Are you using Ready to Burn firewood?

Woodsure, the UK’s woodfuel accreditation scheme is launching a new initiative for wood log suppliers at Hearth & Home this month. The Ready to Burn certification mark is available to wood log suppliers who can demonstrate to Woodsure their logs have a moisture content below 20%. The scheme is focusing on pre-packed woodfuel.

Recent publicity around poor air quality and linking to the increased use of wood stoves has questioned whether casual consumers buying smaller retail bags of woodfuel realise the wood they are burning may not be suitable for immediate use. Its use in wet form would contribute significantly to particulate emissions whilst burning dry wood has significant and demonstrable benefits in greatly reduced emissions. Modern stoves are designed to burn dry wood.

Industry representatives, including large producers of pre-packed woodfuel have committed to a scheme that will clearly identify the wood that is ready to burn at the point of sale. It will also raise awareness for wood fuel consumers to only burn low moisture, ready to burn firewood.

About the scheme

The ‘Ready to Burn’ initiative is for wood log producers, having a distinct certification category for dry firewood logs where they are able to demonstrate through audit and fuel testing that woodfuel they sell as ‘Ready to Burn’ is:

• Labelled as ‘Ready to Burn’
• Is less than 20% moisture content
• There is point of sale information, labelling and support
• Where appropriate provides retailers with information on how to effectively store and keep the firewood in good condition

Making this dry fuel available to consumers in a way that they can recognise it is ready to burn and differentiate it from wet wood, will significantly increase the sale of dry wood whilst at the same time educating consumers on the benefits.

The principle of the Woodsure scheme is that raw materials, the collection of trees and forestry thinning or post timber processing is legally sourced, processed to achieve size and moisture characteristics and made available to the end consumer with clear identification.

The scheme has the backing of HETAS, the Stove Industry Alliance and producers of pre-packed woodfuel. It is proposed a governance body will be set up to oversee the scheme.

The Woodsure team will be available on the HETAS stand throughout the Hearth & Home exhibition to speak to anyone interested in the ‘Ready to Burn’ initiative and we will keep you informed on progress over the coming months.

Contact the Woodsure team on 01684 278188 or click here to complete an enquiry form.