Follow-up Survey for National Firewood Workshop (April 21, 2016)

29 replies out of 102 surveys mailed – 28.4% response rate

Summarized by Jonathan Kays, MD Extension Service– March 31, 2017

Overview

The survey was developed using Qualtric and sent by regular mail to 102 of the 110 workshop attendees on February 15, 2017. An email about the survey was sent to 98 of the attendees that had emails on February 14, 2017, the day prior to the mailing. A reminder email was send to all 98 people on February 22, 2017, to ask that they please complete the survey. Participants could respond by going to the online link provided or fill out the hard copy survey and return it in the addressed return envelope. About a third mailed back the survey.

Results

1)All participants stated the workshop was worth their time or definitely worth their time.

2)As a result of attending the workshop about a quarter of participants contacted a vendor and at least one of the presenters for more information, and half sought more information on the internet. About one-fifth listened to the workshop recordings online and four-fifths renewed or made a new contact.

  1. All of the workshop presentations were recorded using Camtasia software and the audio/PP file posted on the UME Woodland Stewardship Education website ( (See Figure 1). After about 11 months there were 7,191 views. The most viewed presentation was Stories from a Firewood Business Owner (3,412 views).

3)The program had about 6 vendors including running demonstrations of firewood processors. 14% of participants purchased or plan to purchase soon a processor, dry kiln, or other type of equipment or service, and 35% said maybe. Of the 14%, three indicated they had already purchased or plan to purchase, including: 1) purchase of skid loader ($16K); E-commerce package for website ($6K); and planning to purchase log processor ($28K). This is a total of $50K.

4)The value of equipment demonstration is that it can also convince people not to buy an equipment or service. Only one person said this was the case, and two other participants said maybe. The item not purchased was a firewood processor.


5)Much was learned at the workshop thanks to the excellent and knowledgeable speakers (Figure 2). About half of the participants indicated they made changes in how they market their product or service, and about a quarter did the following: 1) decided to add another structure or work area to their business; 2) changed how they sourced logs for firewood; 3) changed the actual firewood products they sell (cordwood, bundles, campwood, etc.); and added a new service for their clientele.

Figure 2 - Question 5 responses for changes to business

6)Respondents were asked to provide an example of how they had actually used some of the information leaned. Their individual comments are provided below:

  1. Marketing. Changes to website, social media, and possible use of local mailings.
  2. Also value of dry wood and heat value of dry wood.
  3. For my job, I draft and review potential laws affecting firewood. I changed the content of some of the bills that I was asked to draft.
  4. Purchase a Processor and made drying bins instead of drying sheds for all the wood
  5. I tried to market my product better to be more profitable
  6. Gaining knowledge due to license maintenance assures possible customers that you know what you're talking about and thus have a good chance of getting the job.
  7. Added line of firewood storage sacks
  8. We made the kiln drying of firewood part of our business plan.
  9. marketing/advertising workshop
  10. Rented a location close to a state park and sold smaller quantities of wood at a more profitable price.
  11. I alsostarted offering to stack delivered firewood for a reasonable fee. (Previously, I just dumped the wood.)
  12. Ireduced the amount of wood that I purchased for processing. For the first time, I purchased processed wood forresale.
  13. We added chimney cleaning to our business.
  14. sell bundled firewood in smaller units
  15. Best thing was meeting a Congressional aide, who I have worked with a lot since.
  16. I can now refer people to the appropriate contact for questions on interstate firewood movement in quarantineareas.
  17. I don’t own a business, I work for a company but I did learn more about what is taking place when we conducttimber sales and how to make it more profitable.

7)Based on the information gained at the workshop, one-third of respondents made changes in their business that increased their profitability or will do so in the future, and one-third said maybe. Only one-third said no. When asked what those changes were they responded with the following comments:

  1. Generally, pricing in my local area. We have an abundance of supply of available wood and 'weekendcutters/DIYers". I should keep pricing for firewood and delivery at a premium for a premium product and delivery.
  2. I continue to look for a market for lower grade/Btu woods.
  3. Don't undervalue your product
  4. Selling bundles and having logs brought to my site
  5. shop around
  6. Will now offer kiln dried firewood to our customers.
  7. advertising
  8. Previously stated
  9. Adding chimney cleaning, social media marketing improvements
  10. offering smaller quantity of firewood in packaged form
  11. I run a non-profit, not a business, so profitability not applicable exactly.
  12. Better understanding of picking areas to sale timber off of understanding what is involved for the processors. Easeof location, and what it takes for companies to maximize profit, and some other issues.

8)The workshop objective was to bring together producers, suppliers, and others in the firewood industry for the purpose of education and networking. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of respondents were interested in a follow-up meeting to discuss ways to improve networking, education, and professional improvement for those in the firewood industry. Another twenty-three percent (23%) said maybe, and half said they were not interested. Respondents were asked to provide contact information if they were interested in some follow-up discussions. A dozen respondents supplied their email addresses for further contact.

9)Respondents provided the following topics they would like to see addressed in a future workshop.

  1. Wood shavings market for animal bedding etc.. Operating a wood shaving mill and establishing a market.Log/polewood cleaners/debarkers. The workshop had little discussion on cleaning logs before the blocking, to save time and costs of sharpening and replacing chains or saws.
  2. How the landowner can market firewood following a commercial harvest.
  3. Attending the workshop good bad & ugly
  4. Laws and regulations, more equipment
  5. Urban logging
  6. MD tree laws and permit process; tree climbing expert and some of the new techniques in the industry
  7. wrapping/bagging firewood (large scale) 1/4 - 1/2 cord wrapper
  8. Processing and kiln drying firewood.
  9. Mid Atlantic
  10. chainsaw chain sharpening
  11. 1. Home built solar kilns. 2. Opportunities for wholesale of processed firewood.
  12. - best practice sharing - working with urban tree removal companies to efficiently source firewood logs
  13. Best business practices for firewood retailers.
  14. Urban wood utilization
  15. Forest management/picking areas with low impact high yield, I really enjoy classes about wood burners/stoves./furnaces.

