Let's talk about the weather then ...

Merlot, we have a local shop that has deliveries on small pallets, he puts them out for people to collect. There are no stencils or paint on them. Don't know what he would do if people didn't collect them, might ask him.

We coppice our poplars and silver birches. Poplar is not a good fuel for a woodburner unless mixed with other seasoned wood but it helps to stretch the budget a bit as our woodburner is a big beast.

Trees do replace themselves!

We have ash and sycamore in our field boundaries and they are bent on world domination. I pull up hundreds of seedlings every year but the ones I miss grow at the speed of light (or seem to).

Trees can be managed by coppicing or pollarding and regenerate very quickly. I notice that in the part of France where we have a share in a holiday home, all the trees are managed like this for a supply of firewood.

So, if properly managed they can supply oxygen and fuel.

I do realise that trees wouldn't be sufficient to supply fuel to a whole country but they can contribute a renewable source to cut the use of non renewable fossil fuels.

Yes, we have a clean burn woodburner.

It's a beautiful clear night tonight here, with a nearly full moon. A bit cold, though...

Never get the Mail, Express or Sun - so good news.

Not sure what you mean by that jura because there is far more potential burning material in a broadsheet.

Talking of weather. Let us treasure our brilliant Met Office. World leading National Met Service and leading the science on Climate change

I forgot the link. www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Life-Trees-International-Communicate/dp/0008218439/ref=sr_1_1?hvlocphy=20342&hvnetw=g&keywords=the+hidden+life+of+trees&hvadid=259097718950&qid=1576098872&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4dHZ6cGu5gIVQoXVCh2l2w-lEAAYASAAEgLYqPD_BwE&hydadcr=24431_1748949&hvpos=1t1&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=gransnetforum-21&hvtargid=kwd-298616772934&adgrpid=56946435281&hvrand=7848657812925976681&sr=8-1

Have you read The Hidden Life of Trees, Jura2? It’s a fascinating study of trees and forests. It can get a little bit anthropomorphic now and then but overall it’s a window into another world.

We have lots of trees round here. They’ve been felling many of them in recent years and the stick lorries on the road are a hazard to health!

We just have an open fire. To install a stove would involve a lot of building work as the current fireplace is 1cm too low. We didn’t know until someone came to survey that our fireplace is actually a quite valuable antique. I then felt bad for having screwed two rings into it to attach a safety fire guard.

thanks merlot. fancy selling it then?

Never get the Mail, Express or Sun - so good news.

We haven’t had real snow for what seems years. I have snow boots and crampons. Never worn them.

A fire would be too hot, and the heating went off an hour ago.

I suppose perhaps it will get colder after Christmas.

We have one of these

But no longer buy newspapers preferring to read them online so it's been redundant for years.

Pallets should be returned for re-use.

Any pallet painted blue or stencilled should definitely be returned. They're the property of the manufacturer or distributor.

Also collect pallets for chopping up and burning.

Yes Jurat hey still do the machines you can get them on line, under £15 I think. Mind you I found mine in a charity shop and paid £2. Just a tip, The Mail, Express and Sun don't make decent bricks, they don't burn well and don't seem to hold. The free papers are pretty good though. Mr B makes one or two at a time in the winter because they need drying. Do that in front of the woodturner.

Do they still do the machines for pressing the paper bricks? I'd like to get one. Yes, all ash goes onto garden and composts.

Its as Jura posted, tree are thinned out to create more light and help the stronger trees grow. Thats where Mr B has been today collecting from a wood. May I ask GN who are against burning wood stand on real Christmas Trees?

Its ok about the wellies, only wear them to go and collect logs from the garden, wear my walking boots if going any further.

We also make paper bricks, anyone else do this? to burn. They are great at holding in the heat and last for ages. All the ash goes on the garden.

We have several self grown very tall and large ash trees on our boundary we intend to cut down, as they spoil the view and we are replacing with other trees elsewhere- win win.

Our local forests are self-generating- no trees planted- and selectivelly cut to create more light and allow new trees to grow.

Barmey - snow and wellies just don't work - you need warmth and a really good tread - otherwise buy some stretch on crampons to fit underneath - or it will be another kind of stretcher ;)

sodapop where I live in France hundreds of acres of woodland has been cut and one theory is that it's for pellets for the stoves. Strange really as trees are meant to help with air pollution.

When we've burnt all the coal and the trees, what then? Oh, I know, we won't be able to breathe?

Forgot,long for a bit of snow so I can wear my new wellies.

I will only give up my wood burner when mums stop driving their children short distances to school.. We have ours swept every year, only burn dry clean wood and every now and again burn a thing (don't know what its called) that cleans the flue. We probably are probably far less polluting than a diesel four wheel drive.

Also we only use our woodturner to heat the house.

We live in the back of beyond so have a car and a woodburner

It's a cleanburn and heats the whole property. I can also cook on it. Our electricity bill is only £10 per week in summer and £20 per week in winter so I don't feel guilty.

Our large woodburner is so efficient. It is alpine stone clad, so acts as a storage heater too, and as said, we only use local sourced ash and beech - so no guilt here. Walls are 3ft stone thick, great double glazed windows- and we have learnt to pu another layer and thicker socks when cold- rather than turn up the thermostat.

Yes I agree sunseeker we have just changed to a pellet burner but have had complaints about how ecologically sound that is. It's so much easier to manage though than the wood burner.

Rules about log fires? - how will that be policed! Another pointless rule to ignore IMO.