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Do-it-yourself is the motto – also when procuring firewood.
Original sound: »Attention!«
Wood from local forests is particularly in demand this year.
At the moment logs for the fireplace at home are hard to come by in the shops or only very expensive - a consequence of the energy crisis.
That's why more and more people want to use a chainsaw themselves.
O-Tones:
“We always had to get someone to do it. And at some point I said: That's good, now I want to do it myself.«
'That's very reassuring. So you know, no matter what happens, we won't freeze.«
On the edge of a 15-hectare forest near Soltau in Lower Saxony.
More than two dozen trees fell today during a chainsaw course run by the Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Aid – for training purposes.
(But the trees would have to be felled anyway).
Twelve participants want to fell, saw, split, shred - and learn not to endanger themselves or others in the process.
The most important thing: build trust in the technology first.
Because every beginning is difficult.
The course is led by forester Ralf Neumann.
His courses have always been popular, he says, but demand has surged again this year.
Ralf Neumann, Wildlife Aid Lüneburg Heath:
»When someone builds a house today, it usually comes with a chimney or you have the option of putting a chimney in it. So you've noticed that in recent years. This year especially so, of course, but also due to the fact that many people now also want to make firewood due to the energy situation.«
However, going into the forest on your own and cutting down trees – that is forbidden.
The so-called self-promotion, i.e. the purchase and the personal processing of firewood by private individuals, must be contractually regulated in advance with the forest owner.
And there are many requirements, for example a chainsaw license is mandatory.
Today, course participants learn how a chainsaw works, how to use it to saw lying wood - and of course how to fell a tree.
Working in the forest is demanding – and dangerous.
The course is therefore always about safety.
Heike Kalb, course participant:
“Yes, yesterday we had theory. So everything from protective clothing to felling techniques, test marks, yes, just like that: protection, keeping your distance and then we discussed things.«
Everyone fells at least two trees today.
These are selected by the course instructors so that the forest is not damaged.
Ralf Neumann, Wildlife Aid Lüneburg Heath:
»What we are doing here is actually quite normal forest use. So we have the principle of sustainability. Basically, we don't harvest more than what grows back. And secondly, when we thin out like this, we actually take out the trees that would die out anyway over the course of the life of the stock.«
Heating with wood is trendy.
Wood-burning stoves in particular are popular as secondary heating: there are more than 11 million of them in German households.
The energy crisis does not stop at their owners either: Since the prices for oil, gas and electricity have skyrocketed, the demand for firewood has also increased.
The consequences: Customers currently have to wait a long time for stoves that they have ordered, firewood and pellets are more than twice as expensive as last year.
And in many places, dry split logs are even completely sold out.
Blessed is the one who has contacts with a forester.
Uwe Engel, course participant:
»Of course it's like that, there aren't always huge amounts in the forest. What is there is then quickly bought away. And then I'd rather stand at the saw and get that out of there.«
Heating with wood is controversial - mainly because of the lack of clarity about the climate balance.
One thing is clear: unlike fossil fuels, wood is a renewable resource: trees grow back.
Depending on who you ask, burning wood is said to be completely climate-neutral.
The calculation then goes like this: When burning, only as much CO2 is released as the tree has already stored in the course of its life.
So if you plant a new tree for every felled and burned tree, it balances out.
That's the theory.
In Germany, even more forest is currently being reforested than deforested, but it takes years for a tree to be big enough to have stored the corresponding amount of CO2.
Time that the world does not have in the climate crisis, according to environmentalists.
The Federal Environment Agency therefore recently stated: »Contrary to widespread opinion, heating with wood is not climate-neutral.«
The topic of sustainability also plays a role, at least marginally, in the chainsaw course.
However, the argument about the climate balance and fine dust emissions from stoves is not conducted here.
Uwe Engel, course participant:
»Of course: it smokes, it stinks, but in principle I think it's better than burning fossil fuels, like gas, oil, coal, that sort of thing. We'll just have to leave."
Low prices and cozy warmth - the advantages of heating with wood are obvious for the participants today.
They are happy to put up with the effort, the exertion and the noise.
Dietmar Eckert, course participants:
“In any case, I go out with a good feeling. I still have to practice, no question. There are already three or four different felling techniques, you can't practice all of them, but you can watch a lot. A bit of practice is definitely needed at home and then I think you'll get used to it
.«
At the end of today's course, all participants will receive the long-awaited certificate.
With a chainsaw license in your pocket, you can get firewood relatively cheaply despite the energy crisis.
After that, however, patience is required: the cut wood has to dry for up to three years before it can burn comfortably crackling in the fireplace.