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Firewood, Bespoke Timber Products and Small Scale Sawmilling with John Sherlock (Part 2)

/ 46:10/E8 Download MP3
I talk to John Sherlock (forest owner and member of the North East Forest Group) about how his search for a new revenue stream to integrate into his warehousing business led him to develop a thriving firewood processing enterprise. John explains how it works and how he scaled the business upwards while avoiding bottlenecks. John quickly recognised quality logs among the loads of "pulp" and "rescue timber" that he was processing for firewood and so expanded into sawmilling which he explains in depth - he also discusses his craft timber enterprise where he offers custom made post and beam products (from Irish grown Douglas Fir predominantly) as well as making a range of other bespoke wood products to order. Finally John discusses the growth of small scale sawmilling across Ireland and moves towards forming a Guild. All of this is good news for forest owners who want to maximize revenue from their broadleaf and diverse conifers trees. It's also good news for wood manufacturers and users who want more Irish grown timber in high end products.

Note: this is the second part of my interview with John Sherlock - in the first interview we discussed how he manages his own forest outside Navan in Co Meath and the excellent work being carried out on behalf of forest owners by the North East Forestry Group.

Topics Covered:
  • Setting and scaling up his firewood business, avoiding bottlenecks and achieving synergies with his warehousing enterprise. 
  • Certifying firewood under the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance scheme - refusing money for firewood - sticking to a quality ethos.
  • Kiln dried firewood, saw dust and bark residues? 
  • Expansion into small scale sawmilling and how demand for at-home-Shebeens during COVID turned into demand for timber. 
  • Post and beam training and douglas fir processing. Preparing cants, finishing to order and conversion rates. 
  • A guild of small scale irish sawmillers? 170 small sawmillers in Ireland! Certified home grown timber in the future? 
  • The strength of peer to peer learning and site visits - how a small amount of Government funding can accelerate industry expansion and cohesion. 
  • A ready made market in Irish schools and bespoke furniture as well as post and beam buildings?
  • A bright future for Irish forest owners and timber users.
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Firewood, Bespoke Timber Products and Small Scale Sawmilling with John Sherlock (Part 2)

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