What buyers of firewood want

We were so pleased to read about the results of Certainly Wood's customer feedback exercise.  Finding data for the wood fuel sector is notoriously hard - and if you do find some the base from which the statistics are derived can be woefully small.

At around 2,300 Certainly Wood's survey seems fairly robust.  We've not seen the actual survey or looked at the analysis - but taken at face value the results should be of interest to anyone involved in woodfuel.

Right at the top of the list is moisture content - and more specifically moisture content below 20%.  As we know Certainly Wood specialise in kiln-dried wood so this sort of confirms their USP.  However, it does reinforce that fact that most consumers are pretty well informed when it comes to seasoning and moisture and they clearly look for these attributes when buying logs.

Next up are sustainability, supply chain and production.  Encouraging to see that such high emphasis is placed on where the fuel comes from.  We are not familiar with Certainly Wood's supply chain but clearly their customers like buying British and are at least aware of the need for sustainable sourcing.

Given the paucity of information from the woodfuel sector this survey makes interesting reading.  We are also fairly impressed with the marketing approach.  

We know that not all firewood businesses are this large, but good marketing can clearly help drive business.  Berties Woodfuel, based in Hadlow in Kent, is another example of where simple marketing and branding can really help differentiate a business.

Biomass CHP takes off in Kent (...and other news)

Many apologies for the lack of blogging of late.  We have been busy with various projects following the MULTIFOR conference in April (more on this soon) and are busy preparing for a new phase of activity.  We hope to get back up-to-speed over the next few weeks.  In the meantime here is a quick round up of recent events.


Firstly, more good news from Berties Woodfuel at Hadlow.  Not content with winning 'Start up Business of the Year in the 2012' from Kent Excellence in Business Award Berties is now in the final stages of the Business Accelerators scheme.  Our congratulations go to Peter and his team.  More details can be found here.


Estover Energy, has confirmed its plans to build a 10 MW biomass CHP (combined heat and power) on the former Pfizer site at Sandwich.  The project at Discovery Park will provide around 10 MW of electricity and 20 MW of heat and will supply all of the heat and electricity needed on-site.  It will also export power to the grid.  Estover has already gained approval for two plants in Scotland and one in North East England.  

Estover's supply manager, Ben Heathcoat Amory, has provided us with a briefing on the Sandwich project and its likely implications for  wood chip supply chains in Kent and Sussex.  

Discovery Park - Sandwich

Public exhibitions are taking place this week (w/c June 17th) and the planning application with be submitted soon afterwards.  More details can be found here.






Biomass plants are a bit like buses - they all arrive at the same time!  In the same week that Estover announced their plans, STEAG New Energies announced that they have been given planning permission for a waste wood biomass CHP plant at Ridham Dock in Sittingbourne.  The plant will  produce 25MW of power and up to 10MW of heat.

The implications for biomass supply chains as a result of these new developments is potentially significant. The Estover plant will require around 100,000 tonnes of low-grade wood chip a year and the STEAG plant will burn approximately 160,000 tonnes of waste wood a year.  

STEAG biomass CHP plant

Given that only 46% of Kent's woods are actively 'worked' the Estover plant should create sufficient new demand to stimulate management in many under-utilised woods.  

The Pathfinder project will maintain contact with Estover with the aim of developing a programme of support for the supply-chain focusing on topics including sustainability, harvesting best practice, deer management and bio-security.

Finally, we would like to remind readers about Ash dieback (Chalara Fraxinea).  On various site visits recently we have noticed that many of the Ash woods are infected with Chalara, particularly those we have visited in the East Kent Downs. 

 In addition to weak foliage in the canopy there is clear evidence of the disease in coppice re-growth, natural regeneration and recently planted sites (<10 years).  

The latest information and guidance from the Forestry Commission can be found here.