Anyone foraging firewood ?

[Richard]

I am !!

I should say I have permission from my landlord to help myself to any in the woods opposite.



I collect in three sizes; kindling, very dead bigger bits and larger thick bits.

I don't rely solely on wood, I have Solid Fuel eggs as well.
Light the Rayburn about 5pm and that see's me through until morning.

Richard

PS. Still wish I had central heating though

[Spreckly]

Thirteen years ago when we first moved in to our home, there was wood to be picked up in the lanes, but nowadays none. If there are branches down, by the time we get the trailer out, it will have gone!

We are fortunate to have neighbours who offload their felled trees, unwanted wood etc on to us. This month our neighbours had a huge dead tree taken down, and gave us two wheelbarrows full of wood. Another neighbour had a garage refurb, and we got all the old wood from this. We have two storage areas, one a log store for bought logs, the other is the old hen run, where all the dumped wood is waiting to be cut up.

We do use coal to give a decent fire in an evening.

Central heating is a luxury for us, we are very careful with it, but it is pleasant to walk into a warm bathroom in a morning. If we leave it too late, it is cold.

[albertajune]

I don't forage any more as I have quiet a bit given to me which is used for kindling. My son who works for himself doing ground work and cutting back trees, saves me all the good wood that he stores until ready to be used. Like you Richard, I also use a mix of wood and smokeless staybright which looks likes eggs. This keeps the stove ticking over until the morning.
I don't like central heating at all as it makes me go so red. I spent a couple of hours in my sisters house the other day and couldn't wait to get in the fresh air.

[KathJ]

We're lucky that we still have a lot of wood from the crowded trees we cut down when we moved into our house last year but there is a lot around the lanes that we can use when that starts to run down. A lot of trees have been cut down recently along the canal where we walk our dog but all the logs have been left on the other side, I guess for the people in the boats to collect
I do like the central heating on in the morning when I'm rushing about getting ready for work but I must admit now we're on oil and can see the guage falling it makes you think twice about putting it on

[wildlifemad]

Hubby is foraging for pallets at work, does that count??!!!! We used to get a lot from there as they are none standard size but now they re-use them for dispatch, etc, how selfish is that?!! So I got 5 cut on Monday & he bought 4 more yesterday but we supplement with bought logs & also neighbours off load their waste wood on us!

[Spreckly]

Don't the pallets spit and spark? I don't think we've ever burned them. We have however used them for fencing, small gates, that sort of thing.

[wildlifemad]

Hi Spreckly, the pallets don't spit but Hubby does get ones that are thicker wood than some that are around. I kept suggesting he bring them home as its free wood & in the end he listened(!!!!!!) It is surprising how long the blocks burn for as well. I cut the pallets up with a circular saw & stack them in the log store. We also make things out of them as you do. Every little freebie helps!!

[Dorrens daughter]

Not here in the UK because I live in a high rise however in Bulgaria we would if we could get to it before the neighbours, but someone who has lived there for many years has warned us not to use painted wood i.e. old furniture, floorboards as the residue can lead to blocked flues.