Why do people wait so late to buy/cut wood

[jdp1152]

Most people don't burn in a stove or insert, but rather an open fireplace. Plenty of oxygen, but stacked logs create enough airflow that you can get a crackling, yet hissing fire. For many, it's not about heat, it's about ambiance.

 

[nate379]

I'd rather work on processing wood in the summer... 65-70*, near 24 hrs of daylight, bird singing, all sorts of woods smells.

Dealing with wood now... it's 25-30* at best, windy, dark. Real fun I tell you

 

[Tuneighty]

I'm still looking for one more cord. This is my first year burning. While i have started collecting for the future. I just moved into this place this year, have no idea how much i need, but i do know what i have will not be burned this year. I do have oil back up if necessary.

 

[tlc1976]

With all the free wood from something like Sandy, it'd only be smart to get it while it's available. No problems lettting it sit around for a couple years or whatever to season. I burn mine that way, the pile is first in first out and most of what I get in a summer gets burned a year and a half later.

Also it is so much nicer to work on wood later in the year when it is cooler. Even if you buy the wood, you have to stack it which is still a lot of work for most. I split all mine by hand too. Thankfully it's not as much as many need. I go through about 6 face cord a year, which is 2 full cord.

But I also agree that there are a lot of procrastinators out there.

 

[Seanm]

I picked up 3 truck loads of half green and half dried beatle kill lodgepole pine the other day. One truck load was 5' long peck_r poles which i stacked in the forest behind the house until spring and the other 2 truck loads will be split and stacked in my yard for burning next winter. The city was doing fire reduction here so I was able to back my truck up to the piles and load up. The guy bringing the wood out of the bush even helped me load my truck! It took each truck load less than 15 minutes to load (stacked not tossed), 5 minutes to drive home and another 15 to unload it. Nice and quick and already bucked up. I was talking to someone walking by and they mentioned it was likely green wood. I said yes but it was easy and would be burned next year. It feels nice to not be out looking for 20% mc wood this time of year!

 

[OhioBurner©]

If I had 20 dollars for every load of wood that I have seen go past my house since the first of october I would be very rich. I sit back off the road not far and every load that has went by I can tell its green. I'm sure those are some of the trees that sandy knocked down. I have cut and been around enough dry wood to know what it looks like even from far away. Sure would hate to be on the receiving end of all that wood. I guess people don't realize the benifit of truly dry(seasoned) wood

So your not even giving folks the benefit of any doubt? With all the wood sandy knocked down of course folks are going to go get it. Think the people with 'free wood' ads on craigslist are going to want to buck split and stack it for a year before selling it? So if you want to get the good deals its going to be green. Your just assuming their idiots that are going to burn it right away. Probably some are, but as others have said above, you'll see me hauling green wood this time of year too. And I'm not planning on burning it this year. Ok, well since I didnt get a full year ahead some of the standing dead timber might get burned at the tail end of the season...

 

['bert]

People wait because they have not had the fortune that we have had - to have a chance to meet Dennis!! (even if only virtually)

 

[nola mike]

I'm probably in the minority, but I'm limited by space. Right now I have about 2.7 cords, which I'm hoping will be a 3 yr supply. If I get any more, I'll probably end up divorced or fined by the city

 

[TomB]

Everyone should remember: Today's biggest work saver is TOMORROW.

 

[XJma]

When someone is living paycheck wheter by choice or by cicumstances, buying wood isnt important until they start getting cold and realize they cant affrod to fill the oil tank. I my area, there was only one dealer listing firewood until things started cooling down. Now there are three advertisers and at least they are all honest and selling it green. The other reason is that some of the dealers work seasonally and once the tourist head out of town they are out of work until ski season starts up so fireqood is a cash job to add to their weekly unemployment checks.

I do a lot of cutting this time of year, the leaves are off, no bugs and the ground is dry, of course its for next year but to someone who didnt know they would think I was filling up this years pile.

I hear that. Wish I could afford to have a boatload of wood delivered, but I can't. I have three people that sell firewood year round on my road, has to be 1/4 of people in town have a bin selling wood out by the road

Despite just losing my job and my free access to an F250 to haul wood, I'll be in pretty good shape in three years

 

[clemsonfor]

If I had 20 dollars for every load of wood that I have seen go past my house since the first of october I would be very rich. I sit back off the road not far and every load that has went by I can tell its green. I'm sure those are some of the trees that sandy knocked down. I have cut and been around enough dry wood to know what it looks like even from far away. Sure would hate to be on the receiving end of all that wood. I guess people don't realize the benifit of truly dry(seasoned) wood

or could it be people like me who start cutting seriously this time of year for the next years? True most don't burn really seasoned wood including myself (just not 2 yrs ahead yet) but another year getting 2 yrs worth of wood and I will be 2 yrs ahead.

