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i was wondering about growing trees for firewood (for my own use, not to sell). Now i know it'll be a while before it is harvestable, but sounds like willow and ash grow pretty quickly.
So, if i have an acre or so of flat land, how realistic is doing stuff like this:
http://www.thewillowbank.com/grow.your.own.firewood.htm
Is it as easy as it sounds? I'd have room to plant 5x100 tree beds, which according to that link would start to give me long term fuel after 5 years?
Any other good sites for info?
Thanks
You might have to let the cut wood dry for a year or two before you can burn it safely.
1.5 tones a year is not much.
Willow biomass production is pretty straightforward and the big plus is how easily it can establish; simply push a pencil sized piece of willow or poplar in the ground and away you go. There is issues with planting some clonal varieties due to rust disease.
From memory it grows best on deep alluvial soils - wet, silty sites that sort of thing. I know that Aberystweth Uni are doing trials on varieties capable of being more site adaptable
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/research/divisions/bec/energy_crop_breeding/
Yes it all seems possible, but again site would be key
Willow is easy and fast to grow, but not the greatest domestic firewood, fine when baled and chucked into Drax.
Would go down the ash or sycamore line. Fast growing, will coppice, easy splitting, quick to season, good burning.
Quantity is up to you. Some of our customers get through about 1.8 tonnes a year, another is edging towards 25, nearly a lorry load.
Also check out some of the Belgian clone varieties of poplar which can grow very quickly, up to 4m a year. /www.poplartree.co.uk/documents/PTCnewsletterJune07.pdf
Ask teh Forestry Commission HTH 😎 etc
Funny enough, yesterday I planted 22 willow rods on our small plot. I got them from World of Willow, who were very helpful. I got 6 types, to find the best for the shady conditions of our site. plan is to see how they grow for 1-2 years then get some more, for fuel.
I hope you've got an enclosed fire if you're planning on burning willow...
mc - yeah its for a wood stove... i'm guessing willow spits a lot then?.
Timber - cheers, i'll look into Ash and sycamore as well.
thanks for all the other replies as well, there's no end to the fountain of knowledge on STW 😆
If you don't mind non native, eucalyptus are also fast growing.
In Sweden silver birch is the main firewood, grows straight so easy to deal with. Might be an idea.
From what I remember about willow as stated above is that it is ok for biomass but wouldnt work for domestic use.
If you don't mind non native, eucalyptus are also fast growing.
but very very hard to split and takes a long time to season. we had a big eucalyptus come down in the garden 4 years ago and we're just buring it now (and it's been stored inside).
Sharkbait, good info, I think I'll stick to willow. (plus we're trying to keep things native).
mc - yeah its for a wood stove... i'm guessing willow spits a lot then?.
Well, my brother got a job supplying a pizza restaurant, after the previous supplier put some willow into the logs, and one of said logs ended up in the restaurant after bouncing of two walls on it's way out the oven. So yeah, it's just a tad explosive in the right circumstances.
mc - I'd have paid good money to see that :O)
I think bamboo is fast growing...not sure how good it is for burning but you could get a pet panda.
I've burnt a lot of crack willow, and it seems to go OK in a stove without problems. I think most willow growing for coppice is straighter varieties which are better for other uses also. - Perhaps they are the "explosive" ones.
Ash is probably the best stuff for burning. Ash will also coppice OK but probably wouldn't be as prolific as willow.
As Pigface suggested, silver birch is a good choice too. Easy to start and a quick grower as a pioneer species. Will handle quite high density planting too if you are short of space.
[i]If you don't mind non native, eucalyptus are also fast growing.[/i]
We've got a massive gum in the garden which we were going to coppice but according to our local tree surgeon you're supposed to let it season for at least a year before burning it though, otherwise you mentholize your house, and the sap can apparently cause chimney fires.
you're supposed to let it season for at least a year before burning it though, ....... and the sap can apparently cause chimney fires
Sap from any poorly seasoned wood is one of the main sources of fuel for chimney fires - Not getting your chimney swept and allowing the sap to build up is the cause of chimney fires.
Yes I have spent a few cold winter evenings squirting water up / down a chimney while the watch manager explained the need to have your chimney swept to someone who's just had a wood burner installed!