National Association of Firewood Suppliers?

[djbobbins]

I just wondered following on from discussion threads recently, would people be interested in some kind of national association of accredited firewood suppliers?

 

If so, what would you want such an organisation to do? And what not to do?

 

I was just thinking that as demand for logs / briquettes / pellets / chip grows, there will be a market for suppliers who customers have a degree of assurance won't be selling them green pop or leylandii...

 

If needs be, what about doing some properly calibrated, independent lab approved tests on the calorific value of different wood types at different moisure contents, to be able to give customers a real idea of what they are getting?

 

Does anyone reckon suppliers (and customers) would see any merit in the idea?

 

Not sure what else could be provided but I am sure there must be some thoughts out there.

[firewoodman]

Try hetas mate. They do something

[Roni Macdonald]

difficult to categorise fuel wood apart from the obvious soft/hard and wet/dry. becomes to complicated and confusing for the customer. It certainly would be good to standardise the method sale.

[djbobbins]

I've got a contact through my day job with a certified fuel testing lab, so I think it would be possible to get some calorific value tests done on different woods at different moisture contents.

 

I would also be very interested in properly assessing the difference between burning green ash at eg 25% moisture and burning seasoned ash that has been dried down to e.g. 15% moisture and then allowed to soak up water to 25% again. I have a theory that latter would burn better since the water is driven off in a different way but no real way to prove my hunch without doing the tests.

 

As far as different qualities and types of woods go, I agree that there ought to be a recognised guide (perhaps scientifically backed up?) of different burn qualities of different woods - e.g. speed of burn in addition to calorific value.

 

Anyhow, I genuinely thought there might be interested in some form of accreditation scheme to give consumers a sense of confidence in their supplier, and hopefully to allow those legit suppliers with a quality product to get a bit better price for it.

 

However from the paucity of replies I'm guessing I was wide of the mark!

[Mark Bolam]

Noone wants any more red tape at the moment mate.

 

If you sell good logs at market price, your customers will come back for more.

 

If you don't, they won't.

 

Word gets around.

 

First time buyers - if you really do have so few friends that you can't ask anyone - you deserve green Poplar.