How many hectares per annum for a firewood business

[difflock]

We got about 40 acres of mixed conifers, first plots planted in the late 70's then staggered planting through the eighties.

So how long will this last if used as a basis for a firewood business, assuming additional new planting (acreage available) & replanting .

Say to generate income for myself ( to supplement pension) & one other wage .

Cheers

M

[treequip]

How long is a piece of string

 

The missing part of the equation is how much firewood can you sell per annum?

 

Once you know that you can gauge what volume of timber that represents. Once you have that you need to know what volume per acre (average at harvesting) you have and the rest is just maths

[Brushcutter]

What yield class are the conifers. Again will give you an idea of how much avaiable wood your getting.

[Quickthorn]

What yield class are the conifers. Again will give you an idea of how much avaiable wood your getting.

 

This is the way I'd look at it.

 

40 acres is about 16 hectares. Conifer yield classes could typically be in the range 10-15 cubic metres per hectare per year - so you'd expect your 16 ha woodland to gain 160-240 cu. m per year - about the same in tons.

[difflock]

Probably pipedreaming but really I could do with buying a firewood processor ( since I cannot hire one) but then I really would need to be at it more than weekends & clear evenings, plus really need another body to stream production a bit slicker.

ROI & all that.

But if I retired at 55 in 3 years time.............................?

I suppose what I was after ( & thank you Quickthorn, for those useful snippets) was some reassurance that iffen I invest in machinery I am not going to run out of timber inside of say 5 years.

I was in the notion of supplying in the nominal 1m3 bulk bags, so as not to conflict (too much) with the local long established decent firewood guy who still works with wee bags & a very local village round (with tractor linkbox deliverys!)

Cheers

PS

Thanks for the yield class info but with the amount of windthrown Lodgepole plus the Sitka were never thinned.............probably not particularly relevent.

Cheers again,

M

Edited April 20, 2011 by difflock