Firewood for sale

[Skier76]

Since becoming a wood burner (again), I've become a lot more "in tune" to stuff relating to burning wood. The one thing I've noticed in the last few weeks are the number of outfits (landscaping places, tree services ect) that are currently processing wood. I know in theory that people could be buying for next year, but I have a feeling for 99% of the sales, that's not the case. Now I probably shouldn't talk because I bought wood back in July/August..and that's not exactly a long time to sit stacked to dry out. However, getting wood that's been split this week...to burn in a few weeks just seems really silly.

 

[jfournier]

Yeah I've called around a lot and had people tell me that they have log length (oak) that was cut and left in log length for a year (probably less in reality) and they'll cut it to order and split it and it'll be good to go. So I think if people don't know better they'll just believe the crap the firewood dealers try to tell them.

 

[SPED]

Yeah they definitely come out of the woodwork around here at this time of year, I see 5x the ads I saw a month ago. Makes scrounging near impossible here as well, as people are out getting anything they can to burn this year.

About a mile from my house, on a road I drive on at least a few times a week, I noticed some logs dropped off back around May. I saw a month or two ago they were cut to length. Two weekends ago I saw an older gentleman out splitting them with a homemade gas splitter. The following Monday he had some stacked in face cords with a big sign that said seasoned firewood for sale.

 

[LLigetfa]

I think those guys truly believe that leaving a log sit for a year is seasoned. Kind of like hanging beef to age.

 

[Skier76]

Letting a log sit for a year and thinking it's seasoned is kinda like putting a few wet towels in the dryer without turning it on...and expecting the towels to be fluffy and dry a few days later. :lol:

 

[billb3]

If it weren't for auto delivery, oil burners would be checking thier tank levels this time of year, too.

 

[gpcollen1]

Besides the guys splitting and delivering, there are some folks who are splitting for sale next year for sure.

 

[rdust]

I have a buddy that burns, I talked to him the other day and asked if he had his wood yet. He said no, he was going to buy it soon. I told him most of my wood was only cut/split this spring but will still be better then what he gets when buying it now. I told him to buy his wood and if it was green come over and take some of mine and I'd swap his fresh wood with my somewhat seasoned wood. He has an old smoke dragon though so it'll probably burn anything he puts in it.

 

[n3pro]

Yes mega increase in the "firewood for Sale" this time of year, and the guy who I have been getting my wood from typically has short supply around this time because of that. I don't have a big yard but I moved a cord to the small wood racks that I got for christmas two years ago (since then it's been 65 degrees during the day so hope critters aren't a problem) and ordered another load to put where this came out of. I had 5 cords so I think if I keep the move a cord get a cord I can keep a head of the seasoning game. I have about a 1/3 cord from scrounging.

Also it's funny being a wood burner I never looked at chimneys or for wood piles before, now I take notice. Seems there are a few places I go by on a daily basis that always has steam (white and dissipates quick) so my assumption is they are one of the many who buy now, burn now, chimney fire later.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I just got back home a bit ago and noticed a fellow a couple miles from us just getting started bucking up his winter's supply of firewood. He has a nice fresh stack in his yard, freshly cut....white oak.

The selling signs are popping up around here too but most are about $30 per cord less than last year.

 

[runandjump]

Letting a log sit for a year and thinking it's seasoned is kinda like putting a few wet towels in the dryer without turning it on...and expecting the towels to be fluffy and dry a few days later. :lol:

+1 Or moldy!! ;-P

 

[albertj03]

I know a guy who built his own wood stove, more like a furnace the thing is a monster. He's a welder/fabricator by trade and has been heating with this stove in his basement for years and years. This guy will cut red oak in October/November and burn it that season. He's been doing it for years and years and his house is always nice and warm. I've always wondered how he gets away with it. Maybe he cleans his chimney every other month or maybe the stove is so big the coal heat is so intense it burns off the moisture before it can deposit in the chimney as creosote.

 

[smokinj]

most people that sell firewood dont have the resources it takes to season wood for 2 years and it doesnt bring anymore money.

 

[LLigetfa]

The selling signs are popping up around here too but most are about $30 per cord less than last year.

I doubt I will ever see cord prices go back down to $70 around here. I was paying that 11 years ago.

 

[Spikem]

The selling signs are popping up around here too but most are about $30 per cord less than last year.

I doubt I will ever see cord prices go back down to $70 around here. I was paying that 11 years ago.

$70 a cord? For hardwood?

I'd be happy to see $270 a cord for hardwood.

 

[semipro]

Yeah I've called around a lot and had people tell me that they have log length (oak) that was cut and left in log length for a year (probably less in reality) and they'll cut it to order and split it and it'll be good to go. So I think if people don't know better they'll just believe the crap the firewood dealers try to tell them.

