De Gemengebuet N°28 Dezember 2023

Nombre de téléchargement: 569

English version - Article MIRADOR (p. 14 & 15)

Firewood auction on 20 April 2024 in Steinfort

Some of you may have wondered why the firewood order form has not been distributed yet! The simple reason is that this year the firewood will be sold by auction rather than by order.

The notoriously high demand for firewood has not stopped at Steinfort. Last year, demand quadrupled while supply remained unchanged.

In figures, this means that the 450 steres ordered last year were equivalent to around 270 m3. On the other hand, our latest management plan (the document that determines how much wood we can harvest over the next 10 years) indicates that the maximum annual harvest is 290 m3. This means that we will no longer be able to meet the demand for firewood that we had last year. The sustainable management of Steinfort’s forests would otherwise be threatened.

During the 2023/24 forestry season, the amount of wood harvested will be kept below the maximum volume. It will then be felled and stacked at Vullekischtewee. The various lots will then be auctioned off to the residents of the municipality of Steinfort on 20 April 2024. A few lots of long logs will also be sold for those interested in making their own wood.

A first auction took place last year in the municipality of Koerich and was a success, according to feedback.

The idea is that we can't sell more wood than we are allowed to. The other element is to bring people together around a common denominator, which is their interest in firewood.

This gives the wood buyer the opportunity to meet the forest, the forester, the manager and other people interested in wood, to spend a pleasant morning together and to start a conversation. In the past, this didn't happen when the order form was filled out alone in the kitchen.

This traditional way of selling wood also has its entertainment and catering side.

I look forward to seeing you at Vullekischtewee on 20 April 2024.

Ben Louis
Nature and Forest Officer, Mirador Nature and Forest Centre