Energy bill increases

[Electric_Andy]

I'll be upping my ongoing search for fallen trees

This is what my partner will be doing come winter. Any idea what the legalities are? There are fallen trees on council property round here, have been there for months. Are we allowed to just take a chainsaw to it?!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

This is what my partner will be doing come winter. Any idea what the legalities are? There are fallen trees on council property round here, have been there for months. Are we allowed to just take a chainsaw to it?!

I don't think you are supposed to take it away
They are left where they fall if it is safe because it encourages insect life that lives of rotting wood
which then encourages birds and animals

However, who is going to notice someone subtly chopping up a old tree and wandering off with a bag full of logs
and even if they do would they know it can be reported - and how wood () they know who you are

 

[numbnuts]

This is what my partner will be doing come winter. Any idea what the legalities are? There are fallen trees on council property round here, have been there for months. Are we allowed to just take a chainsaw to it?!

No, even if you had “commoners rights” you still can't use a chain saw, but you may be allowed to take the fallen timber if carried out without the use of any machinery.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

ANother point about burning wood is that using 'green' wood produces a lot of local pollution

You should really leave it to season - i.e. dry out properly
Exactly ho to do this can be found on the WWW - but it looks like it needs to be stored properly - outdoors - for at least 6 months

which suggests planning and fore thought are needed

 

[mjr]

This is what my partner will be doing come winter. Any idea what the legalities are? There are fallen trees on council property round here, have been there for months.

It ain't yours. It might be there for a reason. Mitts off unless you ask.

As for the morality, if you do get someone lets you take some wood, dry it out properly else you'll be polluting the air for you and your neighbours, so if you haven't already got this winter's wood, get it from someone who's dried it.

I'm not as against wood-burning as some, but I detest the stinky brown and black smoke some people spew from their burners running badly on dirty fuel.

 

[mjr]

You should really leave it to season - i.e. dry out properly
Exactly ho to do this can be found on the WWW - but it looks like it needs to be stored properly - outdoors - for at least 6 months

Crossed in the post. I think 6 months needs a drier climate than anywhere in the UK. https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/...1903131256_Seasoning_Wood_Web_Feb_2019_V5.pdf says drying is "likely to take two summers or more".

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I season my wood for at least 18 months before it’s ready to burn. Can’t see it taking much less anywhere else in the UK.

No, even if you had “commoners rights” you still can't use a chain saw, but you may be allowed to take the fallen timber if carried out without the use of any machinery.

Where does this prohibition on using a chainsaw come from? I appreciate we have different laws in our respective countries but it would be good to know.

Up here you can (or at least could) get a brashing licence to take fallen timber from specified forestry commission areas. I get enough from my own trees or neighbours wanting rid of theirs to keep my supply going.

 

[MrGrumpy]

I season my wood for at least 18 months before it’s ready to burn. Can’t see it taking much less anywhere else in the UK.



Where does this prohibition on using a chainsaw come from? I appreciate we have different laws in our respective countries but it would be good to know.

Up here you can (or at least could) get a brashing licence to take fallen timber from specified forestry commission areas. I get enough from my own trees or neighbours wanting rid of theirs to keep my supply going.

Couple of years ago my neighbour and I got in about a huge fallen sycamore tree blocking a path. Was dead standing for a while so dry as a bone . Anyway we filled my trailer 4 times and my boot twice . Shared out when we got back home , was still burning it this year .

Always on the scavenge for wood , need to stock up over summer be it I buy some or collect some . Winter is going to be interesting

 

[Mike_P]

Mines now gone up even more, from £53 to £133 a month; still puzzled why Shell Energy cut it from £60 a few months back when they are now saying I am £110 in debit.

 

[PaulSB]

Re harvesting wood when trees fall on public land we contact the council and ask permission to take them. It's very rare we need to do this as there is enough private woodland to keep us going.

My winter 2022/3 wood is already logged and stacked, about half remains to be split and stacked. The trees I'm looking for will be for 23/24. I've probably got enough for 23/24 already under normal circumstances but not if we use the stove for heating rather than as a supplement to the CH.

As we have a multi-fuel stove I've started investigating smokeless fuels as I find these generate a lot of heat for very little input. Normally we just use this for the odd occasion we want to bank up the stove. I've seen this advertised at £275-300 for 500kg and I'm thinking of getting a load delivered. If our energy bill hits £2800 as predicted I'll be looking at £54/week which makes £300 look cheap.

Our stove easily heats the backroom and kitchen with enough drifting upstairs. Banked up it will still be "in when we get up. Move the telly into the backroom. Job done.

 

[oldwheels]

I season my wood for at least 18 months before it’s ready to burn. Can’t see it taking much less anywhere else in the UK.



Where does this prohibition on using a chainsaw come from? I appreciate we have different laws in our respective countries but it would be good to know.

Up here you can (or at least could) get a brashing licence to take fallen timber from specified forestry commission areas. I get enough from my own trees or neighbours wanting rid of theirs to keep my supply going.

Not done it recently but we could take waste wood from felled bits of forest and I did see somebody recently with a trailer doing just that by the roadside.
In the mid 1970,s we had no coal merchant and every weekend for months the sound of chainsaws filled the air anywhere there was dryish timber as the whole population got firewood.

 

[MontyVeda]

Agree. Canna mind of the last time I used an iron. Think it was during my basic training back in '74. We don't even possess an ironing board - !

Last time i used the iron was when i put new curtains up; so about three years ago.
I find that providing I get the laundry out of the machine within a few minutes of it ending, nothing needs ironing. Not even my work trousers

 

[Alex321]

This is what my partner will be doing come winter. Any idea what the legalities are? There are fallen trees on council property round here, have been there for months. Are we allowed to just take a chainsaw to it?!

Not usually. Some councils will allow you to take away fallen wood if you can carry it, but not allow you to take a chainsaw to it.

But technically, taking it without the owners permission is theft (and by default any fallen wood belongs to the landowner).

You could always contact the council and ask, but they will probably want to charge you a fee for it.

I'm always on the lookout for cheap or free wood for my lathe.

 

[Alex321]

I season my wood for at least 18 months before it’s ready to burn. Can’t see it taking much less anywhere else in the UK.

Depends on how thick the logs are, and to an extent on the wood - Ash dries quite quickly for instance.

But that is a pretty good rule of thumb for typical firewood sized logs. Drying larger wood properly for things like woodturning, the general rule is around a year per inch of thickness.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Re harvesting wood when trees fall on public land we contact the council and ask permission to take them. It's very rare we need to do this as there is enough private woodland to keep us going.

My winter 2022/3 wood is already logged and stacked, about half remains to be split and stacked. The trees I'm looking for will be for 23/24. I've probably got enough for 23/24 already under normal circumstances but not if we use the stove for heating rather than as a supplement to the CH.

As we have a multi-fuel stove I've started investigating smokeless fuels as I find these generate a lot of heat for very little input. Normally we just use this for the odd occasion we want to bank up the stove. I've seen this advertised at £275-300 for 500kg and I'm thinking of getting a load delivered. If our energy bill hits £2800 as predicted I'll be looking at £54/week which makes £300 look cheap.

Our stove easily heats the backroom and kitchen with enough drifting upstairs. Banked up it will still be "in when we get up. Move the telly into the backroom. Job done.

Our smokeless fuel is £24 for 50kg from the local coal/not-coal man.