BBC News: DEFRA Confirms the Ban on the Sale of 'Wet Wood'

The UK Government's Ban on Wet Wood Sales - February 21^st 2020

It has been announced today that the sale of wet wood is to be banned under new legislation that comes into force from February 2021. This statement is our formal response.

Wet Wood

With the forthcoming legislation to rid the nation's petrol forecourts and DIY sheds of wet wood, Hertfordshire's traditional firewood merchant Phil Holt & Son recognises that it's vital for the homeowners across Herts, Beds and Bucks to understand the provenance of the product they're burning in stoves and open fireplaces.

'Wet wood' is what we'd call 'green wood', explains Phil Holt, it is felled, hauled, and processed wood that has not been given the opportunity to dry out (or season); wet wood is a fast-turnaround, low-grade product that's cheap to purchase, fell and process.

Typically composed of Poplar, Willow and Alder, these cheaper wet woods are wetland trees which grow near rivers. It follows that drier wood is easier to burn and, in order to burn cleanly, firewood needs time to be allowed to reach a moisture content of 25% or less. When you burn wet or green wood what you're doing is using more energy in an effort to burn-off water and sap.

The wood we source and deliver within a 30 mile radius is seasoned in the time-honoured traditional method, Phil commented, by leaving it to stand, dry-out and mature in our yard for between 2-4 years before processing the timber into logs. We believe it's the greenest and most sustainable way to produce firewood. Our timber stockpiles provide shelter and nesting for birds and a wide variety of animals and insects; walking through our yard late at night you'll often see owls perched high on the timber.