Environment.

THE WOOD

Wood provides a renewable source of energy provided it is well managed and tree planting continues. We only get our timber from well managed woodlands which are being thinned, allowing natural regeneration to occur this will ensure a sustainable continuation of woodland cover and supply of fuel. A tree can be ready for burning in as little as seven years (coppice). The carbon cycle of firewood is relatively short, carbon is captured and stored in trees whilst they grow and then this is released when the firewood is burnt. The beauty of this carbon cycle is that we can create more carbon stores by planting more trees. Unlike oil or gas we can create a large quantity of fuel within 10 years with real positive effects on the environment.

BI-PRODUCTS

As a company we are trying to reduce our waste to an absolute minimum. We have greatly reduced using dumpy bags for several reasons, firstly they degrade in sunlight and therefore have limited use and secondly cannot be efficiently recycled therefore creating a huge amount of waste. Our loose load deliveries have no packaging in their production or delivery. Our sawdust is used for poultry and cattle bedding where it is then reused as a soil conditioner on the fields of Oaklands Organics farm. We refill our crates and reuse the panels we cut out (to allow air flow for seasoning) to make our kindling.

FUELS AND OILS

Our chain saw oils (the oil that lubricates the cutting bar) used in the contracting and processing work have always been bio-degradeable. It seems bizarre not to use a bio-degardeable oil that spends a fraction of a second lubricating and then being thrown off the bar onto the soil. We are more than happy to recommend Plant-oil chain oil and Husqvarna vegetable chain oil.

Where possible we do and try and use Biodiesel (UK produced from re-used oil made by Sundance Renewables). This isn't an easy option as we have a diverse range of machinery engines to run which aren't all compatible with bio diesel but this is work in progress.

OUR STAFF

We are a conscientious company and are aiming for high standards for our environment, our employees and our customers. Alongside our HETAS accreditation were are working towards the Investors in People accreditation.