The demand for regional firewood from sustainable forestry is currently higher than it has been for a long time. And for good reason: if you buy firewood from the region, the transportation costs are low. In addition, you know where the wood comes from, which is often not the case with pellets, for example. Last but not least, home-processed firewood even makes you "warm twice" - first when sawing and splitting and then again when heating.
"Regionality and sustainable forest management are essential prerequisites if you want to support efforts to achieve climate neutrality. Climate-conscious heating with wood is an important building block here," says Dr. Michael Nill, Head of the Forestry Department at the Ludwigsburg District Office. "Unfortunately, this always seems to be forgotten in the debate about burning wood." In the meantime, two unusual winters with many restrictions on annual firewood sales in the Ludwigsburg district are behind us. Time for forest owners, foresters and firewood customers to take stock.
For the second time, firewood sales in the Ludwigsburg district had to be carried out digitally. What seemed like an impossible task in 2020 is now almost routine. "The forest district managers and the forest-owning municipalities agreed on procedures for the digital sale of firewood in close coordination in autumn 2020," recalls Dr. Nill. "As diverse as the municipalities and districts are, so too are the solutions." Roughly speaking, the solutions found can be divided into two categories: the written auction according to the "highest bid principle" or the sale at a fixed price according to the "first-come, first-served principle".
The procedures worked well and the vast majority of firewood customers received enough wood to meet their needs. It is a pity that direct contact between forest owners, foresters and firewood customers has been neglected. In addition, the digital process sometimes meant additional work for forest owners and firewood customers, and there were also some distribution or price problems - depending on whether the sale was based on the "first come, first served" principle or the "highest bid" principle.
Thanks to the commitment of everyone involved, the digital auctions worked well under the circumstances. But: everyone wants to get back to the usual firewood sales in person! The forestry department at the district office therefore hopes that the firewood sales can take place again next winter in the tried and tested tradition.
