Firewood delivery day: prepare the store before the lorry arrives

Clear access, preserve stock rotation and inspect the empty bay before a loose or bagged delivery lands.

Confirm the drop point, empty one bay and make the carrying route safe before delivery. A pile left on wet ground while you improvise space starts the job badly.

Confirm with the supplier

Ask how the load arrives, the space the vehicle needs, whether bags are left or tipped, and whether the quoted volume is loose. Open gates in advance and keep vehicles out of the handling route. The driver decides what is safe for the vehicle and lifting equipment.

Inspect the empty store

Check the roof, floor, fixings and wall gap. Clear bark and leaves. Put the delivery date label in place. Keep the older batch physically separate.

Stack promptly

Move logs onto the raised floor rather than leaving them in a flexible bag exposed to rain. Stack stable rows and stop below the roof. Keep torn packaging out of the drainage gap.

Sample sensibly

If moisture condition matters, take representative pieces from different parts of the load and follow the meter maker's method on a freshly split face. One dry end grain reading does not describe the full delivery.

Sources

GOV.UK guidance on selling wood for domestic use in England — supplier and volume rules checked 10 November 2026.