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Generally speaking, hardwood comes from deciduous, or broadleaved trees (trees that lose their leaves in winter). Softwood comes from conifers or evergreen trees (those with needle-like leaves that don't lose their leaves in winter).

Hardwood trees have a different internal structure to softwoods which gives them more inherent strength, however, there is actually a huge variation in the density of different softwoods and hardwoods making some softwoods heavier than some hardwoods!

Generally, kiln dried hardwood logs make for better firewood as they spit less and burn for a long time. The best time to add them is when your fire is established as they will sustain the burn.

Our ready to burn, softwood kiln dried logs are perfect for building a fire and getting it going quickly. If you have a multi-fuel or wood burning stove you can expect to get more burn time from your seasoned wood as newer stoves are more energy efficient. Softwood does offer cost saving compared to hardwood and, as it burns quicker you get the novelty of adding logs frequently to your fire.

Types of hardwoods include: oak, ash, elm, poplar, birch and maple.
Softwood examples are: pine spruce, cedar, larch, cypress and yew.

At Lakes Kiln Dried logs we offer both kiln dried softwood logs and kiln dried hardwood logs. 

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We are currently making some exciting changes to our website.

If you expereince any problems whilst placing orders online, please email or give the office a call and we will be happy to process your order.

info@lakeskilndriedlogs.com

01229 808228

The summer months were historically the time when humans stocked up on firewood for the coming winter. If you are stacking your logs or filling your fuel bunkers we have some simple tips to ensure your wood fuel is in good condition when the chill starts again.

1. Keep it dry. Make sure your logs are kept out of the rain – not just the top but sides too where the wind blows in. Use a tarp to cover the top and down the sides, but not the whole pile or it will go mouldy.

2. Keep it aired. Logs are best stored with a good airflow to avoid mould growth. If stacking against a wall, leave a gap between the wall and the stack.

3. Keep it tidy. If you’re making a log stack start with a good level base, and go no higher then 4 foot to avoid it falling over.

4. Keep pellets under cover. Even a small amount of water finding it’s way into a bag of pellets can turn the whole lot into sawdust.

5. Keep wood chip dry. Buy it dry and keep it dry – damp wood chip starts to compost and can get dangerously hot leading to spontaneous combustion.

6. Keep it clean! Stones and foreign objects can damage stoves.

7. Keep heat logs completely dry. Compressed sawdust heat logs are often packed in cardboard – the slightest dampness and you will find the logs turn into a lot of sawdust, so keep these products really dry, even a damp floor can ruin them.

8. Keep logs in the bag. Our kiln dried logs are already below 20% moisture content so there is no need for further seasoning. They won’t go mouldy either so you can keep them in the dumpy bags we deliver in. Our lids are shower proof for protection during delivery but for storage move the bag indoors to keep the weather out.

9. Keep it pest free. Watch out for any signs of your store or stack becoming a home for unwanted pests. Spraying with pet and environmentally friendly pesticides are a good idea to keep insects at bay.

10. Keep on top of maintenance. Wood chip and pellet bunkers need regular checks to make sure they are in good condition. Stray bits of bunker walls, floors and roofs, or worst still metal cladding, struts and bolts, don’t make for happy ogres and well running boilers. Check around when the fuel level is low and repair any worn or loose flooring, roofing and walling.

8” Logs? – No problem!

We have seen an increase in demand for smaller logs. Our standard length of logs are 10” but we can chop smaller logs upon request. We can also cut longer logs for log boilers up to 500cm.

Now stocking Oxbow Red Coal – 25kg bags

We have had requests to supply coal and now have bags in stock. Oxbow Red is a premium grade of coal, its round in shape and is suitable for open fires and multi-fuel stoves. 25 kg bags are £10.50 per bag.

Hardwood and Softwood Nets

We supply netted bags of Kiln Dried firewood, perfect for campfires and chimineas. These are reasonably priced at £4.00 per net for Hardwood and £3.60 for Softwood. These are available for collection or we can deliver these for orders of 10 bags or more.

Caption: Young red deer stag with velvety antlers

if you head out for a woodland walk in Cumbria you may well come face to face with one of the deer species roaming around. Although most of us know the handsome red deer, there are five species you may encounter in the Lake District.

Only two of these are natives – the red deer which stands up to 1.2 metres at the shoulder and the smaller roe deer which stands at around 75 cm at the shoulder. Sika are also found in Cumbria, they are smaller than the reds at 85 cm tall but are frequently interbreeding with them creating hybrids. Sika’s were introduced originally from Japan but escaped deer parks into the wild. Fallow deer are very common in Cumbria but are not native – they were introduced from France in Norman times and stand around 1 metre tall. Finally the diminutive montjac is also found in The Lakes – it is only 50 cm tall and is a rather odd little creature. It originates in China but if you do see one it is no cutey – the stags have extremely sharp antlers that can cause horrific puncture wounds.

Around late July the last young are being born and the stags are sporting thick antlers covered in velvet. Hormonal changes in September prompt them to shed the velvet leaving behind sharp, bony antlers ready for the battles that take place between males during the rut.

With no natural predators except man, deer numbers are on the up and the damage to trees is also increasing. Deer can fray, strip and browse on trees leaving various degrees of damage.

Fraying is a means of marking territory and happens when stags use small whippy trees to rub off the velvet covering of their antlers. Frayed trees lose their commercial value and are often killed by fraying. Roe deer fray in the spring and early summer but all others fray in the autumn driven by hormonal changes ahead of the rut.

Stripping occurs when deer use their lower teeth to strip and eat bark from trees. Sika are worst culprits but reds and fallows strip bark too. Most popular on the menu are spruce, larch, ash, willow and beech. Once stripped trees are prone to infections and growth is often retarded.

Finally browsing is simply that – browsing on the leaves of the tree. A tell tale sign of deer browsing is a ragged edged bite mark. Browsing tends to make trees grow poorly, making growth twisted and timber more prone to knots. Favourites to nibble at are cherry, ash, willow, hazel and rowan – all common in The Lakes.

Deer protection is a big issue in forestry and woodland management. There are three main methods of protecting trees from deer damage. Firstly and sometimes controversially deer can be culled. This is necessary when populations get too high and many areas now are focusing on marketing venison as a positive outcome of culling. Fencing is a good but expensive solution given the acreages to protect. Deer fencing needs to be 1.8 metres high as deer are good jumpers. Plastic tubes are used as a more affordable solution and for replanting smaller areas – but again, if red deer are around they need to be 1.8 metres high or the deer will simply browse off the tops of the new trees.