Where do you get your fire wood from?

[DancesWithMidges]

A pretty basic question but not sure what the best environmentally friendly option is...

Burn dead or fallen wood?
Cut down your own trees?
Selectively "prune" trees?
Buy firewood from a retailer?

Some dont really fit with the "leave only footprints" ethos!

 

[Ogri the trog]

A bit of each here,
Some is dead fallen, but I leave some for the wildlife.
I have cut some form a crowded conifer patch that allowed a bit more light through to the woodland floor.
Some selective pruning to keep "Pokey" branches at bay.
The one that I will not do is buy wood - there are so many farmers trimming trees and hedgerows here that there is enough for a good while yet.

I do all the trimming and felling on my own land which might put a lucky slant on things, but some time driving around the country lanes when owners are laying fences or trimming hedges should prove beneficial wherever your based.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[smoggy]

Mine usually comes from trees.......!

Ok, that's that one out of the way.....

It depends if you are talking for home or out in the country and even then you should not be cutting anywood which does not belong to you or you have permission to cut.

I have a rather large tree in my front garden which needs pruning and every thing I cut off is used for fire wood, even the twiggs are dried out for eco kettle fuel..... depending on your fire requirements you could source scrapwood from a builders, ergo a form of recycling!

Smoggy.

 

[badgeringtim]

I have found that many tree surgeons are a good source of wood - depending on how much and how picky you are. More are now chipping stuff onsite to prevent needing to transport it but if you find a smaller one working locally they may well either let you know where they are working and you can help yourself. Or if really lucky even get them to drop it off (for a little something).
Since this wood has been removed for some reason anyhow and is 'waste' this is probably one of the best options. the brash is usually chpped down and left onsite for wildlife where this is apropriat. the other thing i would say is take what you can when you can get it. Admittidly this is not likely to work if you want to heat a whole house..

 

[Ogri the trog]

Ah yes, forgot to mention the recycling aspect....
Skip diving might be frowned upon by some, but they often have old bits of dried building timber - just be careful of the paints and treatments they have been subjected to, they can burn off with quite noxious effects. Much better than going to landfill.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[John Fenna]

Most of mine comes from windfall and thinnings along the local lanes/ trimming the trees I planted in my garden/woodland thinnings/donations of scrap wood from friends and others in the village.
It is a long time since I bought any firewood.
When out being a bushy type I harvest my firewood from drystanding or other fallen timber but try not to clear an area. On sites I use a lot I take a load from home to save denuding the region of wildlife habitat.
On day canoe trips I take off cuts from woodwork projects along for the Hobo stove.

 

[DancesWithMidges]

I guess theres no "right" answer that doesnt have some kind of environmental impact. I definitely like the scavenging approach - whether via local farmers, tree surgeons or skips - and Ill make more of an effort to clear some storage space at home and plan in advance for our trips.

Has anyone tried using a log maker? We've got a little one that lets you make "logs" from anything dry - junk mail, dried veg peelings, tea bags, newspapers - Ive never accumulated a big enough store to take away with us but might try this approach too. You get bigger log makers which only recycle newspaper but we dont buy newspapers in our house.

(This thread is also on the SOTP forum (Camping & outdoor living) with some other interesting feedback)

 

[BOD]

Make it a poll man then we can see statistics.

Just hot air without facts

 

[mayobushcraft]

When I worked for a roof truss company I would get a small trailer load to use for camping and then use hardwood from the forest floor to cook with.

 

[Chopper]

All of our logs come from local tree surgeons who actually drop it off for me. It saves them having transport it and store it. I am lucky as I can take any size from them as I log and split it myself. My kindling comes from a local timber merchants offcut bin, again I split this.

All in all its great as I heat a large three bedroom semi with a wood burning stove, for free and have done for the past thirteen years. Admitedly, it is hard but, very enjoyable work which gives a great feeling of satisfaction, especially when the Venison stew is slow cooking in the Potji pot, and the bread dough is stiing around it slowly rising, not to mention the toasted crumpets and tea cakes. It keeps the kids occupied for hours.

Be very careful if you decide to collect wood from the woodland floor. A lot of Local Authorities require you to have a licence to collect it. Our Local Authority are red hot on this.

 

[EdS]

from wind blown and fallen dead tree in the estate woods