We can issue scavenging licences/permits where individuals can go in on foot and pick up what they can carry - they must not use power tools without specific permission and confirmation that they have the necessary qualifications and insurance.
We can sell it ourselves - this is likely to be firewood left over from other operations and is likely to need a vehicle to be removed. Again, if someone wanted to use power tools to cut it up they would need a contract and confirmation that they have the necessary qualifications and insurance.
Firewood merchants can enter contracts to buy larger quantities of wood, either standing or at the forest roadside.
Decisions on what is the best option will be made by our local Forest District Managers and their staff using their knowledge of the local woodlands, the management objectives they are trying to achieve and the potential scale and impact of demand from local communities.
We have accommodated requests to collect firewood in the past, but issuing lots of individual scavenging permits can be inefficient and may conflict with other management objectives – e.g. the importance of dead and decaying timber as part of the woodland ecosystem and as a habitat for insects and fungi. We also have a duty of care to the public in our woodlands and to the potential collectors themselves and must make a reasonable assessment of the potential risks involved.
For this reason, in Wales we are moving towards a model of firewood contracts with local merchants. This will ensure that all people locally have an opportunity to buy firewood sourced from a Forestry Commission woodland. This model will also enable us to better deliver our wider policy responsibilities for the public woodlands in terms of specifying exactly which firewood can be collected.