Tudor Popescu swings his ax over a log, then feeds the split wood into a stove that heats his home in the Moldovan capital. When the nights get cold, the pile of firewood grows around them: their supplies for the coming winter. Popescu used to warm himself with natural gas in the morning and firewood in the evening. more gas, so it's only wood," said Popescu.
"But what I have is not enough. Europe's energy crisis, caused by Russia's drastic cuts in natural gas supplies in the midst of the war against Ukraine and unknown bombing of Pipeline connecting Russia to Europe, has forced some people to turn to heating sources. As the weather gets colder, the more people are stockpiling and burning wood, prices have skyrocketed, shortages and thefts have been reported, and scams like firewood are emerging.
In the former Soviet republic of Moldova, leaders fear this winter could be devastating for many of its residents because of the high costs of Power and heat, with natural gas prices in Europe about three times higher than early 2021, although falling from record highs in August. Europe's poorest country, with pro-Western ambitions but part of its territory controlled by Russian troops, saw Russian energy giant Gazprom recently cut natural gas supplies by 30% and threatened more in Cutouts.
Demand collapses across Europe The call for firewood is not only limited to poorer countries like Moldova, but has also increased in the more affluent regions of Europe. Germany, Poland and the state forests of the Czech Republic are experiencing a significantly higher demand for the quantities of firewood they sell as part of their sustainable forest management.
It often comes from people who have never ordered firewood and don't know that they have to buy it two years in advance to get it dry enough to burn in wood stoves, According to the forest service of the state of Hesse in south-west Germany. German foresters are also seeing more and more people collecting fallen wood in forests, often without knowing that it is illegal.
The Czech state forests, which only sell wood for their own consumption, had to limit the sale of wood to private individuals to avoid speculative purchases. In Poland, by the end of August, demand for small firewood from state forests increased by 46% and for larger firewood by 42% compared to last year. This was even before the fall when the demand for firewood is at its highest.
"Of course, there is more interest in firewood in the forest districts because today it is the cheapest fuel available," said Michal Gzowski, spokesman for the Polish State Forests. "Kindwood is probably the cheapest fuel in the EU countries." He said firewood theft, which has always existed to some extent, is on the rise. To prevent theft, the forestry office of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is experimenting with GPS tracking devices hidden in tree trunks, said spokeswoman Nicole Fiegler.
There hasn't been a sudden surge in large-scale theft, but recent price hikes have raised fears among small forest plot owners that they could incur huge losses if a pile of logs is stolen. "It's more of a fear and anxiety situation," Fiegler said, pointing to the rising value of firewood. Foresters in neighboring Hesse have been using GPS trackers since 2013 and have been able to solve several thefts. Austrian police last week warned of a sharp rise in scammers claiming to be selling firewood and wood pellets online, while several businesses across the country were raided on suspicion of price gouging. The German Pellets Institute also warns buyers about fake sellers who ask for payment in advance and then disappear.
Firewood prices rise in Europe Germany's statistics office says the price of firewood and sawdust wood pellets, which can be used for central heating in residential buildings, rose more than 85% in August from a year earlier. Pellet prices per ton fell 2.6% in October but remain almost 200% higher than a year ago, says the Pellet Institute. Still, heating with pellets is cheaper than natural gas for those equipped with it, he says.
Gas costs 20.9 cents per kilowatt hour of heat, pellets 14.88 cents. Firewood prices are also rising in Great Britain. "We've seen a massive increase in demand" as energy costs rise, said Nic Snell, general manager of Certainly Wood, which bills itself as the largest supplier of firewood in the US.
Sales of about 20,000 tons of wood per year. Snell estimates his company's kiln-dried hardwood is 15% to 20% more expensive than last year and "could rise in colder weather." Demand for domestic firewood has been boosted by more expensive imported wood from countries like Latvia and Lithuania. Transport costs, mainly for fuel, have pushed up the price of imports, which used to be cheaper than British timber but are now more expensive. In Denmark, the demand for wood-burning stoves is growing along with the wood itself.
Danish distribution site DBA announced that searches for wood pellets have skyrocketed by more than 1,300% over the past year. The government and environmentalists have warned Danes who want to burn wood to consider the risks: the fire can pose a health risk, while the smoke contributes to particulate matter pollution. Add to this the detrimental effects on the environment of cutting down more trees. Egzona Shala, director of an environmental organization in Kosovo, where electricity prices have skyrocketed, says deforestation has increased significantly there in. His group EcoZ has been monitoring forests in mountainous areas and found that people are illegally cutting down trees at 5am in some cases.
The firewood is then sold around the capital.Often those cut are young trees.The forests, she said, are beingsubjected to "vulgar deforestation without any criteria and control.