Looking to import firewood

[Joy Yeomans]

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.

we dont want to promote kiln dried in my opinion - yes its an option, but as you say "premium" charged for this service, we are foresters and firewood merchants aim to promote firewood to customers as an alternative to other fuels, and where necessary at a price comparitive to other fuels not at a premium.

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.

most people sell firewood in volum now, are you referring to purchasing by weight, as this is something the Foresry Cotracting Association are trying to change as, as foresters we get paid less the longer the timbe sits at rideside loosing weight, most foresters according to FCA recent info, would prefer payment by volume as this covers losses as listed in their recent article. - in fact an artic of pulp can often loose upto .5 tonne in weight driving off site to mill due to wind drying and loosing weight enroute

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.

 

 

firewood sold to customers out of "season" is a practical measure to ensure customers have a good supply , its no different to the coal merchants offering "special prices" for coal during june/august as they do round here

 

i really dont think we should be promoting imports into the domestic market, how did we get these current diseases we have in the forestry system in the first place, imports im thinking.

 

we have enough softwood wood in this country to promote for softwood as an alternative to the stove users, not imported hardwoods, and this would give our home foresters/timber transporters/firewood merchants/woodland owners/managers a better boost than lining the importers pocket

 

j.

[Rob D]

Ditto above.

 

The trouble with modern wood burning I've found is this:

 

80% of customers want dry wood to burn and are not interested in storing it or seasoning it themselves. Education will not change this I don't think - I offered every customer last year 40% off if they ordered in March and April. Only 10% took me up on this offer.

 

It's just the modern way of life - they want it now, dry to burn now.

 

So... I'm experimenting with a polytunnel which I've put a big fan in each end. The sides of the polytunnel scroll down and this with the door shuts pretty much seals it shut.

 

I'm going to put a log stove in at one end and then the fans will blow warm air down over the logs, pick up moisture then the end fan will blow the warm damp air out.

 

It will only be 'on' for 6 hours a day. This will use 4 units of electricity daily but the log burner will only be run with waste scraps of wood so should not be expensive to run. Whether it'll work in practice I don't know..... I'll put a vid up of it working.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayVee]

Fascinating thread this.

 

"Firewood" excellently made point. Pleasure to read. I differ with you (and firewoodman) in your interpretation of supply and demand. Time is an integral part of the supply and demand equation. If 90 % of the clientele want their wood on the first week of November then you will have a larger demand than supply. Educating clients to buy when there is excess supply will only get you so far. It comes down to human psychology and economics.

 

Let's say I have a choice of buying a few cubes of fresh firewood in the middle of March for a "ridiculously" cheap price, or buying a new flat screen TV which the wife and kids have been nagging me about. Now I have a choice. I know the family can survive without the TV, but they can’t survive without warmth in the winter. What do you think 90 % of people will do? Even if they know the firewood will cost more in November? They will buy the TV and put off buying the firewood. It isn’t necessarily stupidity, it is a choice: They put off tying up the capital today and use the capital in a different way on a “necessity” they prioritise now.

 

Wood imported from “Latvian countries” FYI There are no “Latvian countries”, Latvia is a country. As yet Latvia hasn’t started invading its neighbours unless I’ve missed something on CNN.

 

As for ”importers lining their pockets”, the British based firewood sellers are doing exactly the same: “lining their pockets”. It is also known as making a living or doing business. Good luck to one and all.

[Wee Jim]

If i could make money from a product whether its imported or not then why not? its just business!

 

 

Do you have any prices JayVee??

[forestry]

well said

 

 

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 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,

 

You must have a problem with your computer - at no time have I said on any post or incinuated that most firewood merchants do not sell top notch products, are dishonest, have excellent service. I too am a firewood merchant and respect everyone in the industry, so please do not misquote me.

[firewoodman]

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.

 

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.

 

firewoodman,

 

You must have a problem with your computer - at no time have I said on any post or incinuated that most firewood merchants do not sell top notch products, are dishonest, have excellent service. I too am a firewood merchant and respect everyone in the industry, so please do not misquote me.

 

nope no problem with my computer and i did not misquote you:confused1:

 

the above quote in red is what you wrote. my interpretation is that you have said the only way to get guaranteed supply of dried wood is to buy from a firewood merchant like yourself selling kiln dried

 

you did however leave out how good naturally air dried firewood produced by others is just as good if bought from a reputable source. i believe to just promote your own product

 

all i did was correct you and explain the purpose of kiln drying!!

 

oh you are correct in one quote though, and thats the one in blue

Edited November 14, 2010 by firewoodman

[Treewarrior]

Somebody else will have to post up the results I have tried posting twice and each time the system has thrown me out into the login screen which I then login again and the message does not get posted.

Renewable John,

Was at Chelford last week and saw the soaking wet logs for sale. Did not hang around for the auction.

 

Did you manage to get the prices though?

 

John Wild

[BARNSLEY BOB]

somebody else will have to post up the results i have tried posting twice and each time the system has thrown me out into the login screen which i then login again and the message does not get posted.

 

please try again,or send me a pm and i will post it......

Cheers.

[renewablejohn]

Ditto above.

 

The trouble with modern wood burning I've found is this:

 

80% of customers want dry wood to burn and are not interested in storing it or seasoning it themselves. Education will not change this I don't think - I offered every customer last year 40% off if they ordered in March and April. Only 10% took me up on this offer.

 

It's just the modern way of life - they want it now, dry to burn now.

 

So... I'm experimenting with a polytunnel which I've put a big fan in each end. The sides of the polytunnel scroll down and this with the door shuts pretty much seals it shut.

 

I'm going to put a log stove in at one end and then the fans will blow warm air down over the logs, pick up moisture then the end fan will blow the warm damp air out.

 

It will only be 'on' for 6 hours a day. This will use 4 units of electricity daily but the log burner will only be run with waste scraps of wood so should not be expensive to run. Whether it'll work in practice I don't know..... I'll put a vid up of it working.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save your money if you design your polytunnel correctly you will not require additional heat to dry the timber. I dry to 12% MC with no additional heat in our polytunnels the secret is air flow through the tunnels not sealing the moisture in the tunnels. If you want to look at my set up send me a PM

[renewablejohn]

please try again,or send me a pm and i will post it......

Cheers.

 

Okay final attempt at posting prices from Chelford.

 

Bags of logs £1.50 per bag

Bags of joiners logs ) 75p per bag

Bags of joiners offcuts DNS

 

Dumpy bags Softwood MC <20% £35

Dumpy bag scaffold boards MC<20% £10

Dumpy bag Softwood MC >35% DNS Auctioneer wanted min £30

Dumpy Bag Joiners softwood <20% DNS Auctioneer wanted min £20

Dumpy Bag Kitchen melamine worktops DNS

Dumpy bags Hardwood mixed MC >30% £35

Dumpy bags Hardwood mixed MC <20% DNS Auctioneer wanted min £40

 

Bare in mind commission to be taken off these figures of approx 30% ie I sold equipment worth £51 actually received after commission £36

 

As regards VAT not aware of any lots having VAT so obviously sellers not registered for VAT.