ugly logs

[Joy Yeomans]

we've had the designer log thread, thought i'd promote the ugly log thread - yes - that dirty word SOFTWOOD

 

Well, i burn it, cook on it, and heat my house, if i had to buy it in for £50 m3 which is what i would sell it to people for at this time of year if i could! - i would be using about 6m3 for 24hr burn some days, which equates to a heating bill if bought in for £300 plus 5% VAT. we have a smallish 3 bed house with cavity wall heating etc

 

so why wont people buy it? why insist on hardwoods, when you can buy softwood for 50% of the price and it doesnt burn 2 to 1, when your getting more heat from the log. and the radiators are banging etc.

 

any comments

 

joy

[Michael C]

I was at a foresty demo last Thursday, held in a forest owned by a couple of brothers that buy in a LOT of sitka spruce puplwood for converting to both woodchip and firewood. Their own forest is now at first thinning stage and is mostly Sitka, with a few acres of ash. He spoke about the firewood business and someone asked him if he would be converting the ash thinnings to firewood, and he replied 'yes, but due to the low quantity I have, I wont be selling it. If my customers got used of hardwood, they wouldnt want my Sitka anymore'...

[scbk]

Softwood is good wood

 

All I sell and burn is sitka

[John Hughes]

We own 20 acres of spruce woodland in Wales, clear felling about an acre a year. I mill the bigger butts and process the rest with a Palax . I am getting a good log pile now. Hopefuly I will be able to sell some next winter.

[Sam Thompson]

Burning softwoods here, they do just as well for me!

[Charlieh]

but my stove supplier said i sould only burn kiln dried hardwoods,

 

i would be using about 6m3 for 24hr burn some days,

 

does that not strike you as a bit fuel inefficent

 

 

I have been burning some storm downed larch out my woodland and must admit, its pretty good, never used softwood prior to that really

[Clada]

Here is a link to an article about firewood on the COFORD.IE - Home website:

 

"Firewood from hardwood has a

higher heating value per m3 than

softwood, due to higher density, but

on a dry weight-for-weight basis

softwood is just as good a fuel.

More cubic metres of softwood is

needed to achieve the same

energy output as hardwood, so the

price (per cubic metre) for softwood

firewood should be lower than that

of hardwood."

 

 

There is also a lot more reference material here: Home : Wood Energy

[Joy Yeomans]

but my stove supplier said i sould only burn kiln dried hardwoods,

 

 

 

does that not strike you as a bit fuel inefficent

 

 

I have been burning some storm downed larch out my woodland and must admit, its pretty good, never used softwood prior to that really

 

charlie, i have to have that kettle ready for coffee at a minutes notice - especially with you around:001_tt2:

[farmer_ben]

i think its just plain simple that joe public has been led to believe that only hardwood should be burnt in their log burners or open fires.

 

im doing my best to re-educate joe dont you worry

[Rob D]

Sell it as mixed loads i.e. mixed hard and softwood and it'll fly out!