Worst price for a cord of wood

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Oww My Back Hurts

Oww My Back Hurts

Member
Feb 26, 2013
79
Minnesota
I've got about 18 cords of firewood drying in my stacks but none dry enough to burn yet. So I've been looking around for somewhere I can buy dry firewood for this winter. I've been looking on craigslist and can tell that most of the stuff people are selling isn't really dry. But I've found a few places selling guaranteed dry wood. I've called 3 different places, asking for a quote on 3 cords of firewood, delivered.

The first quoted me $2000 ($666 per cord)
The second was $1500 ($500 per cord)
The third was $1050 ($350 per cord)

Each is for a mix of oak, ash, and maple.

Has anyone here ever seen someone asking that much per cord? If nothing else, it's really motivated me to keep stockpiling wood myself I guess
 
Ouch is all i can say. Picking up a full cord of mixed soft wood and hard wood for $95 bucks in 2 days. Simi seasoned, lol.
 
I've seen some similar prices advertised, and it no longer surprises me now that I have a better understanding if what it takes to produce dry firewood. In my area, and I'm sure in many others, firewood-appropriate trees are practically free. What you're paying for when you buy firewood is not an unwanted tree, but rather a bunch of labor, time, risk, machinery, energy and land. Drying the wood before delivery requires a lot more of those resources. The nearer you are to a thriving city where land and labor are expensive, the more expensive firewood will be.
 
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I would have trouble letting any of my 3yr CSS hardwood for even the top price. There are a lot of labor intense hours in that stack. Now the 4-5 cord of bucked logs piled out back that I cut this winter could go for price #2

I have said it before and likely will again - I have no clue how anyone MAKES money selling firewood. The math just doesn't add up for me. Or how anyone can complain when a truck load of semi dry CS oak is delivered for 150-200 a cord. In my opinion that is stealing.
 
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Look for dead standing elm with no bark. Often this is ready to burn and is free?
 
BobUrban said:
I have no clue how anyone MAKES money selling firewood.
Click to expand...

For many tree services, I suspect it's just a cheaper way of disposing of the trees they cut down and haul away for homeowners; the firewood operation may lose money, but it's better than the alternative of paying to dump the stuff. But of course the economics of it will vary a lot from place to place.
 
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Agreed Jon - I did not consider getting PAID to actually take the trees down and this certainly effects the economics of the equation making the selling price more palatable. Good call
 
I have two tree service guys in my neighborhood. one has his shop near by. He makes money on firewood. The key is he does not stack it, he uses a hay conveyor belt and piles the wood about 25ft high, lets it sit for a year then sells it. Around here most of the tree services sell wood for 200 a full cord, but we have had alot of storms over the last 3 years and wood (ash oak and maple) is very easy to come by. They charge to haul off the wood so that is why i think they make $ on selling it as firewood.
 
I paid $270 delivered recently for truly seasoned firewood; normally it's around 250.

I can understand people charging as high as 500-600 based on all the reasons shared on this thread. However, there is a point where the price becomes prohibitive. I think at 500 per cord most people are probably at a break even point (or close) to heating with oil. At 600 I think most people would be paying more to heat with wood than gas or oil.

Regardless, the law of supply and demand will work wonders.
 
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Oww My Back Hurts said:
I've got about 18 cords of firewood drying in my stacks but none dry enough to burn yet. So I've been looking around for somewhere I can buy dry firewood for this winter. I've been looking on craigslist and can tell that most of the stuff people are selling isn't really dry. But I've found a few places selling guaranteed dry wood. I've called 3 different places, asking for a quote on 3 cords of firewood, delivered.

The first quoted me $2000 ($666 per cord)
The second was $1500 ($500 per cord)
The third was $1050 ($350 per cord)

Each is for a mix of oak, ash, and maple.

Has anyone here ever seen someone asking that much per cord? If nothing else, it's really motivated me to keep stockpiling wood myself I guess
Click to expand...
IMAG0169.jpg Elm can be pretty valuable in a situation like yours. IMAG0170.jpg This was standing dead yesterday. Now it is helping me get through this cold snap that was depleting my wood supply faster than expected. Scored along the Cannon river not far from Northfield. Yah, there are many more varieties of wood with higher btu values, but it is keeping me warm.:)
 
Out of 18 cords, do you have any that would be as good as what you're trying to buy?
 
kjahnz said:
View attachment 122443 Elm can be pretty valuable in a situation like yours. View attachment 122444 This was standing dead yesterday. Now it is helping me get through this cold snap that was depleting my wood supply faster than expected. Scored along the Cannon river not far from Northfield. Yah, there are many more varieties of wood with higher btu values, but it is keeping me warm.:)
Click to expand...
Wow that is interesting. Is there something about elm that makes it dry better while standing? Or would the same be true for other types of wood too
 
Those prices are insane. Dont be afraid to burn wood you cut this year...my wood is never older than 10 months. I'm into the stacks that were live standing trees this past spring and it's as dry as can be.
 
Yeah you could pay a sweep once a month all winter instead of paying that for wood. On the cost side around here when development is going strong I could have this place buried in free logs if I had a turn around for the trucks. The dump fees are nasty for those guys here. They of course get it from the builders but if they can get rid of the stuff they can pocket the dumb fees.
 
MJFlores said:
Those prices are insane. Dont be afraid to burn wood you cut this year...my wood is never older than 10 months. I'm into the stacks that were live standing trees this past spring and it's as dry as can be.
Click to expand...
You would just get more heat output if you let your stacks season longer. They burn. Wet sponge eventually burns, but you are correct. You probably can't buy wood better than what he has available.
 
Oww My Back Hurts said:
Wow that is interesting. Is there something about elm that makes it dry better while standing? Or would the same be true for other types of wood too
Click to expand...

good question:rolleyes: Do you have any standing dead Oak for me to do a comparison with?
 
Oww My Back Hurts said:
I've got about 18 cords of firewood drying in my stacks but none dry enough to burn yet. So I've been looking around for somewhere I can buy dry firewood for this winter. I've been looking on craigslist and can tell that most of the stuff people are selling isn't really dry. But I've found a few places selling guaranteed dry wood. I've called 3 different places, asking for a quote on 3 cords of firewood, delivered.

The first quoted me $2000 ($666 per cord)
The second was $1500 ($500 per cord)
The third was $1050 ($350 per cord)

Each is for a mix of oak, ash, and maple.

Has anyone here ever seen someone asking that much per cord? If nothing else, it's really motivated me to keep stockpiling wood myself I guess
Click to expand...

You're going to have to change your name to "Oww My Wallet Hurts" if you buy any of that
 
Maybe they are a subsidiary of ExxonMobil
 
kjahnz said:
good question:rolleyes: Do you have any standing dead Oak for me to do a comparison with?
Click to expand...

I really like dead standing red oak. They dont seem to rot like other trees. The bark falls off and then they dry in the wind really nice. Many times I've cut them down and burned some that same day...no hissing, great heat, etc. I'll take dead standing oak all day long.
 
Oak will dry standing. My uncle took down an oak that was dead standing for about 10 to 15 years. It was perfect firewood ready to burn (17% moisture).
 
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