Handy Firewood Crates

on drawbacks (most important to forest managers in Southern Ontario; whether or not a species is invasive).

I was referred to this book while picking weeds on an organic farm by a fellow transient intern and it held my interest over the following year. In fact, it eventually inspired me to go off to college and then university to study forestry. I had been hoping to learn even more about the ecology of the place that I live, while simultaneously being able to earn a living. Working in forestry in Southern Ontario has given me an opportunity to feel more connected to the natural world, but it has also shown me the dire state that ecosystems are in now. Much more than the current plague, I am concerned with the looming consequences of global warming and its effect on food security. Industrial agriculture is the principal cause of deforestation in Canada and relies heavily on the predictable climate we have so far enjoyed as a civilization. Producing high-yielding, food-producing ecosystems is one actionable way of dealing with these issues. Forest managers and woodlot owners alike are provided with a great toolkit in Edible Forest Gardens to begin considering how it might look to put this idea into practice. ❧

Illustrated by Elayne Sears courtesy of Edible Forest Gardens, Chelsea Green Publishing

By John Ferguson, Glen Gordon Farms Ltd., Glengarry County, Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Chapter

We have been using firewood crates for many years to store and move firewood. The crates have evolved over the years with small improvements, but the original design remains basically the same. We start with 40” x 48” hardwood pallets that have 3” x 4” outside runners. We purchase these pallets used and they often only require a few repairs to make them suitable for crates. We have always used full dimension hemlock lumber for the corner posts and side slats. Hemlock offers the best strength vs. weight and has proven to withstand weather very well even if the crates are stored outside. The corner posts are cut to 48” high as this works out to be the equivalent of one 16” face cord. Quarter inch (¼”) carriage bolts secure the corner posts to each other and to the pallet. A chain and S hook allows one end of the crate to be opened for easier access or dumping. We now use deck screws instead of nails to fasten the side slats. Metal corner gussets and diagonal braces add stability allowing the crates to be stacked. We can stack the crates two high outdoors if they are off the ground slightly (to prevent the pallets from rotting), or three high if they are indoors on concrete.

We now have approximately 100 of these crates in use and still have most of the original ones we built. Although a lot of our firewood is sold in bulk dump loads, we like the crates for longer term storage and for customers who want to pick up small quantities themselves. All of the wood that we burn ourselves is handled in crates, allowing us to easily move the wood to where we need it. We use a tractor with forks on the front-end loader to move the crates. ❧

Empty firewood crate Stacked firewood in crates

All fungi are edible, but some fungi are edible only once…

— Terry Pratchett

Editor’s Note: This article was not ready in time for Volume 101 of The Ontario Woodlander; however it nicely complements the firewood fuel theme of that issue.