Wood for the fire

We don't have a wood fire - sadly - both of us would like one. But we regularly see people who do heading up into the forestry area a little further up our road, and returning later with a tray load of chopped wood. Clearly that's not the intended purpose of the plantations, but it seems accepted that people will help themselves. According to a neighbour, you quickly learn which is the 'good stuff' to chop down that burns slowly.