Yellow signs with black numbers on them swung alternately into the air this afternoon in a barn in Yde. Villagers did not prey on expensive jewellery, precious art or rare trinkets during an auction. No, wood went under the hammer.
“This is nostalgia. We even found a notary willing to be there. For the official character,” laughs boermarke chairman Harry Groenwold.
Boermarke Yde-De Punt is the organizer of the wood auction. Which is not only a cozy get-together in a barn, but also a tradition in the village. “Whenever maintenance is carried out on the green, we offer the wood for auction,” says Groenwold.
The green in the village is managed by the boermarke. According to a number of local residents, the tree-rich whole was in need of a serious pruning. “We have been seeing some dead wood in between for some time. That may be good for the woodpeckers and diversity, but at a certain point you also have to opt for safety,” said a resident.
And so a number of trees were carefully cut down and the trunks are spread over forty plots ready on the green. Because before the auction starts, a number of bidders thoroughly inspect the merchandise. “I pay particular attention to quality. And the coarseness of the stuff, because I also have to be able to saw it,” said one of the auction participants.
With the current gas prices, wood is still predatory goods, so it’s a nice opportunity for villagers to possibly buy some logs for next to nothing. But the auction is also useful for the boermarke. “The proceeds go into our greenhouse. And we use that money for further maintenance of the green,” explains Groenwold.