New venture help, wood prices etc

[fmeforestry]

Ok, so we keep coming back to same question on my part! Yes I understand that you all think it would be easier to have a contractor come in and job lot the wood but, and this is an important but, it cannot happen like this otherwise it would have already happened. Am I making sense? My customers and my own father need someone they can trust to run the job, we have unfortunately been messed around a bit in the past, father had some coppicing work down on a small wood in line with his 25 year policy, around 20 acres, all told he was paid for 2 loads of timber. So our 25 year wood averaged 3 tons per acre. We cut the next block of chestnut last winter and sold 125 tons of wood. This is my problem, you all come back to 'locking the gate', 'finding someone you can trust' I was hoping I might find some people to trust here! The issue with farming the project out to a contractor outside of my immediate control is just that, losing control of the situation, I'm happy to use a friend of mine to run the harvesting section, we can run the forwarding operation and I'm hoping to run the sales. We know the Silvicultural side of the job because we've had the advice and understand what needs to be done and how to do it. I know I can sell this service to my clients who I already manage farms for but I wont be able to sell the 'whole job contracting' because my clients have stories just like the old mans!

 

Like I said I'm trying to integrate as much of the project as possible to reduce the risks for my clients. We can't offer the contract out as easily as all that for many reasons including the simple fact that our countryside stewardship is tied in with the woodland grants, the potential risk of losing that would kill any project. As I said I'm hoping to manage the project to reduce any risk. I just have a rather large stumbling with the whole project and that's where to sell it!

 

I hope that you don't all think that i'm trying to take work away from the industry specialists because the works not being done anyway! If I wasn't pushing this the woods remain as they are. You never know where this job might end up, as my farm management business grows we might get into the situation where I can tender the work out, but at this early stage I need to be the face of it and have all the answers!

[TheHungrySquirrel]

How about getting somebody to set you up with making chestnut products and cutting of said product?

 

If you want to chat about similar stuff feel free to give me a call

Will 07795483802

 

Phones on normally 8-6

I'm based in Ashford

[farmer rod]

just to chuck in my 2p worth, If its still stood up in the wood you have lost nothing. Getting the job right starts with knowing what the end is.

 

My current error, I have 100t of lovely ash and alder I thought I needed for chipping this summer, turns out I dont need the chips, but as it in a field I cant sell it because its too much hassle to get it to a road. Rooky error!

 

Get one of these guys to have a walk around with you and chew the fat, youll know whose talking sense

[cornish wood burner]

Might be worth a chat with your local Euro forest office

[BARNSLEY BOB]

You never know where this job might end up, as my farm management business grows we might get into the situation where I can tender the work out, but at this early stage I need to be the face of it and have all the answers!

 

be a rare chap who does.

[renewablejohn]

Depends whether you want to make money if so ignore all the above and instead install a small CHP plant and claim the Fits and RHI.

[arboriculturist]

Depends whether you want to make money if so ignore all the above and instead install a small CHP plant and claim the Fits and RHI.

 

What use did you have in mind for the CPH plant?

[renewablejohn]

What use did you have in mind for the CPH plant?

 

I just dry woodchip and grass. dont know what sort of farm he has but could also dry grain or heat chicken houses, farmhouses etc anything really which is in the commercial RHI rules.

[fmeforestry]

I just dry woodchip and grass. dont know what sort of farm he has but could also dry grain or heat chicken houses, farmhouses etc anything really which is in the commercial RHI rules.

 

We've looked into the CHP plant, it's definitely something we are interested in. Dry all the wheat etc, just trying to get all the ducks in a row to put the project together. Needs a new grain store really, all the tractors and trailer are too big these days and it doesn't make sense to retrofit grain stores if they aren't fit for purpose.

[renewablejohn]

We've looked into the CHP plant, it's definitely something we are interested in. Dry all the wheat etc, just trying to get all the ducks in a row to put the project together. Needs a new grain store really, all the tractors and trailer are too big these days and it doesn't make sense to retrofit grain stores if they aren't fit for purpose.

 

Just answered your own question then. Works out approx £200.00 a tonne for Fits and RHI obviously more for the more efficient plants you could even make it dual fuel burning straw/wood but you will need to be more careful on CHP selection as straw can kill many chp plants that are not designed to burn it.