arboriculturist

Ha Ha - you have just eloquently set out what the larger scale producers know. Yes totally agree, objectively way too high for home heating, but fortunately firewood is an add on for a lot of customers. The overheads have risen sharply for us over last 3 years and if you actually had to physically touch the logs during the processing process then firewood production is a non starter. No turning back here though as far too much already invested.

Not wishing to sound negative but to cut a long story short - NO NO NO NO NO You will need far more than a yard and outsheds to meet the 'Ready to Burn' criteria that will affect all producers from May.

Firewood has been at too low a price for sometime. With the rise in oil and gas prices now is the time to follow suit. £130 for Hardwood now and it's made little difference to sales - remember it can take up to 5 times as long to grow / tonne as softwood. I suggest everyone follows suit as it's too easy to fall into the trap of being a busy fool without realising it.

Depends on the skill of the operator and size of aperture on gun nozzle - never ever had and issue - but like you milling timber - I know exactly what I am doing 👌

That sounds effective. I have 3 of the Stihl felt bands that fit around HS2 and change them, rotating the 3, so can do 3 big cuts before I stop and airline the HS2 and the 3 bands ready for the next 3 cuts. Not sure this is as good as anything anyone else does but the HS2 stays pretty clean.

Sorry to cover old ground - but is the best filter the Stihl HS2 with the felt pre-filter for milling with a MS 660 on the Panther Mill? Is everyone like me and blows the filter off after every decent cut with airline? Maybe some remove it and blow from inside filter outwards? Thanks

Having been through using the standard chippers, I took a step in a different direction and recently bought the New Jo Beau M500. Even the team said - why does the average firm want anything else. Timber @ £70/tonne most of us want to hang onto it and not fire it through a chipper.

Eradicate nettles only one thing for that - Grazon Pro with an adjuvant. Not the right time of year now April best or September not so good. Don’t think you are being clever adding more active ingredient than recommended, as you will just traumatise the plants, resulting in less effectiveness.

I've past that stage now and accepted its here to stay and jumped through all the long line of hoops, despite there being far easier ways to make a living.

However galling, Ready to burn is hear to stay. Having communicated with several other retailers and Woodsure they have most of the loopholes covered for those who had planned to rely on finding them. For instance, if you are stopped travelling with less than 2m3 loose on the back of your vehicle, they will investigate and test the timber and if not Ready to burn, £ 300 fixed penalty if 1st offence. 2m3 deliveries of non - Ready to burn has to be on the same vehicle delivered at 1 drop, no exceptions. Plus checks can made of where delivery is going. Its a shame as if they had kept with the original Hetas 25% MC for Firewood, a lot of small retailers would still be able to continue providing the great service and quality product they have done for years.

There are several on the Forum with a lifetimes experience of producing and retailing firewood, combined with the latest Regulations - they will all offer their advice for free - no no no no no. If plantation woodland, sell ideally to a recommended independent harvesting contractor who will handle the Felling Licence and if it not plantation woodland it is very unlikely it is worth touching. Sorry to sound a little blunt, but that is the long and the short of it.

Might want to press on and complete those works before a visit or they may decide works come under engineering works if over 600mm depth - planning.

STOVES ONLINE SELL THE STIHL METER Our meter measures on a "dry basis", whereas test laboratories test on a "wet basis". What does that mean for you? Well the 20% moisture that the government is due to legislate for as the maximum will show on this (and many other firewood moisture meters) as 25%. So look out for 25% moisture on this meter, not 20%. As I have previous mentioned, most companies selling these meters have never even heard of Wet Basis and many of them are completely delusional as what they are actually selling. Some actually really believe that their meters will measure on a wet basis when clearly they do not as you have just illustrated. I highly recommend anyone who is still in doubt to make the effort to speak to a manufacturer of Laboratory testing equipment and they will explain why knowone makes hand held pin meters that measure on a wet basis. That is what I did.

Veering off topic but interesting to many : Perhaps the man I spoke to at Valiant is misinformed, but I think this is highly unlikely as I I have been told by one of the largest supplied of testing instrumentation in the UK, that hand held moisture meters are only available that measure on a dry basis because there is no demand for anything else. If you have other information please let me know as I have spent a lot of time discussing this topic with manufacturers, also been looking for 18 months and the only instruments I could find were laboratory bench testing machines. Protimeter, possible the largest manufacturer of pin meters do not even make anything. In summary, if you buy a pin type moisture meter, it will measure on a Dry Basis.

100% dry basis