Woodburners - can I use wood I collect?

[wunterrtee]

I intend to buy a big builders bag of logs but wondering if I can also use wood I collect. Remnants of dead trees; small sticks on the ground during summer etc.

Can you educate me on use of 'found' wood please - dos and donts

It's usually not lawful to collect wood unless it's on your own land.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/01/collecting-and-removing-firewood-is-it-legal/

No it needs to be properly dried / cured for a year otherwise the oils in the wood gather in the flu and cause fires

Do you have somewhere you can dry the wood for a year so it is ready to use (presuming it is gathered lawfully, it treated or painted etc)?

Yes, I used to do this and rarely needed logs delivered, but the wood needs to be undercover for a year to 'season'.

Ensure the landowner has given permission.

Yes you need to season it for a year before you use it.

You can get devices that test the moisture content of logs, so you know when it at a suitable level to burn.

We used to do this but we stopped because this fallen wood is part of the ecosystem and provides habitats for insects etc.

Agree with previous posters that you must get the landowner's permission to remove any wood, and also dry it properly before burning.

Just as important - maybe even more - dead logs and twigs/leaves etc are essential shelter for many insects and invertebrates, plus small mammals and beneficial fungi. Decaying timber and other plant material are essential components in the life-cycle of woods and forests.

So many insects - including beautiful butterflies and bees and other insects that are essential to pollinate food crops - are severely threatened at the moment, because of lack of habitat: people pave over and/or 'tidy' their gardens - as well as because of agricultural and garden chemicals.

sorry@Reallybadidea - cross posted.

But it's a very important point to make!

You said it much more eloquently than me!

Thank you!

Just to back up what @nameXname said, my partner is an ecologist. So I hear about things like this every day 😂

40% of the forest ecosystem is dependent on dead wood. Over 5,000 British species (about 13% of the total) have life cycles that are dependent on the dead wood environment. Fungi, mosses, liverworts and lichens are also dependant on this resource.

Over 750 beetles are dependant on dead wood as well as bats and other invertebrates and insects.

The major Issue in the UK is that we are one the most nature depleted nations in europe, dead wood is significantly important because the public have a tendency to complain at fallen trees and wood that is not cleared up due to H&S and concerns of its appearance.

Dead wood should always be left in situ and all it to break down naturally adding to biodiversity and much needed niiches for wildlife and not used as a source of cheap fuel adding to CO2e emissions.

Not from Windsor Great Park.
My Dalmatian was carrying a stick home and the park ranger told me it had to be left behind.

I burnt my own felled trees, but you need to be able to season them and then split them, which takes up a lot of space. Plus stacking a few tonnes of logs is knackering. They weren't as good as buying in seasoned oak though. Kindling is probably easier to collect if you have access and permission.

Also bear in mind that some wood doesn't burn well, and some of burnt can emit poisonous fumes https://www.charnwood.com/news/what-wood-can-you-not-burn-in-a-log-burner/
I wouldn't know the difference by sight so I only buy wood in.

We burn our own wood.
It's from trees we have cut down (don't hate me- they were either dead, dying, dangerous or in the wrong place and we have planted many more) or pruned.

They were cut into manageable sections and stacked for years- at least 3. Then cut and split into the correct size for our wood burner.

It takes at least 3 years and sometimes longer for fresh cut wood to season (dry out) properly for burning. A cheaper way to buy wood it to buy it "fresh", cut it and stack it and store it, working on a 3 or 4 year rotation. You do however need enough space to store your wood pile, and neighbours who don't mind you using a chainsaw and axe on a regular basis.