Wood farmers can hardly believe it: it is thirty degrees, but the firewood is flying out of the shop. This is partly due to the high gas prices, which are only increasing due to the war in Ukraine. “We have never experienced this before. People are afraid that they will not have any wood during the winter.”
The sale of firewood has been on the rise throughout the corona period, says firewood supplier Wim van Alphen from Moergestel. “But at the moment it is going through the roof. Normally wood is not popular in the warm months, but now it is thirty degrees and we still sell a lot of firewood.”
“Purchasing is difficult and expensive. Everyone is asking for wood.”
Sales have been going like wildfire all summer. The sale of firewood seems unstoppable. That’s because of gas prices. Burning wood is now an attractive alternative. Moreover, there is a lot to do with regard to the supply of gas.
Long story short: everyone wants to have wood in stock to be sure to stay warm (cheap) this winter. Wood therefore only becomes more expensive. A cubic meter of wood currently costs about 110 euros, explains Van Alphen. With the emphasis on ‘yet’.
“Purchasing is difficult and expensive because there is so much demand. For example, from people who certainly want to be warm this winter, but there is also a lot of demand from industry,” says Van Alphen, who refers to biomass plants that generate electricity from wood. as in Geertruidenberg.
“Working too much isn’t good either.”
That is why the price will also go up, he says. “It is also difficult for us to obtain wood, partly because forests are not allowed to be felled in these months. It could even be that we will be faced with wood shortages this winter due to the high demand.”
In the end Van Alphen has nothing to complain about, you might say. Yes, purchasing is becoming more difficult, but wood prices have been rising for months and sales of his product are even increasing in the summer. “It goes too far to say, ‘Wood is gold.’ We are not there yet. But things are going well. Maybe even too well. Too much work is not everything, “he concludes with a laugh.
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