At this moment my husband and I are in our house in the Morvan (Burgundy, France). It is cold here, so we have to heat the house. We heat the house by burning wood in the stove.
In the Morvan, many houses in the countryside are heated by burning wood. That means that there must be a lot of wood to keep all the houses warm in the winter. In the following pictures, I show you what's going on with wood in the Morvan.
The trees must be cut down and then placed on large piles, ready to be removed.
I took these pictures last Sunday (yesterday), so there was no activity. That is, there was activity, but another. The sign says people are hunting in the forest (chasse en cours). Men hunt every weekend during the winter period. The sign is to warn people who want to walk in the forest.
During the week big trucks arrive to take the wood away to the sawmill. It is an imposing sight to see these big trucks maneuver.
There are very big sawmills in the Morvan, but also a lot of very small ones. Yesterday we passed a small one. You can see that there are no men at work. On Sunday's it is very quiet here in the Morvan.
Some forgotten planks in a corner.
Not all wood is fit for sawing. Some trees lie somewhere in a corner of the terrain and remain there until they are completely gone.
They plan ahead in the Morvan. Dozens of years in advance, they know which plot should be felled. Here you see a piece of land where the trees have been felled and where a few years ago young trees have been planted. They are very strict with the replanting plan.
Next, you see three pictures of the yards of our neighbors. They have large piles of wood stacked outside their houses.
The last pictures are of our own wood stock.
The delivery:
The stock, with a proud husband, the wood is inside the barn. This year we bought wood that is to be used over two years. Wood must be very dry before you can really use it. That is why we have so much wood, it is for this year and for the next two years.
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So, as I already showed you, this is why all that work has been done:
This stove keeps us nice and warm in our old converted farmhouse (in French a fermette).
Have a nice (warm)day,
Clio
I have used so much wood this year, I might have to order more before the winter is over. Glad I live in the Morvan, that's one thing we will never run out of. Stay warm @clio
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Yes, plenty of wood in the Morvan!!
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I love that Morvan shuts down on Sundays. I miss that in Canada. We used to have closed shops on Sunday - even when the US was open. There is something to be said about a day of rest or family day.
Keeping your wood dry is tougher than many think. It just won't burn properly but will smoke A LOT!!
Your hubby did a great job. Thanks for sharing your day @clio!
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Yes, although in recent years some supermarkets are open on Sunday mornings. But they are located in a business park. But in the towns, every shop is closed on a Sunday. They even close midday, between 12.00 and 14.00 in the afternoon. That's because the French likes to have a warm meal in the early hours of the afternoon. In the Netherlands, the shops don't close during the day and many are open on Sunday after 12.00 in the afternoon.
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They close for a warm meal? I like that custom. Everyone gets a siesta.
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It's interesting your article reminded me how living in Kazakhstan we burned the stove with firewood and bought coal again. I really liked the smell when the tree burns. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, I also like the smell of burning wood. We don't burn coals, only wood in our stove. Do you still live in Kazakhstan?
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No, I'm currently in Russia here heating on gas.
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my goodness ! i didnt know that much wood be needed for 1 household to keep them warm.. is this all used for one season only?
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No, it is for this year and for the next two years. Wood has to be very dry, so that is why we buy it for the coming years, so it will be very dry when we use it.
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okay i get it now !so every house has to have a store room too so they can store it there..
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Yes, a barn for instance. You can also let the wood outside, but not all because it will become wet.
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i like your writing and photos. thanks for sharing
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You are welcome.
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That is a lot of wood.
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Indeed.
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well a good idea to warm yourselves with this stove and also with a huge stock of woods
and also this these forest trees and all wood i think the property of goverment or forest department
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Yes, the forests are the property of the government or the department or private persons. The trees are felled and you can buy the trees from them.
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@clio wow such a wonderful place to be honest i am tired of the transport and the smog around us i like a place like this where i can feel the nature and enjoy my life you are so lucky to be there such a great place may both of you have wonderful days ahead <3 <3
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We don't have much traffic and no smog, but we have smoke from the stoves and from the chimneys. Sometimes you have to cough because of the smoke. But we are surrounded by nature and that's very nice.
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beautiful documented! I also use a wood stove for my heating! :) But i always get only 10 euros worth of it :)) Step by step, week by week :) I have limited wood :)
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I understand, in the Netherlands, we have also limited wood for our fireplace. But here in the Morvan, we have a barn full of wood because we have no central heating at all, only wood.
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Your article is really interesting. I did not know there was so much going on between the moment I put the log in the chimney and the one where the tree is cut. Thank you for these explanations in photos, it's always better understandable.
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You are welcome. It's a long way from tree to firewood. We are lucky to be able to buy our firewood chopped in pieces and delivered to our barn. Some buy a tree and do their own chopping etc. That's a lot of work.
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that's amazing place, I think in this country full of woods..
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Yes, there are a lot of forests in France!
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that's great
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you and your husband really have a different life in France than in The Netherlands. A nice warm fire with a delicious glass of Burgundy wine. Life is for Living! Enjoy! 🍷🍷
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We do enjoy living here, and you are right we have excellent Burgundy wine here!
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The trees come in many ways to the people. The wood is one of them. i like this writing and photos.
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Thank you.
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welcome
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A great story and you are right to prepare a lot of firewood you need to do a lot of operations, from cutting trees to storing. But how wonderful it is to sit in cold days and evenings near the stove and hear the crackle of wood in the oven! Thank you Clio
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It is wonderful. We have two stoves, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Sitting in the living room with the fire burning and having a glass of wine! We enjoy it very much.
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really liked the smell when the tree burns. Thanks for sharing.
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You are welcome. I like the smell also.
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I like how they respect the land and plan all the cutting of the trees years ahead. Sjoerd looks really happy with all that firewood!
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Yes, they have indeed excellent plans for the forests, years ahead. And Sjoerd is really happy to have the barn full of firewood.
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Wow awesome pictures this is like my hometown
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this is amazing ...loved it
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Nice pictures. A wood fire and a good glass of red wine is all you need! Enjoy and with love
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Thank you dear!
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@clio wood is a natural resource but to keep us warm and for our daily use we cut tree which is causing global warming and also to make ourself warm we make small birds homeless we should try for something alternate that can help our ecosystem..... Anyways loved the photos really pleased to read the article!!
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You are right, burning wood is not good for our ecosystem, but here in the Morvan, we don't have an alternative. There are oil and gas, but that is also not good. Wind and sun are better.
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How much wood would you need in an average year? We used to buy our wood by the chord. It was cold in Canada so we would go through as much as 8 chords in a season. It is good that you ave a plac in doors to keep it dry.
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We use about 8 m2 in a year. But we are not in France during the entire year. In the winter we are often in the Netherlands. We are in France now for approximately 2 months and because it is always cold in this period we burn a lot of the 8m2. When it is too cold in spring and autumn (or even in the summer) we burn wood in our stoves also. Can you tell me, how much is a chord? I have never heard of a chord. I tried to find it on the internet, but until now, no success.
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They measure it when it is stacked. Usually it is 3m x 3m x 3m.
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Thank you. Of course, I also meant m3 (cubic meter) instead of m2 (which is a square meter). I must honestly say as a historian, I am not the best with numbers. (lol)
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