisture reabsorption if not treated carefully. The higher cost of such products to the end customer is also a big consideration. personally i'm not convinced that the extra few % mc of dryness is worth the premium you would pay for kiln dried in terms of the extra BTUs extracted when burning.

 

kiln drying is just a way of speeding up the drying process and does not neccessarily mean it has a lower MC, just look at the biggest kiln dryer in the country to see thier MC on thier product....30%

 

customer buys the wood fresh, they dry it themself, we need less space and have less overheads, they get it cheaper and we have less stress and a consistant supply of work and money all year round:thumbup:

[firewoodman]

Is there an issue with importing pests and diseases along with the firewood?

 

martin, i would think so as the timber is not processed to the standard as seen with the sawn timber, but then money talks.

 

buy it now.....worry about the disaster later:thumbdown:will we ever learn from our mistakes?????