stihlslinger
ArboristSite Member
Iv got a small fire wood business I do on the side and was wondering if pellets are worth getting in to in the future?
Been doing that in this area for about 50+ years they are called presto-logs, there is still a good market my wife bought some this springInstead of pellets, could we make compressed firewood bricks instead? Could get full use of the waste and harvesting residues, and produce a more predictable and regular product? Tops and offcuts and sawmill waste in one end, chipped, ground, dried and (or just) pressed into bricks, bagged, and loaded pallets of 'em come out the other end for easy and economical storage and transport. I also wonder if this process would mean the heat and steam/pressure treated bricks made from various pest-ravaged trees could be allowed across state lines because they no longer pose any threat.
I wonder if such a plant could be built on the back of a truck, or in a 20' shipping container.
Perhaps it might actually be cheaper in the long run, to not cut and split traditional firewood, but chip/press it into better quality bricks that are of merchantable quality straight away.
Just musing out loud. I make no claim to any ideas being worthwhile. It's like the regenerative breaking mobile firewood processing truck idea that takes whole logs and by the time it gets to its destination, the wood is cut and split into firewood. In other words, useless daydreaming. But somebody has to.
I'd have to disagree with you on this one. A lot of improvements have been made to pellet stoves in the last 5-10 years. There are more strict EPA requirements and higher efficiencies as well. There are a lot of people using wood pellets in my area and they all seem to love the heat and low maintenance. Maybe it get a little colder in Montana but I don't see how anyone could say they are not for really cold areas. The only down side I see to them are you're at the mercy of the pellet supply and when you run out in the winter it can be almost impossible to get them. I think I'll stick with cord wood.I once had a pellet stove. Not a lot of heat, pricey, but once going you can forget about for good length of time. Just not for really cold areas.
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