How We Get Our Firewood

This year has been a mix . . . I started out grabbing pallets and cutting them up before deciding that this was a lot of work. At the same time I began cleaning up my property by taking down a bunch of standing dead elms (most with the bark falling off) and some other dead trees. Lately, I've been working over on my father's property -- concentrating on some maple tops my brother cut last winter and ash (which I figure should be seasoned enough by late winter or if my supply holds out it will be the start of next year's stash.) I've also grabbed some softwood slabs from my brother when he cut up some lumber a year or so back.

As for next year . . . all wood (well maybe some slabs) off the family property. My brother cut back some trees along the field and I am slowly and surely cutting and splitting them up for next year's wood supply.

We cut firewood in our own woods every winter. That is our winter exercise. However, we no longer split it the old way but use a hydraulic splitter. So far we have about a 7 year supply all cut, split and stacked.

Yesterday I was looking around in the woods at the ash trees. It is amazing how many have new sprouts coming out from about 4' to 12' feet up on the trunks. They are trying to save themselves from the borer but are losing that battle. Guess what we'll be cutting the next few years...

Normally get a grapple (15-20 trees for $250 delivered) and process myself. But this year there are none to be had w/ the downturn in economy and home construction. So more scrounging this year as well as knocking down large oaks on my property that were diseased or infested.

With either method, I process it myself

I'm 3 years a head so I try to restock what I burn at some during the year. I try to get wood services to
drop the wood off at my house and pay them 30-50$ for their trouble. I buget @ 200 a year for wood.

For years I have cleaned up fallen limbs and trees, and cleaned field edges from dead or overhanging trees. Now I have no shortage on wood, just time.

If I only cut up the dead down stuff close to the house I could probably heat 3-4 households indefinitely. According to our county extension agent, a 10 acre hardwood lot should be able to heat a normal household forever.

Harvest/scrounge for me.

Put me down as a hybrid... get 1-2 cords pre-split a season and then scrouge as much as possible. Last season I probably got 3/4 cord scrouging. Just yesterday I picked up about a 1/4 cord of oak 14"-28" rounds on the side of the road and they're taking down 10 more trees today and Monday. I'm psyched! I might end up with 1-2 more cords of oak. So give that stuff a solid 1-2 yrs to season and I'll be sitting pretty.

For someone who pays $250/cord seasoned 2 yrs and $190/cord green finding free hardwood is like hitting the lottery!

We harvest backyard trees in the fall (oct-dec) when they're dormant then stage up the logs for early spring bucking and splitting. Over the winter (dec-feb)we'll cut dead trees and try and split 'em on site if the weather is favorable. We use to do everything at once now everything is done in stages a little bit at a time...no more all day projects, once you're a couple years ahead the pressure is off. Harvesting is the only wood gathering activity that I may work longer than 1hr a day on wood...but then again sometimes I take a big ash in 35min so I suppose it evens out. Thankfully a lot of the drudgery has been removed, harvesting remains the biggest chore but if you can do 1 tree a day for 25 days then that's as far as harvesting goes.

Has anyone tried freecycle? A yahoo group where people offer things that they don't need or want for free! I have gotten 5 apple trees and another big something or other just in the last couple of weeks. Have chain saw will travel. Most areas have a freecycle group available. Just google "freecycle".

Call a tree service and wait for the free log drop, them get busy. Scrounge a little if I have the room to store.

Used to do all scrounging. Made a connection & now have logs dropped next to my wood pile. Only little bit of a disadvantage is I can't chose what gets dropped off. Sometimes it ends up
being buggy. That gets stacked in separate piles. I then burn that in the workshop with the wood being carried straight in & into the stove. I've got about 11 cords of good stuff all stacked
away now.
Al

I have bought all of my wood c/s/d this year at $175 per cord, 4 cord all red oak. I can get wood unprocessed at $80-100 if I want and perhaps I will for next year. Don't think that $175 is that bad, considering oil prices and man hours involved in processing. At $175 csd, I am way up as far as I am concerned at wont change if it is the same next year.

Well I told my tree service friend that I'm full up for this season (about 8 weeks ago) and 'thanks but no thanks' to any more.

Well today while I was on a business trip to South Jersey my cell phone rings... it's him... "I have a load of oak and maple, it's very clean... you want it?"

me... "OK" (I just can't seem to say no...)

So I have another ~1.5 cord of wood (already cut to size) sitting in my driveway to split.

Well, it's either firewood for the neighbors or an early start on next year.

I went c/s/d this year at about $60 a face cord. Bought it in April and then got antsy just in case I don't get to the woods this winter and bought a second load from another dealer in August for next year. Thought it wouldn't hurt to get on two dealers' lists of previous customers. My knees aren't too good so I'm not sure how much I'm going to want to cut down in the swamp working alone.

Then this weekend I poked my nose into the granary where I stored the leftovers from the wood house that I cleaned out five years ago and was gratified to see at least a cord and a half in there that just needs to be split. That wood is about 30 years old, so do you think it needs any more seasoning?

Here's a pic:

We get it the old fashioned way, We Steal It...Just kidding folks, bought some 4 cord and scavenged the rest...and am still on the prowl....Grrrreer

I wood say mostly beech but still a nice WAD of wood! YOU SCORED!

Give the man a cigar! A little closer "look-see" reviles that there's beech in that pile too. We'll see what other treasures we find once the splitting starts.

I'm starting to feel like a "wood whore".... I'm up to my eyeballs in wood at this point. :grrr:

You're free to change the name in your avatar if you wish. LOL

If you got that wood free ,you should look into buying the lot next door and demo'ing the house just so your tree man has a place to dump! LOL

burn kiln dried hardwood scraps from work (free)

I can't believe you had that dropped in your yard like that for free Very envious!

I have only 2 acres- 1.5 is wooded. I've cut off this property for 6 years and there's nary a dent in the foliage- some large trees that were shading the property were 1.5 - 2 cord, so a couple that had to come down are a year's wood!

I'm clearing a bit in the woods and planting in- making some light, leaving some big logs to rot, trying some forestry management.

Vic99 and I have a plan for a bunch of wood coming up... may post as it develops.

I'm splitting it right now and giving it to a family that could use help making ends meet.

What a prince of a guy. People like you are few and far apart. You are a true humanitarian.