Wet Wood And Coal To be Phased Out in England!
In February, the Government released plans for wet wood and coal sales to be phased out in England to reduce levels of harmful PM2.5 particles that are released that contribute to air pollution.
Wood burning stoves and open fires are not being banned, but the burning of coal, and wood that is above a moisture content of 20% is being stopped in a bid to reduce harmful air pollution. This will ensure that cleaner alternatives are used instead, such as kiln dried logs.
As of February 2021, you will no longer be able to purchase bagged coal, and loose loads of coal sold directly to customers will be phased out by February 2023. Sales of wet wood below 2m3 will be stopped by February 2021, and anything sold over 2m3 will have to be sold with advice on how to dry the wood to the correct moisture content before it can be burnt, which is below 20%.
You will no longer be able to purchase wet bagged logs, that usually can be found at petrol stations, and garden centres and only bags of logs that are dried to the correct moisture content will be available.
So, what should you look for when purchasing logs?
Always look for log suppliers that are accredited as Woodsure Ready to Burn, such as Walker’s Logs! This is a certification scheme that highlights suppliers that are registered as suppliers of wood with a moisture content of 20% or below.
This will give you the assurance that the wood you’re purchasing is ready to burn as soon as you purchase it. Look for the below logo for reassurance that the wood you’re purchasing is ready to burn. You can read more about the Woodsure Ready To Burn scheme on their website.
FACT:
1m3 Wet Logs = 600 kw/h of heat
1m3 Kiln Dried Logs = 1,400 kw/h of heat
Why should we be choosing kiln dried logs over wet logs?
When using wet wood, the majority of energy stored in the log is actually used to evaporate the excess water present. This results in less heat output, and a lot of smoke, which is then released and leads to increased levels of air pollution.
Burning wet wood often causes soot build up in chimneys which can raise the risk of chimney fires. If purchasing wet wood to season yourself before burning, you will now have to ensure that you allow time for this to fully dry to below 20% before you can burn, which can take a long time.
Purchasing kiln dried logs stops the need for any home drying process. All our kiln dried logs are dried to a moisture content below 20%, which means they are ready to be burnt as soon as a delivery is received. As they have very little water content, they will light more easily and burn hotter and longer than wet logs.
What impact will this have on Walkers Logs?
This is not going to have a negative impact on Walker’s Logs. We only supply our customers with kiln dried logs, so we do not have to worry about the ban of wet log sales changing our process.
We kiln dry all of our logs at our farm in the Cotswolds, so we monitor everything and guarantee that customers will not receive a delivery of logs with a moisture content above 20%. For now, we are just happy to see that a movement for a cleaner alternative of wood burning is being put into place!
Covid-19 Update For Walkers Logs
We are working hard to ensure that we can operate as usual, along with being as safe as we possibly can. We are still delivering and accepting new orders, at the moment our delivery turnaround is 3-5 working days as usual. If you’re local to us and you order our loose loads of logs, we are continuing to put a halt on our stacking service for the time being. We will only be able to tip our loose loads of logs upon delivery, in efforts to minimise contact and allow us to be more flexible with our delivery availability.
We are still allowing collections of our kiln dried log bags, kindling and firelighters to take place. However, as we do have social distancing rules in place, we are carrying out a contact-free collection service. To place an order for collection, please call 01285 720940 to arrange this.
Winter 2020 Preparation
We are working flat out at the moment processing timber, kiln drying it and stock piling ready for the winter months to commence.
We are here year round to provide our customers with lovely kiln dried logs. Our stocks have run lower than this time last year, so we advise our customers to stock up to avoid disappointment in the winter.
Follow us on Social Media!
Did you know we’re on Social media? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for updates on what we’re doing here at Walkers Logs. Click the social icons below to find out more!