10)The major occupation of the 26 people who responded to this question were as follows: Firewood retailer (19%), Extension educator (19%), Equipment supplier (15%), woodland owner (12%), nonprofit (12%), arborist/private forester/state forester (16%).

11)The average distance traveled to the workshop was 51-75 miles.

12)Fifty-percent (50%) of the respondents were from Maryland, 19 percent from Pennsylvania, 11 percent from Virginia, 7 percent from West Virginia and Ohio, and 11 percent from other states.

13)The following comments were provided:

  1. I enjoyed attending the 2016 Workshop. I would attend another if within close driving distance. Might be nice if there was a blog or some type of way to share ideas among FW dealers, overseen by the University or some guiding body. Members could share trends, solutions, equipment notes, and the like.
  2. I really liked the presentations and the dual track so that I could see all of the presentations, I wanted to see.
  3. Kansas
  4. I was interested in attending each lecture, but the schedule did not allow that to happen. I missed the dry kiln presentation and regret it. Please allow time to attend every lecture.
  5. Very worthwhile workshop and I travelled from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  6. I enjoyed seeing the demonstrations, hearing startup operations/success stories, and the food!

Conclusions

Based on the good attendance and high amount of YouTube views, it appears this program provided content of great interest to those in the firewood industry. Some workshop attendees indicated they had purchased equipment and services and many others indicated they had changed their business practices based on what they learned. The concept of an information organization or at least a continuation of some type of educational programming for this audience was met with a positive response, with some individuals willing to contribute their time and efforts. Program partners should have a followup meeting to discuss what type of followup effort may be fruitful for this clientele.

APPENDIX

National Firewood Workshop Followup Survey Instrument – from Qualtric

Q1 On a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent was attending this workshop worth your time?(1= not worth my time ------3= worth my time ------5= Definitely worth my time)

1 (1)

2 (2)

3 (3)

4 (4)

5 (5)

Q2 As a result of attending the workshop, did you do any of the following? (Check all that apply)

Contact one of the equipment exhibitors for more information on a product (1)

Seek more information about a product or service on the internet (2)

Listen to the recorded workshop presentations posted at (3)

Contact one of the presenters for more information (4)

Make a new contact or renew a contact with another participant at the workshop (5)

Q3 Did the equipment demonstrations and presentations result in you purchasing, or planning to purchase soon, a processor, dry kiln, or other type of equipment or service?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Maybe (3)

Condition: Yes Is Selected. Skip To: If yes, what did you purchase?.

Q3a If yes, what did you purchase and what was the approximate value?

Q4 Did the equipment demonstrations and presentations convince you not to purchase some equipment or service?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Maybe (3)

Condition: Yes Is Selected. Skip To: If yes, what was the item you were co....

Q4a If yes, what was the item(s) you were considering and the approximate value?

Q5 As a result of what you learned at the workshop, did you do any of the following? (Check all that apply)

Make changes in how I market my product or service (1)

Decide to add another structure or work area to my business (2)

Change how I source my logs for firewood (3)

Change the actual firewood product I sell (cordwood, bundles, campwood, etc) (4)

Add a new service for my clientele (5)

Make some changes in my business practices (6)

Q6 Can you provide an example of how you actually used some of the information learned at the workshop? (Please be as specific as possible)

Q7 Based on information gained at the workshop, have you made changes in your business that has increased your profitability or will increase it in the future?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Maybe (3)

Condition: Yes Is Selected. Skip To: If yes, what were the changes?.Condition: Maybe Is Selected. Skip To: If yes, what were the changes?.

Q7a If yes or maybe, what were the changes?

Q8 The workshop objective was to bring together producers, suppliers, and others in the firewood industry for the purpose of education and networking. Would you be interested in a follow-up meeting to discuss ways to improve networking, education, and professional improvement for those in the firewood industry?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Maybe (3)

Q9 Would you like to be part of group to discuss the possibilities for a regional firewood association?

Yes (1)

No (2)

maybe (3)

Condition: Yes Is Selected. Skip To: If yes or maybe, please provide your ....Condition: maybe Is Selected. Skip To: If yes or maybe, please provide your ....

Q19 If yes or maybe, please provide your name, phone and email below or contact: Jonathan Kays, Extension Forester, University of Maryland Extension, , 301-432-2767 x323

Q10 If another workshop was offered, what two topics would be of greatest interest to you? Include more if you wish.

Q11 Which of the below best describes your occupation?

equipment supplier (1)

logger (2)

firewood retailer (3)

consulting/industrial forester (4)

arborist (5)

landscaper (6)

farmer (7)

woodland owner (8)

university extension educator (9)

non-profit forganization (10)

state forester or technician (11)

Q12 How far did you drive to attend the workshop last April?

under 10 mi (1)

11-25 (2)

26-50 (3)

51-75 (4)

76-100 (5)

101-150 (6)

151-200 (7)

over 200 miles (8)

Q13 In what state do you live?

Maryland (1)

West Virginia (2)

Pennsylvania (3)

New Jersey (4)

Virginia (5)

Ohio (6)

Other (7)

Q14 Please share any other comments or stories you may wish. Thank you!

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