2 November 2022
Sustainability and the Environment
With sustainability and the environment becoming a bigger part of modern living, we thought we would share what we are doing and also what you can do to help protect the planet.
Sourcing of Timber
All of our seasoned hardwood logs are produced by us, at the farm. The trees we use all originate from managed woodlands (eg the Forestry Commission) and is certified, from forests in the South of England. To ensure sustainability, we source a range of tree species such as oak, ash, beech and birch. Managed woodlands ensure the timber is grown and harvested responsibly. This means new trees are planted for those harvested and the timber used for logs is from thinned woodlands or removed due to disease. Thinning is the process of removing select trees to create more nutrients, space, and light for the remaining surrounding trees to grow.
Woodsure – Ready to Burn
New regulations came into force in 2021, to reduce emissions produced by the burning of fuel. Following the ready-to-burn scheme, all of our hardwood logs are air-dried (seasoned) to a moisture content of less than 20%. This means an efficient production of heat in your wood-burning stove and less pollutants released into the atmosphere.
Log burning has a low carbon footprint due to new trees, which are planted in place of the harvested ones, absorbing CO2 which is given off during burning. Thinning of trees is essential to allow our woodlands to thrive. If the thinned trees are left to rot, more CO2 is released than by burning the wood. Wood burning is therefore a more sustainable energy process than non-renewables.
Reducing Plastic Waste
Originally, we only offered logs for sale by the bag. However, we now also have the option of loose logs for customers to collect, saving the amount of plastic bags used. Our deliveries are also loose, to save on packaging.
The supplier of plastic log bags has also been working hard to reduce the amount of plastic used in the production of bags. Our bags are now 20% thinner and use 40% recycled plastic from post-consumer waste. New manufacturing technologies have ensured less plastic is used without affecting the strength of the bag.
Seasoned Logs rather than Kiln dried
A modern alternative to seasoned logs is kiln-dried logs. Kiln-dried logs are force dried in a kiln over multiple days. This uses a substantial amount of wood and electricity to fire the kilns. Seasoned logs are air-dried meaning the carbon footprint is much less than that of kiln-dried logs. For more information, read our post on the differences between seasoned and kiln dried logs.
What can you do to help us with Sustainability?
1. Order Bulk Deliveries
For deliveries, ordering 2 loads at a time can help us to reduce the number of deliveries we make, reducing CO2 emissions. There is a 2 load discount rate so you also save money! If you don’t have enough room for storage, sharing 2 loads with a neighbour means you can still qualify for the 2 load rate.
2. Collect loose logs rather than bags of logs
When collecting logs from the yard, collecting loose logs rather than small bags helps save on plastic.
3. Bring back used log bags
If you are collecting bags of logs from us, the next time you visit us, bring back intact old bags. As long as they are in good condition and dry inside, we can reuse them!
4. Add Extras to your delivery
We can deliver smokeless coal and kindling, as well as firelighters and pre-assembled log stores, with your delivery of logs. This saves you a journey to the yard, reducing CO2 emissions.
To find out if we deliver firewood to your areas, please check our “Firewood Delivery Locations” page.