Burning Issues
- The Environment
- Smoke - What smoke?
Smoke? What smoke?
When you burn the right wood in the right way all the wood’s gasses should be burned and there will be very little smoke. Good quality dry or well seasoned wood with little or no decay should burn cleanly in any modern efficient wood burning stove. Wet or rotten wood will give off moisture, smoke and damaging tar and chemicals which harm your burning appliance and chimney. Poorly seasoned wood is also inefficient as much of the energy is used simply to burn off the excess water.
A quick, hot, dry burn as seen in the stove on the right will give more heat with less pollution.
This article is one of the best explanations we have seen of modern efficient wood burning.
- Zero Carbon
Zero Carbon Policy
Wood burning is inherently carbon neutral when compared with fossil fuel burning but with every producer there is still a significant carbon footprint from harvesting, production and delivery.
At bioHOT we are keeping our carbon footprint to a minimum with efficient harvesting and production, using container shipping for our bulk long distance transport and storing centrally to our market to shorten customer deliveries but we can still do more.
We are currently calculating our carbon footprint and working with The Carbon Neutral Company towards a zero carbon footprint.
- Sustainable Forestry
Sustainable Forestry
Burning wood is “carbon neutral” which means that unlike fossil fuels like coal, gas, oil or electricity made from fossil fuels we produce no more carbon dioxide (greenhouse gases) than the tree took in during its growth. Burning well dried wood releases no more carbon dioxide than leaving the wood to rot on the ground.
Modern forestry practices ensure European forest are managed sustainably, meaning more new wood is planted each year than is cut and that the overall natural elements and animals of the forest are protected and encouraged. In this way we can ensure that our forests can support our use of wood indefinitely.
- Smoke - What smoke?
- Firewood Production
- Why do we import?
There is not currently a commercial birch harvesting programme in Scotland. We do have significant volumes of birch wood, but it is not always well placed for efficient harvesting.
The efficient harvesting and production facilities in the Baltic States combined with container ship transport result in a lower carbon footprint and lower price in comparison with local production.
We will continue to research a local solution and as part of our zero carbon policy will invest in birch planting in Scotland but in the meantime the imported product gives the best solution.
- Large scale commercial production
Large Scale Production
The greater use of wood as fuel in Northern Europe has led to more sophisticated manufacturing and delivery methods. The necessary thinning of planted, managed forests to make space for the healthiest trees to grow produces small stems of 15 – 20 cm diameter which are not big enough for sawmill production but ideal, when split, for fuel.
Thinning is carried out by specialist machinery which strips the limbs from the stem, often removing some of the bark at the same time. This method helps the stem to release some of its water quite quickly. Stems are transported to the roadside and on to the firewood production facility.
Cutting logs to size is an automated system, precisely controlling the length of the log which then falls on to the splitter and the split pieces are transported by moving belt to a metal cage to continue the drying process.
The filled cages are transported to a covered, but airy shed to season down to about 30% moisture. Some wood is packed and sold as seasoned in this state, while for higher quality fuel some is kiln dried. In this case, the cages are stacked in the kiln and dried to a moisture content of less than 20%.
Wood fuel produced in this way is almost always packed in nets of 40 or 60 litres, clearly stating the volume and weight of the bag and the moisture content but it should be noted that there is no legal requirement in the UK to clearly state the contents.
- Small scale commercial production
Small Scale Production
Small scale commercial firewood production in Scotland can be from small managed woodlands but is often from garden, roadside and railway embankment tree clearance and trimming. In this case there will be little choice in the species of tree as it depends entirely on what is being cleared. The resulting logs are available at fairly low cost to the wood merchant who will split them, store to season and eventually bag and sell them.
The firewood merchant can afford mechanical splitting machinery to reduce labour costs and will presumably have a good, airy but covered storage area to season his logs. Delivery is normally in builders’ bags and tipper or trailer “loads” but without specific information of the volume, type of wood or moisture content.
- Traditional collection
Firewood collection
A couple of decades ago, most wood was cut by the user, mainly in country areas where wood was plentiful. If you still want to cut your own firewood it is best to be one season in advance. That gives time for drying before the firewood is ready for use. If cutting is done during the same year as it will be used, the cutting should stop before spring time. When spring comes the trees will be filled up with sap and the water content increased drastically.
If trees have leaf when they are cut it is important not to remove the leaves immediately. For a while the trees should be left alone without removing the leaf. Water will leave the trees through the remaining leaves. Investigation shows that 4 – 7 % of the water content leaves the trees during the first hour after cutting. After 6 days the water content has been reduced from 50 % to less than 40 %. Cutting to size and splitting at this point will aid further evaporation but it will still take some 6 months or more for the moisture content to fall to about 30%.
Now, with modern wood burning stoves becoming more popular in urban areas the situation has changed and most wood is bought from a wood cutter or merchant. For those who want smaller quantities the choice is often a local hardware shop or petrol filling station where the price will be a bit higher.
- Why do we import?
- Why Only Birch?
Only Birch
bioHOT woodfuel use exclusively birch wood for a number of reasons:
- It lights easily and burns hot in a modern efficient stove
- We can dry a single species to a consistent value where mixed species would be at different moisture levels and burn unevenly
- Birch does not spit or spark in your stove
- Birch burns with a good bright flame
- The silvery bark and pleasing scent make birch good even when you are not burning it.
- Terms & Conditions
Biohot Woodfuel Ltd - Terms & Conditions
Ordering and Delivery
- Unless otherwise stated, our standard delivery time for stock orders is 1-2 working days after the date of order. In the unlikely case of product being out of stock we will e-mail or telephone you to advise of earliest possible delivery date.
- Delivery is free to most of Central Scotland. If we cannot deliver to your property for whatever reason you will be notified and given a full refund. If your postcode is outwith our free delivery area we will contact you with the delivery surcharge and opportunity to continue with or cancel your order. Excess delivery charge is normally less than £30 per pallet.
- Prices shown include VAT and delivery and are in British Pounds Sterling (GBP). All payments are to be made in advance of delivery by debit or credit cards.
- Payment is made through the secure systems of Infusionsoft and Protx
- Deliveries are all day weekdays (usually between 8am and 6pm) and Saturday delivery before noon may be requested, though cannot be guaranteed and may be subject to an additional charge.
- Orders supplied are subject to your responsibilities in understanding and complying with the Clean Air Act
- Delivery of pallets will be made to a suitable point on your property. This may be the nearest point to your property on the pavement.
- All products are subject to availability.
- A charge may be made for re-delivery if you fail to notify us at time of order, of any access restrictions or issues that may prevent us delivering to your property.
- All accessories shown are not included unless otherwise stated.
- Packaging may vary to that shown.
- Biohot Woodfuel Ltd reserves the right to amend prices or withdraw products or services without prior notice.
