Newbie Selling firewood

[Woodworks]

Hi there

 

I Have been selling our surplus logs from our smallholdings hedges for a few years now maybe 30m3 per year at most but I have really enjoyed it and our logs are sort after so I would like to do this as a part time job instead of weekend hobby. We don't have an endless supply of logs from the farm so I am going to have to buy in or do tree work to keep up stocks. I am happy to invest in this business but where to begin? Our current set-up is very basic 346XP , axe ,compact tractor with Hycrack and landrover with road trailer. The logs are stacked and dried under cover for 2 years to about 20-25% moister. How should I set about improving our set up? I should add I am not a arborist but I did do chainsaw course 15 years ago but I am sure it is not valid today.

 

All ideas welcomed

[Dean O]

I dont know a fat lot about comercial firewood production but wouldnt it be easiest to simply buy in an arctic load of HW timber?

or contact local tree surgeons to sell you their arb arrisings - I say sell as if you offer a free place to tip you are likely to get snowed under with the stuff they wont want to bother with such as snotty conifer - you could simply pick it up for a price per volume measured on your trailer.

 

Either way part of the work has already been done and you can concentrate on producing volume of product rather than messing around with the other arrisings from tree work such as brash etc.

[nick channer]

where abouts in devon are you..??

[Woodworks]

Hi Dean thanks for the reply

"wouldn't it be easiest to simply buy in an arctic load of HW timber?"

You are probably right about this but I would rather have a more diverse day for less profit than loading a firewood processor all day (if I buy one). If I did go down this route what sort of price per ton would it cost and for what sort of quantity's?

 

I have started talking to tree surgeons and have picked up some small quantity's of various quality's of wood by doing some ground work for them. I have not looked into dealing with the arb waste in return for wood, does this class as industry as we are only classed as a farm?

 

I am happy to do qualifications that might open other avenues to source wood.

 

Nick

"where abouts in devon are you..??"

West near Tavistock

[Dean O]

Sorry I didnt mean that you should deal in arb waste - I meant that if you start taking trees down for people for the wood then you have brash and sweepings that you will have to deal with unless in the woods.

If you just take the timber from a tree surgeon you dont have this issue.

 

I believe that converting wood into firewood is classed as an industrial process anyway so you may already have a stumbling block if thats a concern.

 

Its much easier cutting and splitting straight sticks with an axe from a arct load rather than mismatched tree surgery arrisings, you dont have to have a processor.

 

By keeping it easy you can keep it a profitable part time job rather than "having to...." do things to keep up your stocks, running around picking up bits and peices from tree surgeons etc or cutting the trees down yourself.

 

buy it add value then sell it.

[Woodworks]

Thanks again Dean

 

"I believe that converting wood into firewood is classed as an industrial process anyway so you may already have a stumbling block if thats a concern."

 

This could well prove to be stumbling block. Do farmers manage to run firewood businesses on land classed as agricultural land without having inspectors poking their nose in. We only have one neighbour and their son helps us from time to time so I don't think they will complain.

 

I might just try to keep a low profile but a lorry loads of cordwood turning up might draw attention to what we are doing