The Saw-whet Firewood Nature Fund
2020-2021 Season Wrap-Up!
A heartfelt “thank you'“ to this season’s Saw-whet volunteers and donors! We had a wonderful winter delivering over 5.3 cords of firewood from Victoria to Thetis Island to Coombs. Your kindness has raised over $1500 for the Nature Trust of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island projects! The annual accounting spreadsheet and a few statistics from this season are below.
SWFNF Donors & Deliveries
Total Wood Delivered: 5.30 cords
Total Volunteer Hours: 164 hours
Total Kilometers: 1665 km
Total Permits Purchased: 4 ($120)
Total Donations: $2,310.00
Total Proceeds: $1,594.24
The Saw-whet Firewood Nature Fund (SWFNF) is a small not-for-profit that aims to provide community members with by-donation split firewood as a means of supporting Vancouver Island environmental initiatives. Plus, it reduces the amount of wood waste generated by the local forest industry. The project was dreamt up and is operated by two friends who will do their best to accommodate you despite having limited time and resources.
The Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is a pint-sized owl found in the thick coniferous forests of North America. It may come as a surprise, but we selected the Saw-whet to represent the project for more than its adorable appearance and the endearing pun it brings our name! Spotting an owl is often referred to as a glimpse into a parallel universe—one whose nocturnal inhabitants are always present but most active while we are asleep. And in this way, observing one is an awe-inspiring reminder that seldom-seen species rely on our ongoing care and environmental stewardship, too.
Firewood Inquiries
Please send us an email at pclangemeyer@gmail.com or use the contact form to the right and we’ll respond as soon as possible. Include your name, location, desired amount, bucked length and proposed donation — keep in mind that we are traveling from Nanaimo. Those who have difficulty acquiring wood to heat their home due to financial, mobility issues, etc. will be prioritized so give us an idea of your situation and we will figure it out.
Currently, most of our firewood is collected in 6-foot lengths, bucked by hand, and delivered by third-cord (picture a neat stack of wood that is 4’ high and 9’ long). Unfortunately, that’s the most our truck can haul per trip. Stacking the firewood is generally part of the service but is case-dependent. We do our best to select clean and seasoned hardwood, but this is not guaranteed and we work with what is available. In addition to monetary donations, please consider donating or lending us your used wood processing or hauling equipment (e.g., chainsaw or small trailer). Keep in mind that we get wood to order and the amount of your donation that is received by the chosen organization is the initial amount minus the cost of equipment maintenance and fuel — we labour for free.
Recordkeeping
To remain as transparent as possible with our donors, we will post all firewood transactions for the given year in a publicly accessible spreadsheet (click here). Please contact us if you have any concerns or recommendations. We would love to poll donors as a means of determining which organization(s) should receive fundraised money at the end of the season.