 

[stejus]

I have green wood delivered in late fall (now). I do this because I just moved 4 cords into the shed and this opens up room for more wood to come in. Basically, 4 cord in the shed to burn this winter, 12 cords outside drying. Wood is three years seasoned before moving to shed.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I would wonder how many folks would think badly of me. After all, we start cutting firewood in December! Well, I don't really wonder because we live on a dead end road and cut on our own land so nobody else even sees it. But the wood we cut this winter will be in the stacks for probably 5-7 years. We never wonder if our wood is ready to burn or not; we know it is fine.

 

[red oak]

If I had 20 dollars for every load of wood that I have seen go past my house since the first of october I would be very rich. I sit back off the road not far and every load that has went by I can tell its green. I'm sure those are some of the trees that sandy knocked down. I have cut and been around enough dry wood to know what it looks like even from far away. Sure would hate to be on the receiving end of all that wood. I guess people don't realize the benifit of truly dry(seasoned) wood

If you lived near me, you would've seen 9 truck loads of green oak come to my house in the last 3 weeks. All of it is Sandy damage. This oak is for 2015, I just want to get it before someone else does. So when I see the loads of wood go by this time of year, I tell myself everyone else is planning ahead too....

 

[BoilerMan]

I think hope the same thing. You know some of those truckloads are stove bound this winter, and some are stack bound for winters to come. I love cutting now and into the snow-season. No bugs, sap, and much less sweat, but the same amount of heat!

TS

 

[save$]

Burned wood for 15 years. Wood I got was cut that year before the leaves came on. Never able to get a year ahead. 4 kids, garden and other bills never allowed for me to be a year ahead. Kept my chimney clean by brushing it it two or three times during the burning season.

 

[nate379]

You guys are tougher than me to be cutting wood in the middle of winter.

I spent a good part of this past week and weekend unloading my trailer and cording wood. A job that would have taken me MAYBE a day in the summer.
Between having to put on 5 layers of clothes, trying to handle wood with thick gloves on and then fighting to get the darn lawn mower to start (use it to pull my cart from my driveway to the back yard).. .and coming in to warm up every hour or so, not a whole lot of actual work gets done!
And it's still fairly warm here, got up to 16* today.

Other than the bugs, I'd rather mess with firewood in the summer. Granted normal summer temps are usually in the 60s-70s.

 

[MofoG23]

I can't believe so many people think any wood hauled in the fall is going to be burned this winter. I can assure you all, if you see a 1976 K20 in Western PA driving around with a full load of wood in the back, its for NEXT SEASON or even the year after. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but the fall is the best time to process wood for me...been there, done that bucking wood in 90+ degree temps as well as below zero temps. I'll pass and process my wood Oct - Dec....

Now that's not to discount the topic at hand...yes, there are still too many people who buck and split in the fall then burn it a couple months later...only to wonder why they have problems.

 

[LLigetfa]

You guys are tougher than me to be cutting wood in the middle of winter...

LOL

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. When I worked out in the bush, I used to turn down Summer work if my bank account permitted it. Always prefer to work in Winter.

Did I ever mention that I hate to sweat?

 

[save$]

Buurrr! Biting cold, or sweating hot with bugs bites. Just add to the list why we now burn pellets. Not to mention that I might tip over while trying to pick something up! We do miss the crackle of the wood, and the security of having heat during power outages. I'm just happy not being dependent on oil.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Hey late fall and winter is wood handling time that way it heats you many times over.

 

[peakbagger]

I just wish I could get at my wood spot in the winter, its very steep long dirt road and once it gets snow or ice on it, I am done for the winter unless I want to walk in snowshoes (I do walk in the late winter and drop a few before the sap get flowing).

 

[firefighterjake]

Hey late fall and winter is wood handling time that way it heats you many times over.

Fall . . . sure.

Winter . . . no . . . I'm too "busy" riding the sled every other weekend.

 

[DTrain]

Well for me, I just didn't know what I didn't know. I moved in to the new house in sept. of 2011 and had 4 days no power in October and only a natural fire place. We burned in it but sat against the back of the chimney in the attached sun room to keep warm. Ordered a truck loads of rounds in November. Was told that if I split now that I'd be good to go next season. I processed the wood. All green oak by the way. Bought stove in April. Got another truck load of logs processed that and thought I was ready to rock. Turns out the fine folks at hearth.com forums learned me a couple facts about the wood I have and now realize its at least a season away. So I bought a load today. It is good stuff at the eye test. And am burning now. Seems alright. But now I know what I process green this winter is not for next fall, but likely the fall after that.

My mother always said "experience is what you get, when you didn't get what you wanted the first time."

 

[schlot]

May not all be procrastinators...I'm cutting/splitting to replenish the racks that are/will be empty because I'm burning the dry stuff on them now. The new stuff won't burn until 14/15.