Whats a load?

[Tom D]

Big J's softwood thread prompted me to write this blog, share it with your local trading standards office, you never know, something might happen...

 

Firewood? What is a load? - TD Tree & Land Services

[Goaty]

All very noble and well reasoned, I don't disagree with any of it. but I suspect when it does become regulated. It will come at a price to the seller and passed on to the consumer.

Issues involved could be.

 

Sustainably sourced. (registered forestry sites only probably)

The carbon issue.

Volume, Weight.

KW per weight or volume.

Change of tax rate. (Anything that shifts well is noticed. You only get a honeymoon period)

 

At the end of the day, we have the internet as a broad easily accessed resource to research anything from the rash on your backside to buying a car. If a customer cannot be bothered to look in to it do they deserve decent woodfuel? If you buy a car because you like the colour and never researched what you need/want and the car is useless, who is at fault.

 

I sell firewood in a relatively small way and have finally got a number of them round to buying it to season themselves, It saves me double handling they probably season it better in small stacked piles. They get good value. Everyone is a winner I think.

 

I do know of characters selling any old wood freshly split as seasoned logs. The buyer has two choices. Buy elsewhere or season it.

 

Many tree working enterprises are providing a fantastically efficient quality product on to the market.

 

Where else could cheaper softwood leylandii etc be sourced for stoves, garden braziers etc?

 

Many waste companies have made a crude missinformed mess of it.

 

Or what forestry enterprise can cost effective grow/harvest beech, oak and other high quality firewood in the local community?

 

Every year thousands of tons of aging failing trees are being put to good use, if a paper trail sets in hard much of it may instead be left to rot and waste.

 

It currently is good for the economy as Tree gangs process it in quiet times or bad weather. If they didn't treeworks would cost more to offset this.

 

I didn't set out to compete on essay length:blushing: but I've seen many good things wasted due to regulations, the different authorities seem to arrive as a strike team these days.

[Tom D]

I see your point, but as a BSL registered supplier your fears regarding sustainability and proof thereof are probably unfounded. The BSL accreditation recognises arb waste as sustainable and as such it can be sold as an accredited product, as far as taxes go I can't see them raising the vat rate above 5% anytime soon, but you never know... other taxes are the same as for any other business.

 

I don't get on my high horse very often but to be honest, the situation re firewood is poor, ask any barman how seriously the weights and measures act is treated, a pub or club can be hammered for under pouring spirits or beer, same thing at the petrol pumps, bags of coal etc. but with logs its a complete free for all..

[Joy Yeomans]

Very good I enjoyed reading it and would hope more people will pick your points up

[briquette_seller]

Does BSL recognize wind blow as sustainable?

[Alycidon]

Well written with some very valid points, personally I think that MC should be stated on the delivery document and proved on delivery. Whenever I have a new customer I always get them to remove a few logs and we test them before unloading.

 

Ironically my local MP is a customer, he buys from me in 1 cube bags.

 

A

[Tom D]

Does BSL recognize wind blow as sustainable?

 

I don't think there's any distinction made between windblown and virgin timber.

[Wood wasp]

Working the Google algorithms hard Tom!

 

I'm not a fan of more regulation but the UK public are so urbanised it may ultimately end up that way.

[Tom D]

I don't really see it as regulation, I mean giving a per cube price isn't too much to ask IMO. Imagine if one garage sold fuel in litres, another in pints, another quarts, gallons etc, it would be a nightmare deciding where to fill up. We wouldn't say it was over regulation if they were all standardised, its just common sense.

[R5log]

Does BSL recognize wind blow as sustainable?

 

 

Why wouldn't it be?