High energy prices and repeated reports that gas and oil could become scarce have led to a massive increase in firewood orders in the Rheingau-Taunus. This puts municipalities in a quandary for those who want to reforest their forests after the dry summers and reduce logging. In addition, much less wood is supplied to industry.

"We will not be able to meet this high demand in the long run," said Julia Scherer-Lupp, spokeswoman for the city of Taunusstein, at the request of the F.A.Z. According to her, citizens ordered a total of around 2022 cubic meters of firewood in the 2023/3500 season. This is more than three times the number of orders in previous years. The city will still be able to deliver the desired wood to its citizens this year, but not always in the desired type of wood.

Until December 16 last year, the Taunusssteiners were able to place their orders online. No private individual was to receive more than 15 cubic metres, and citizens could choose between oak (50 euros per cubic metre), beech (60 euros) and spruce (38 euros). The wood is moved to the side of the road by the municipal employees, and the citizens have to cut and split it themselves. If you don't have an official sawing license, you won't get any wood.

Heidenrod is considered the most densely wooded community in Hesse

"We expected more to be ordered," the spokeswoman said, pointing out that last year, by decision of the magistrate, the moratorium on beech trees was lifted. This had been imposed after the drought years in order to protect the Taunusstein forest. Even now, according to Scherer-Lupp, the cutting rate remains reduced by half, because the forest should be managed sustainably.

Heidenrod is considered to be the most densely wooded municipality in Hesse, but even there it is tight when it comes to timber deliveries. "We have more than three times the amount of firewood ordered compared to the average year," said Mayor Volker Diefenbach (SPD), adding: "We have ordered about 11,000 cubic meters." According to Diefenbach, of the approximately 8000,600 inhabitants, about <> now make their own wood. This, he made clear, could not be organized in the long run. Because the municipality has a relatively high hardwood logging, it is possible to meet this demand in Heidenrod in the long term, but the mayor warned that this would be at the expense of industry. "We couldn't actually deliver any more wood to our regular industrial wood customers," he said.

He pointed out that this could become an economic problem if certain industries no longer received the raw materials they needed due to the high demand for firewood. Maximum levels have also been set in Heidenrod. "What we are now taking is the upper limit," Diefenbach clarified. He expressed hope that demand will fall again in the coming years. "This excitement last year with an imminent gas shortage has weakened significantly again," he said, explaining his hope.

The cities and municipalities of the Rheingau-Taunus district have bundled their forest management for commercial customers in the forestry and timber office. However, the institution under public law also handles private sales for the municipalities. "What's going on right now is significant, and the large quantities are yet to come," said Managing Director Sebastian Ochs. He assumes that about twice the amount of firewood has been ordered throughout the district. "This affects all our municipalities," he said.

As a result, there is hardly any wood left for industry. "We used to have contracts with customers for more than 15,000 cubic metres and haven't even signed a contract yet because I don't know whether 500 or 1000 cubic metres will remain," he described the situation and explained: "Taunusstein, Idstein and Niedernhausen have reduced their hardwood logging, but the whole Rheingau has made wood normally, as has Heidenrod. Nevertheless, there is nothing left for the industry." Ochs is worried about the trend: "The bottom line is that we burn about 40 percent of the logging in Germany. It's just too much."

In Wiesbaden, the situation is relaxed. "Demand has risen somewhat, but we haven't actually sold more than in previous years," said Sabine Rippelbeck, who is responsible for the state capital's city forest, adding. Almost 2500 cubic meters of wood were sold in Wiesbaden, which is about 1000 less than in the considerably smaller Taunusstein.