Price of Gasser Wood?

SmokeEater said:

This may be one of the dumbest ideas I’ve come up with, but I’d like to cut and split beech and air dry it under cover to as near to 20% MC as I can and advertise it to sell as “Gasser Wood”. I’d take my MC moisture meter out to the buyers and demo the actual moisture content before anyone buys. Here in NY new laws prohibit selling OWB that aren’t gassers (and only certain ones). If I could sell 30 to 40 face cords or so, I’d be able to buy all the pellets I’d need for the season, but don’t know what a fair price to ask would be?? I already have 30 big beech down a year and ready to skid out and buck up. Any ideas?

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Just add up your cost of operation and go with that. I have to think that after spending a winter with a Phase II gasser trying to digest unseasoned wood, most people would happily pay a pretty good price for seasoned fuel that was truly 20%MC inside and not just on the surface.

I don't think its dumb at all. I think you can get around $175- $200/ cord.
Down here it averages about $200/cord delivered (stacking extra)
In fact I was thinking the same thing. I can get all the free rounds I want(Oak, maple, locust, cherry).. My friend owns a tree company and doesn't process firewood.
I have a timberwolf TW5 splitter and can split about 4 cord a day easily and another day to stack it. I think if I did it full time 6 days a week that would be 12 cord at $200=$2400 a week.
Do that for 40 weeks hummmmm thats $96,000 a year. not to shabby. The problem is where do i store 480 cord and would I have the customers to buy it.

Around here it is $120 a crd split and delivered.

Maybe a bit less for longer lengths, but those with OWB's buy log lengths or gather themselves.

Como said:

Around here it is $120 a crd split and delivered.

Maybe a bit less for longer lengths, but those with OWB's buy log lengths or gather themselves.

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Would that be mostly softwood David?

Not unusual to get $200/cord for truly seasoned hardwood here. There are plenty around here that pay $150 for wood advertised as seasoned but it really isn't if you consider seasoned wood to be around 20% mc.
The local market will dictate what you can get.

I THINK your onto a good business plan with this. One local advertises dry wood ( at premium price). I had just installed by gasser and didn have my own supply built up, so I bought some. He gets here and is dumping the load...so I ask him when it was cut. He said today. He said since it was cherry its dry to begin with. I got a moisture meter at that point and believe it or not it was near 20% at the ends but Im sure it was not in the middle. anyway..I think honest dry wood would be a big seller in this new age of gassers.

just checked yesterdays "free trader" a guy is advertising dry wood at $80 a face cord...65 for not dry. at 16" length you need three to make a cord. thats $240 for a full cord. Seems pretty high, and who knows if its really dry or not. seems its been that price for awhile so maybe its working for him.

I wood cut it the most common denominator of all stoves (which seems to be 16-18) and not just limit yourself to sales to gassers by cutting it to long. Hold your wood till January and sell it for a premium. I also woodn't cut any odd custom lengths unless it's prepaid or you can burn it yourself. Theres nothing worse than working twice for the same cord.

I wouldn't buy 16" wood for mine unless I was desperate. If they are paying more for dry wood I guess they are desperate and will probably buy the short stuff. I like 24" - 28.." From the the business side I would cut most 16" and some 24" .

MY profab unit likes long rounds...and it actually does not perform as well with say two 16 inch lengths due to the location of the vents to the classifications chamber. and it takes much less time to load it with proper lengths... I would advise cutting a couple of sizes for options. The profab is fairly popular here in upstate NY

If you're in a pinch and need really well seasoned wood, you're not gonna gripe about a little too short. I'd stick to the 16/18 inch lengths. Remember the new EPA complaint stoves need well seasoned wood too. IMO, if you've dried it to 20% or less, $200 is the lowest i would go. especially if it's good high quality/btu wood. Like the beech you're talking about.

Here a full cord runs from $150 to $ 200. split and dumped in your yard. Its all soft wood . once in a while you can find madrone. $300 a cord though

I think there are a LOT more people with EPA stoves than gassing boilers - so I'd tend to cut more so to stove lengths, at least at first.