The end of firewood?

[skyhuck]

Where does the UK currently get its gas from?

 

So none from the Russians.

[MattyF]

Putins been clever lately though.

 

http://m.vice.com/read/why-is-russia-trading-warplanes-for-beef-1230?source=vice_iphone_app

Why Is Russia Trading Warplanes for Beef?

[Capetown]

Not so fast skyhuck... the energy companies don't even know! Where is our gas coming from, Centrica? - Telegraph

[Elmsdown Forestry]

Hi all,

 

My brother in the oil game up scotland and called me last week to say fill everything up with kero and red in jan/feb as the low won't last much longer than spring/early summer. After that I will go up again to compensate are for the low prices. There budgets for this year dropped from 1.3 billion to 770 million and a lot of his colleagues out of a job.

 

As to cutting we flat out with hardwood cutting at min and only half way through the beech thinning on fc land. As soon as that's done onto another hardwood and softwood fell. So the answer seems to to be no the bigs boys aren't slowing for know and still want it cut. Maybe to stock pile for next winter and sell as semi seasoned.

[gensetsteve]

One of the issues you are not considering is that most peoples heating is gas fired rads, these also require electricity to pump the water round.

 

Currently 4 or 5 of our 11 power stations are down, suppliers are planning to pay big users NOT to use electricity in periods of peak demand to stave off power cuts.

 

Over 50% of our Gas is imported, most coming from the Soviet block, this is the same Soviet block that we are applying sanctions to over what is happening in the Crimea. That country does have a history of cutting gas supplies off to countries it has fallen out with so a bit of reverse sanctions would not surprise me.

 

So over the next few years there is a very good chance of supply interruptions in both gas and electricity. Most of the stove buying public are not silly, yes buying a stove is a bit of a lifestyle choice but when these things are pointed out to them by me or other decent stove seller it cements their need to buy.

 

Yes its mild, my own log sales are well down on the last 2 years but I don't think its a long term issue. If it does not sell this winter it will next winter. My stove sales are up on last year.

 

What I am concerned about as a small log supplier is that I can now buy crated kiln dried product of proven top spec for little more than its costing me to buy cord. I need a bigger processor but unless its grant funded I cant see the point, may as well keep a small one for off farm stuff and import the bulk.

 

I do have a few customers where the stove is the sole source of heat but not many. Against oil the stove pays for itself in 2 or 3 decent winters but against gas there is frankly not a lot of cost saving but there is a significant reduction in carbon emissions, this is something ladies especially care about. But the stove is there as a back up heat source if all else fails.

 

A

 

All very true but some how they still seem to get the gas and leccy through. The public are rightly complacent after the millennium bug which never happened and subsequently the dire warnings every year of black outs. If we do run out of power it will be hard as we just don't have the resources to deal with it. If the wind blows now it's weeks even months before people get their leccy and phone back on. Has any one noticed in every day life most places just don't have staff I waited over half an hour at Harry ramsdens in Bournemouth the other day. They had 5 tills but 2 people serving at least 50 people waiting every where you go you que.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

The powerful multinational companies that produce it!

 

Presumed low oil prices have been arranged to put pressure on Russia

 

If this is the case can't see much change soon.

 

Nope.

 

Local oil rep told me the saudis have a five year plan to keep oil low to put people off that have more cost involved in extracting there oil from bothering. Dont know how true it is

 

Yep.

 

And then when the saudis have extracted all of their cheap oil, losing money as they do it, the yanks and the russians will be laughing all the way to the bank as they will be the only ones with any oil left and will be able to name their price. Bring it on I say, as then firewood and renewables prices will go through the roof.

Better start filling the yard with cord now me thinks.

 

Nope.

 

That rings true. The current low prices are due to over supply (like milk mendiplogs!) and that's happened because OPEC (largest member by far = Saudi) refused to cut supply.

We may not like their alleged plans but if we were in the same position would we do any different?

 

Happy New Year to you all.

 

Jon

 

Absolutely correct. Straight from the drillers mouth.

[doobin]

They can afford to Jon. We have to fell and then only get our money selling it as final product of logs. Market swamped with cheap im ports and cheap logs having to compete with cheap oil and gas prices. Where do we all go from here?

 

Um...sell roadside???

 

If you are geared up for harvesting AND processing, you are in the fortunate position of being able to cut your cake the way you like it.

 

The two should be costed as separate operations. Timber is worth X at the roadside this month, firewood prices look like they will be Y, do we 'buy' timber from our harvesting operations to process, or is it not worth it?

[Mortimer Firewood]

Nope.

 

 

 

Yep.

 

 

 

Nope.

 

 

 

Absolutely correct. Straight from the drillers mouth.

 

 

The Saudi backed Americas sanctions against Putin it will be good for them in the long run as Russia becomes more destabilised there oil production will suffer and oil price will go up.

[BARNSLEY BOB]

two new to me customers, who have had to reinstall fire and flue due to damage caused

 

by burning wet crap and coke, nearly lost their houses too.

 

some will learn ,others will not.

 

quality will always sell.

 

everyone thinks its so easy to produce good ready to burn logs.

[doobin]

two new to me customers, who have had to reinstall fire and flue due to damage caused

 

by burning wet crap and coke, nearly lost their houses too.

 

some will learn ,others will not.

 

quality will always sell.

 

everyone thinks its so easy to produce good ready to burn logs.

 

'Nearly lost their houses'. From a fire in a flue?

 

You make it sound like we're refining uranium rather than part of trade which requires nothing more than a saw and an axe.