Well… The local wood suppliers have caught on in western mass. I guess demand is up for wood and delivery costs keep going higher to due gas prices. I’ve been quoted between $200-300 / cord for hardwood by the common suppliers in western mass. I almost swallowed my phone. Luckily I found a farmer that can get me 3 green cords of oak for $130 bucked to 16” and split. These are crazy times!
Seems to me some wood dealers are trying to catch folks who assume the cost of their cord wood will go up like the price of oil. There’s a guy on craiglist in NH that in his post says a wood shortage is imminent. If you look around you can still find cord wood at a reasonable price. My per cord cost did not go up this year, but I had to switch to a new supplier. Fortunately, the wood he brought me was even nicer and a more generous cord than what I got last year.
Those were his exact words. He said “oil is up, everyone wants wood, I’m going to sell out soon, and all my costs are up. $200 a cord!” He did say that I could pay by credit card though… Ha! Each year there are fewer and fewer true New Englanders around.
I don’t know about true New Englanders but check http://westernmass.craigslist.org/zip/.
N.E. are frugal and there’s always wood to scrounge if you don’t mind a little effort.
Good luck from an old New Englander.
Ed
Yeah woods just another like any other commodity that’s based on supply and demand. You may as well buy now cause the price will likely keep going up.
Exactly. Welcome to the real world. Most of the loggers use diesel equipment at $4.35/pg and rising. Wood forwarders and processors are not cheap and loggers pay the same as we do for food etc. If they can’t survive wood burners will have fewer places to get wood. And on and on.
Ed
BTU for BTU, apples to apples, cord hardwood at $500./cord beats fossil fuels except natural gas. Good calculator on hearthnet.
For those who have never harvested a cord of wood, get this:
1. Get you and gear to the tree. Cost= ??
2. Fell tree. Clear zone around tree. Cost ( including gear maintenance, PPE, mandatory training for pros --insurance) = ???
3. Buck and limb tree. Cost = ??
3A. Clear slash and brush.
4. Get butts (bucks) to landing zone or work area, load and unload. Cost= ??
5. Split butts. Cost= ??
If selling cord wood:
6. Load splits onto truck. Cost= ??
7. Drive to customer. Cost= ??
8. Unload wood. Get $$$$$.
BTU for BTU, apples to apples, cord hardwood at $500./cord beats fossil fuels except natural gas. Good calculator on hearthnet.
For those who have never harvested a cord of wood, get this:
1. Get you and gear to the tree. Cost= ??
2. Fell tree. Clear zone around tree. Cost ( including gear maintenance, PPE, mandatory training for pros --insurance) = ???
3. Buck and limb tree. Cost = ??
3A. Clear slash and brush.
4. Get butts (bucks) to landing zone or work area, load and unload. Cost= ??
5. Split butts. Cost= ??
If selling cord wood:
6. Load splits onto truck. Cost= ??
7. Drive to customer. Cost= ??
8. Unload wood. Get $$$$$.
I agree with your thinking of the work in processing the wood. Lots of hidden costs which are never thought of. It just doesn’t fall on the truck cut and ready for delivery.
Just cut 16+ face cords on a dead wood permit where I had to travel 50 miles round trip to get and cut it. Not much costs involved till you look at the cost of the trailor and other equipment necessary for the job.
Ordered 6 full cords of raw wood delivered to my door in a couple of weeks for $400.00. By the time all factors are figured including the time of getting the dead wood this is a very good price. I will be able to work on this evenings when I want and no traveling involved. With this and the dead wood I got my wood supply should be about 6 years in advance. From here on I can easily replenish one years supply each year on a dead wood permit.
I agree with the analysis above totally. I ship container loads of steel and aluminum all over the USA, and my costs have gone through the roof. I’m not too surprised about the cost of a cord, just due to the physical space it takes up. I can’t move a load of ping pong balls in a 4x4x8 box around my state for $200. I’m just surprised about how quickly prices have gone up, since last season. As I said, crazy times.
I may stock up on a few cords and then work on some local trees on my property. My land is full of maples and oaks that are absolutely beautiful (I would hate cutting them for fuel) and ash trees that are falling apart at the seams. One of my ash trees that is getting removed soon has 4 trunks, each at least 14” in diameter, and stands about 35’ tall. That should provide some good wood for next winter.
As for my comment about New Englanders, the thought of paying for wood with a credit card seems kind of sacrilegious. Then again, in todays economy where people are turning to cards just to meet monthly bills and buy groceries, accepting cards is probably a pretty good marketing tool for these guys. I wonder if there is a correlation between gas/fuel prices and new memberships signups for hearth.com That would be pretty cool…
If I may be so bold as to remind our forum members? There is no heat like wood heat. Unlike what we used to use,the cyclying on and off , where you were shivering one hour and sweating the next from the furnace-remember that? If you are running a stove or insert, you have a nice supply of continous heat that is easily adjustable. So, yes we can gripe about the price of csd going to 200 or 250,but keep in mind it is more-or-less continuous and far more comfortable, and yep. still a bargain.
And there is no doubt it will always be far less expensive than the alternatives (barring coal).. Besides, it will make ya live a little longer expending that energy,bucking,splitting, stacking,etc.
$195 cord oak split and delivered $8 delivery charge, less than 5 miles. No discount on multiple cord purchase. 6-15 miles delivery $15 delirery charge
Not too bad for oak split and delivered to my driveway, in my opinion. Probably go with them once I get a new car.
I’ve been burning (and cutting my own wood) wood since ‘77 and having a lot of work experience I can tell you there’s no harder work than harvesting, cutting, and splitting wood.
That being said I make it easy on my self and I’m totally down with it but if I had to do it for a living...I wouldn’t. Those guys that deliver and sell wood...deserve every penny they get for it. It’s the hardest work you’ll ever do...but it so rewarding in the winter time. I like it, it’s a manly pursuit, but truthfully I may be mental...I dunno.
When I first moved out here I could buy wood for $15 a face cord...just say’en.
$195 cord oak split and delivered $8 delivery charge, less than 5 miles. No discount on multiple cord purchase. 6-15 miles delivery $15 delirery charge
Not too bad for oak split and delivered to my driveway, in my opinion. Probably go with the monce I get a new car.
Got a nice load of elm last night. FREE
Pine is more than that out here for a cord. Oak is 350-400
That would be pretty cool…
