One of the benefits which has always been anticipated from the community purchase of Longrigg was access to wood for firewood. Local residents will know how difficult that has been in the past, despite the abundance of woodland of all kinds in the area.
We are now almost at the point of making that a reality, with harvesting at Longrigg now started. In the short-term, the main opportunity will be to purchase full or half-lorry loads of timber delivered, from the commercial harvesting operation. This will be 3m lengths of variable sizes and species and what you get if you order a load will depend on what is available at the time. Rest assured though that all conifer species have very similar energy contents per tonne, the most important factor is how dry the wood is when you burn it (we’re happy to provide more advice on how to prepare your firewood).
Longer-term there will be an opportunity to purchase directly from the community smaller quantities of firewood for collection, and potentially request particular sizes or species. Note however that this will not be possible until the main harvesting operation has been completed and all activity on site ceased. So realistically if you wish to buy your firewood within the next year or so, you should take advantage of the bulk loads available via Scottish Woodlands (our managers), see the box advert below for the ‘deal’!
(If you’re interested, a few points to note: a full load is approximately 22 tonnes; VAT is charged at 5% for domestic customers, & 20% for commercial customers; and you must have suitable access for lorries: space to turn, no overhead cables, vehicles or buildings in the way, and unloading cannot be from the public road. Scottish Woodlands can advise further when you place your order.
