Europe’s energy crisis has forced some people to turn to less costly heating sources such as firewood. But as demand increases, the public is facing rising prices, shortages and even reports of firewood theft. Foresters are using GPS devices to follow their logs while others fear the environmental impact of increased air pollution and tree cutting. In Moldova, Tudor Popescu splits firewood that will heat his home in the capital of Chisinau. As the nights turn colder, the load of firewood has been growing higher around him his supplies for the coming winter. In the past, Popescu depended on natural gas for warmth in the mornings and firewood at night. But gas is now in short supply, following Russia’s major cut to gas exports. Russian energy business Gazprom has threatened even more reductions. “I won’t use gas anymore, so it’s going to only be wood,” Popescu said. “But what I have isn’t enough.” The demand for firewood in Europe is not limited to poorer nations like Moldova. Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic’s state-owned forests are seeing much stronger demand for the limited amounts of firewood they sell as part of their sustainable forest programs. The German forestry service has reported getting requests for firewood from people who had never sought firewood before. The people seemed not to know that the firewood process takes two years. That is how long it takes to fully dry the wood so it will burn in wood stoves, said the forestry office in the southwestern state of Hesse. German forest rangers also report increased incidents of people gathering fallen wood in forests, often not knowing it is illegal.
Title: Europe Turns to Firewood during Energy Crisis
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/A31.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Europe Turns to Firewood during Energy Crisis' data-article-id='6271'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='11125'>Europe’s energy crisis has forced some people to turn to less costly heating sources such as firewood.</span> <span data-start-time='11125' data-end-time='23667'>But as demand increases, the public is facing rising prices, shortages and even reports of firewood theft. </span> <span data-start-time='23667' data-end-time='38771'>Foresters are using GPS devices to follow their logs while others fear the environmental impact of increased air pollution and tree cutting.</span> <span data-start-time='38771' data-end-time='48688'>In Moldova, Tudor Popescu splits firewood that will heat his home in the capital of Chisinau. </span> <span data-start-time='48688' data-end-time='59708'>As the nights turn colder, the load of firewood has been growing higher around him his supplies for the coming winter.</span> <span data-start-time='59708' data-end-time='68813'>In the past, Popescu depended on natural gas for warmth in the mornings and firewood at night. </span> <span data-start-time='68813' data-end-time='76917'>But gas is now in short supply, following Russia’s major cut to gas exports.</span> <span data-start-time='76917' data-end-time='82917'>Russian energy business Gazprom has threatened even more reductions.</span> <span data-start-time='82917' data-end-time='89521'>“I won’t use gas anymore, so it’s going to only be wood,” Popescu said. </span> <span data-start-time='89521' data-end-time='93604'>“But what I have isn’t enough.”</span> <span data-start-time='93604' data-end-time='100583'>The demand for firewood in Europe is not limited to poorer nations like Moldova. </span> <span data-start-time='100583' data-end-time='116271'>Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic’s state-owned forests are seeing much stronger demand for the limited amounts of firewood they sell as part of their sustainable forest programs.</span> <span data-start-time='116271' data-end-time='126958'>The German forestry service has reported getting requests for firewood from people who had never sought firewood before. </span> <span data-start-time='126958' data-end-time='133958'>The people seemed not to know that the firewood process takes two years. </span> <span data-start-time='133958' data-end-time='146438'>That is how long it takes to fully dry the wood so it will burn in wood stoves, said the forestry office in the southwestern state of Hesse.</span> <span data-start-time='146438' data-end-time='157750'>German forest rangers also report increased incidents of people gathering fallen wood in forests, often not knowing it is illegal.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/A31.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=18983 data-hint-location='100583' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/which_of_the_following_is_a_definition_of_the_word_sustainable.wav'>Which of the following is a definition of the word sustainable?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='able to be maintained at a certain rate or level'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/able_to_be_maintained_at_a_certain_rate_or_level.wav'><span>able to be maintained at a certain rate or level</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/likely_or_liable_to_be_influenced_or_harmed_by_a_particular_thing.wav'><span>likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/pleasant_to_taste.wav'><span>pleasant to taste</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/responsible_by_law.wav'><span>responsible by law</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=18984 data-hint-location='126958' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/how_long_must_wood_dry_before_it_is_able_to_be_properly_burned_in_wood_stoves_according_to_the_article.wav'>How long must wood dry before it is able to be properly burned in wood stoves according to the article?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='two years'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/two_years.wav'><span>two years</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/two_weeks.wav'><span>two weeks</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/two_days.wav'><span>two days</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/two_months.wav'><span>two months</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=18985 data-hint-location='146438' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/german_forest_rangers_also_report_increased_incidents_of_people_gathering_fallen_wood_in_forests_often_not_knowing_it_is__blank_.wav'>German forest rangers also report increased incidents of people gathering fallen wood in forests, often not knowing it is <span class='blank'>illegal</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='illegal'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/illegal.wav'><span>illegal</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/intern.wav'><span>intern</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/implied.wav'><span>implied</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5700/internet.wav'><span>internet</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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