Affuage

Affuage is the right to cut wood in a forest for firewood. In England there existed prior to 1850 a right of fuelwood (estovers). This is the right to cut wood for fuel. The wood must be burned in the house and the right applies to the hearth, not to land.

The right is now confined to a few commoners; most have sold their rights to the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission stacks the wood close to holdings in long stacks. The stacks are labelled into "cords"; a cord is a stack of convert|4|ft|m|sing=on lengths of wood, convert|4|ft|m high and convert|8|ft|m long. In 1996, 99 properties had allocations totalling 221 cords. The right is controlled by the Forestry Commission, to inhibit plunder of the ancient and ornamental woodland.