becky

Imported firewood

by
I received an e mail today from a producer of kiln dried firewood who sells in bulk to the trade….he is based in Belarus.
To be exact 1643 miles away from our yard in Stockbridge. Delivered by artic (average fuel consumption for an artic lorry is 9mpg, that would be 177 gallons of fuel burnt to get the firewood to our yard). Much of the kiln dried firewood sold by large suppliers in the U.K is sourced in such a way. If logs are being sold stacked neatly in a crate, they are sourced from outside the U.K (its more cost effective to ship stacked logs then loosely loaded logs)
Often Kiln dried firewood is advertised as being better for the environment due to the low moisture content, an argument often used by national suppliers to justify the extra cost of their product, this is untrue on many levels and the carbon footprint of such a product is never mentioned :- diesel burnt getting the wood into the U.K, the fuel used to dry the logs and then the nationwide delivery within the U.K all negate the benefit of burning such logs. Here at Test Valley Logs all our timber is cut, dried, and delivered within a 20-mile radius of our Yard. And there are many other local suppliers doing what we do, so please burn locally sourced, dry wood on your fire. Local jobs, healthy woodland and sustainability should be at the heart of every firewood producer’s ethos.

Hampshire coppice and firewood

by
Hampshire is synonymous with hazel coppice. In days gone by thousands of acres of hazel coppice was planted and managed in Hampshire. This extremely versatile tree had many uses from thatching spars to woven hurdles. Unfortunately, nowadays many of these products are no longer in as high demand as they once were and the coppices have become dark, overgrown places.
Here at Test Valley logs were dedicated to producing firewood as responsible and sustainable as possibly. By regenerating these old coppices it not only provides a superb source of truly renewable firewood but also brings light and life back into our local woodland….not many firewood producers can say that !!!

Fire pits and pizza ovens

by

With the long warm nights (hopefully) approaching its a great chance to light up those fire pits and pizza ovens. If your looking for ready to burn logs to use on your fire pit or pizza oven this summer look no further. Test valley logs provide high quality seasoned firewood, locally sourced and ready to burn. If your in Winchester, Andover or Romsey and need some logs for your fire pit or pizza oven call us today.

Seasoning wood

by

The key to seasoning firewood quickly and efficiently is to split the wood as soon as possible after the timber has been felled. Many people talk about logs needing to be seasoned for 2 years before there ready to burn, this is slightly misleading, wood that is not split and left in the”cord” to dry may take 2 years or more to dry, the problem being it is still protected by the bark , bark by nature is waterproof so inhibits the proper drying of the wood. The other problem with drying wood in this way is that As The moisture is released so slowly often the wood rots before it dries. By splitting the wood you allow the moisture to escape quickly, you can dry logs to well under 20 % moisture in a couple of months in the summer using this technique.

Woodland work

by

Here at test valley logs spring is a busy time of year, all though the log orders have started to slow down were now concentrating our efforts on cutting wood for next winter.  Were currently working on restoring a derelict hazel coppice. Hazel coppice is abundant in Hampshire, but unfortunately much of it has become overgrown, where once it was cut in a seven year cycles to provide many useful products, from thatching spars to hurdles many of these English made products have been replaced but cheaper imported products and with it the coppice has become derelict. Buy cutting this old coppice we restore the woodland, let light back onto the woodland floor and it also provides an excellent source of renewable firewood. Test valley logs provide seasoned hardwood logs to Winchester, Andover, Romsey and all the surrounding towns and villages.

Firewoord delivery service

by

Test valley logs are still delivering firewood for the time being and are reviewing it on a daily basis to keep all parties as safe as possible. Were only accepting bacs payments for the time being. Upon ordering your logs please specify where you would like your logs to be stacked, we will not knock on your door and we respectfully ask for you to stay indoors while we’re on your property so we can deliver and stack your logs as safely as possible for all concerned. Thanks for your continued custom, Rich and Tom.

Winchester logs

by

Delivering seasoned logs to Winchester today. We sell mixed species of dry, seasoned hardwood logs to Winchester and the surrounding areas. Due to the fact we buy our timber locally we only sell what is currently be harvested in the local area, this means the parcels of wood we buy are often of mixed species, including Ash, Birch, Hazel and beech. Each species has its own unique burning quality and it’s good to experiment with different species to learn how each burns. If you would like some ready to burn, seasoned hardwood logs in Winchester please call us today.