Willow: Worth the haul?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
V

vwboomer

Member
Dec 5, 2008
84
wisconsin
A guy at work has a brother that takes down trees for $ in his spare time. Upcoming he's got a huge willow some chump is paying him $1000 to take down - but he's got to haul everything away.
It's just going to get dumped in a corner on the farm since my coworker won't burn it in his OWB.
I know it's not great, but would you think it's worth it to haul a couple loads 40min each way? Right now my stash for next year consists of about 1cord of ash and 1 cord of willow. I'd like to save room for good wood if I can scrounge it, but it IS free.

FYI it's not worth it to buy wood for me. Even at the $125 I got my first cord of elm/ash for. That lasted me about 6 weeks, but gas is cheap enough that I think I can heat the house for 2 months for less than, or around, 125.
 
If you can heat your home for 60 bucks a month, I'd say its not worth it to burn at all...especially not worth it to go after sub par wood in a place like Wisconsin with all the good hardwoods you have to choose from... just my 2 cents.
 
Free is always good . . . but as you have mentioned willow isn't very highly regarded . . . burns up fast, good for starting the fire or Spring/Fall burning. I'm thinking only you can decide if driving over an hour and using up that gas for wood that may take up valuable storage/stacking space is worth the time and money . . . some folks would do it since wood is wood . . . others would say the time and money spent on gas wouldn't be worth it.
 
That's true as some will take whatever they can get. For myself, it would not be worth the time and dollar to get it home. It is about as poor of wood as you'll find. But, if you are desperate....
 
6o bucks a month on gas thats the way i would go!
 
Most of me thinks to let him drop it on his farm and let it rot - but there's part that hates to pass up free stuff! I'll probably decline, except maybe for a truckload to split for kindling.

The $60/month for heating is a guess. I've only been in this house since November and have used wood almost exclusively unless I wanted a quick bump in temp or when I was on vacation. The first full month's bill from Nov - Dec was $16 - $11 of which was meter charges. Probably 2/3 of this month is going to be gas since I haven't much wood left - Then we'll see. I just can't understand people paying $200-250 for cords of wood for heating! Granted, my woodstove/furnace is about as inefficient as you can get, but I've decided it doesn't pay for me to upgrade to a newer wood furnace even if it's only $800 - except as a convienence issue.
Being only a 1250sqft brick ranch does have it's benefits!

BUt if anyone else wants it in Wisconsin, it's near Eden and I'm sure he'd be willing to let someone else take it.
 
vwboomer said:
Most of me thinks to let him drop it on his farm and let it rot - but there's part that hates to pass up free stuff! I'll probably decline, except maybe for a truckload to split for kindling.

The $60/month for heating is a guess. I've only been in this house since November and have used wood almost exclusively unless I wanted a quick bump in temp or when I was on vacation. The first full month's bill from Nov - Dec was $16 - $11 of which was meter charges. Probably 2/3 of this month is going to be gas since I haven't much wood left - Then we'll see. I just can't understand people paying $200-250 for cords of wood for heating! Granted, my woodstove/furnace is about as inefficient as you can get, but I've decided it doesn't pay for me to upgrade to a newer wood furnace even if it's only $800 - except as a convienence issue.
Being only a 1250sqft brick ranch does have it's benefits!

BUt if anyone else wants it in Wisconsin, it's near Eden and I'm sure he'd be willing to let someone else take it.
Click to expand...
willow like cotton wood and it smells bad when you splitt it.Good for camp fires and shoulder season if you low on wood
 
I would pass on the Willow its Poor Quality unless thats all you can Get. Have you tried Craigslist ? Look under free stuff,just type in Firewood.

Your bound to get some better wood.
 
Yup been lookin on CL since I moved in. Plenty of people willing to let me clean up their woods and pay for it, or sell me cords for $200. Nothing free so far. Know what they say. If someone wants it, must be worth something. One guy was even nice enough to email me and tell me to take free furniture to burn the wood.
Another guy at work has 17acres just outside of town that he'll probably let me clean out for nothing since his dad is going in a home. Dunno how much is down/dead there but it's free and close.
 
It takes a while sometimes to score on Craigslist. But i have several times Last year . I'd definitely be going over to the Co-workers Place and gettin me some wood.

Ask him if you can take out the dead standing timber and the not so bad stuff on the Ground. Id try to get as much as he would allow. Sounds like this could be a sweet deal for Ya.
 
40 minutes drive is too far to go for free willow ...and I like willow.
 
I wouldn't burn willow if it were cut, split and delivered. Produces no heat at all. Don't waste your time or gasoline.
 
That is the stinkenest wood I ever did burn long ago and never again. Unless of-corse it was the last tree on earth.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
Novelist asks: how long to cut 20 cords of wood?
Replies
24
Views
3K
The Wood Shed
MatthewMaryland
M
MNtreewood
2 Months in with a new Ashford 30.2
Replies
0
Views
1K
Blaze King
MNtreewood
MNtreewood
Ashful
Our year in review
Replies
20
Views
1K
The Inglenook
Ashful
Ashful
G
My wood heat story
Replies
12
Views
3K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
Lizzinator
Cord Price Spike: Bloomberg News
Replies
6
Views
2K
The Wood Shed
Lizzinator
Lizzinator
Top Bottom
Back