Why do people wait so late to buy/cut wood

[Grisu]

Actually, many people here seem to know the difference between seasoned and green wood judging from the wood stacks in their yards. Nevertheless, I found that touting dry wood as much safer to operate due to less risk of chimney fires usually yields only a shrug. However, when I mention that dry wood is much more efficient which means I have to cut and split considerably less people start to listen. Thriftiness and laziness are just too powerful.

 

[swagler85]

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."

Some of what you process may be ready next year the faster seasoning like ash and maple should be good if stacked for a year

 

[Mr A]

It's the way it's been done for years.
Don't know that it better to do it another way & have dry wood saves money & burns cleaner.
Don't take the time to educate themselves on something so simple as fire wood.

Some are so set in their ways, that learning something new is impossible.
Try to explain it to them, they get huffy & done it that way forever, not going to change now

Why?
Most don't know that there are several benefits to burning dry wood.
Don't know that wood cut in Sept/Oct is not dry.
If they knew & understood, most would change. Then wood sellers would have to change too

Yep, it's the way a lot of people do it. Inexperience, ignorance. So many burn green wood, we now have mandatory no burn days for home fireplaces, imposed by the bureaucracy.

 

[BrotherBart]

For twenty years I cut, hauled and split hardwoods in the spring and summer and burned it that season. Thanks to a former mod, Eric Johnson I am now burning three and four year old stuff. It started out with just trying to dry the stuff for a year. But Eric convinced me that you have to have at least that second year in case something jumps up that keeps you from cutting for a year. I don't know how many times I ran out of wood in March and was out in the snow cutting downed stuff to stack by the stove to get it dry enough to light.

My neighbors all still do it that way. One that heats exclusively with wood is splitting this years stuff this week. Same as for the last 30 years.

 

[osagebow]

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....

Did you get a lot of damage Red? We didn't over here in Mount Jackson. Met your buddy Ailanthus - great guy.

 

[red oak]

Did you get a lot of damage Red? We didn't over here in Mount Jackson. Met your buddy Ailanthus - great guy.

National Forest has trees down everywhere - close to the road and some huge oaks. On my property I had about 10 trees down, no property damage though. Wind was the fiercest I've ever seen back this way.