I can attest that this doesn't work. I recently bucked and split some mixed hardwood that was cut to 8' lengths and sitting for about 2 years previous. Some of the wood was wet enough inside to squirt us in the face while we were splitting it.

I've also experimented with wood that was bucked but not split thinking that wood is like a bundle of straws and most of the water should exit the end of the wood...wrong. Upon splitting we found that wood was wet inside also.

I stopped to talk to a local tree servicing guy last week and he had wood to sell but was adamant that it was green and shouldn't be burnt this year. I was impressed with his candor.

 

[BrotherBart]

It is cooling off around here and I hear my neighbors' chainsaws running getting their wood ready for this year. You actually can do it. I did it for many years. I don't plan on doing it again but...

 

[Wet1]

My grandfather was a wood burner for many many years. He had an old slammer insert in his basement and heated the better part of about 2500 sq ft with that thing for countless years. To the best of my knowledge, wood never seasoned for more than a few months (most seasoned for a few weeks at best) before it was tossed in the fire, often big 24" x 8" to 12" unsplit rounds. He had a huge flue (around 10" x 12") as well. We were talking about his burning years a few months ago and he mentioned how I was over thinking everything. Said he never once swept his flue in the countless years of burning (what I know was green wood) and never had a single fire, and always had plenty of heat with the (green) wood he used. The only thing I can figure is he must have been running that thing so hot all the time that he managed to burn the chimney clean. Then again, they are the type of people that would probably never notice a chimney fire either since the TV in the same room was always blaring at 110 dB. Anyway, a lot of people burn green wood and never think twice about it.

 

[Rockey]

most people that sell firewood dont have the resources it takes to season wood for 2 years and it doesnt bring anymore money.

Good point, but whatever the reason it isn't seasoned doesn't make it right to advertise it as such.

 

[firefighterjake]

. . . they are one of the many who buy now, burn now, chimney fire later.

I like it . . . probably because it's so true.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thinking a bit about Wet1 and Albert's post (and a few others) I think there are a lot of folks that "learned" it was OK to cut your wood in the summer or Fall and burn it that Fall or Winter . . . but at the same time they also learned that they would also have to be diligent in cleaning their chimney (or have the possibility of a chimney fire). I believe many folks learn from their past experience and until they re-learn, they will tend to do the same thing that worked for their parents and their grandparents before them.

I also think that one common thing seen with today's EPA stoves is that nearly all of them have a "glass" window . . . whereas most of the stoves from 20-30 years ago had little to no view of the fire so folks might not be so likely to see that split sizzing and spitting out moisture like you will see today. Moreover, smoldering, smoky fires seemed to be the norm, rather than the exception . . . heck, how many times have we heard folks tell stories about how their elders would encourage them to "bank" the fire with a green round or split to keep the fire burning longer.

It is possible to heat a house with green wood . . . especially with the older stoves . . . but you do so at a steep price . . . you will lose many of the BTUs to cooking off the moisture and you will produce a lot of creosote. Some folks have been "re-educated" and now realize they need more seasoned wood and what seasoned wood should be like . . . some folks continue to use their old smoke dragons and continue to burn the way they always have with few repercussions (other than burning more wood and having to clean their chimneys more frequently) and some folks will try to use their EPA stoves with unseasoned wood and be convinced it's the "new-fangled" stove and not the wood that is giving them the problem.

 

[jfournier]

Yeah my dad thought I was a jerk for getting my wood done by April, even though I knew I was actually behind...

He still hasn't gotten started on his wood supply for this year, though what he usually does is drop a big oak around December or January (let the sap drop), then just buck a couple pieces and run them through the splitter to burn later that day...at any one time he might have about 3 days worth of wood ready to go. He has no problem letting the fire smolder and spit for hours and hours, because sadly his old stove still puts out a ton of heat that way, and he burns a soda can once a week and then burns a load of pallet wood to clean the pipe...I know, not dangerous at all right?

 

[Slow1]

And as I am out there cutting my wood for 2011/12 folks are walking by looking at my piles saying "don't you have enough for this year yet? Just how much do you burn!?!" Then when I try to explain the need to get a couple years ahead most of them just walk away... oh well.

 

[smokinj]

most people that sell firewood dont have the resources it takes to season wood for 2 years and it doesnt bring anymore money.

Good point, but whatever the reason it isn't seasoned doesn't make it right to advertise it as such.

never said it was you can have 2 piles of wood one season one not they will not pay more for season wood go figure

 

[Wood Duck]

I get the impression from a lot of guys around here that they know dry wood is better, and -they hope that the wood they are buying is dry, but don't seem to want to take steps to insure their wood is dry, steps like buying in advance. Maybe they haven't really had a nice supply of well seasoned firewood to see how much better it would be, or maybe they think buying in advance is just too much trouble to be a realistic option. I really can't say what is going on in their heads, but I bet it has a lot to do with not really thinking that much about firewood. Maybe we think too much about firewood....nah, nevermind that last part.