Each year I have to find patches of forest with enough suitable trees that can supply all of the logs that I need for Edible Wood. In September most foresters start to think about the logging season in the upcoming winter and begin to make plans. Most foresters prefer not to spend too much time behind a desk and are not super communicative, so it takes patience to gain their attention. I have been fortunate to be able to work with a forester from a national forest conservation organization the past few years and every time he has produced a forest with trees that suit my purpose. But…. he is not easy to reach and results of the past are not a certainty for the future. In October when I still haven’t heard anything I start to get worried. It is not that easy to find someone who can provide what I need because the trees must be healthy and the right size, the forest must be easy to access but not too close to an urban area (in order to avoid theft) and there must be enough space to stack the logs safely for a few weeks until I can transport them. From November onwards I start to think about alternative sources but hope that they will not be necessary. Somewhere in December I finally get a message to meet “my” forester at his office so that we can go and check out a forest he has in mind. Together we drive to the forest and walk through the forest looking up at the trees whilst discussing the next steps. The forester has to mark the trees that can be felled before I can start. Once that is completed I can make an appointment with the tree-workers and their chainsaws. It is always a challenge to get this work done before a big storm hits the Netherlands or Germany because if there is a lot of damage all of the tree-workers are busy clearing the mess made by fallen trees elsewhere and are not available. This year it all worked out well because the forester was able to mark the trees at the end of December, the trees were felled early on in January, the storms came later and there was plenty of time to arrange log-carrying crews to carry the logs out of the forest. This past week the last of the logs were carried out of the forest – a welcoming experience and just in time for the next phasse of creating Edible Wood – innoculation.
