Why do you buy wood instead of scrounging it yourself?

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Why do you buy wood instead of scrounging it yourself?

  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    47
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No truck/trailer. I've rented a UHaul for a particularly tasty score once, but at the pace I work it's usually not cost-effective.
 
Work nights for extended periods of time, which leaves many chores to do when I get off. Buying wood means one less thing.

I do barter wood.

I have skills, they have wood.
 
Voted "Other".

I try to do my own wood procesing and either scrounge or log off my own property when I have some trees that need to be thinned. I'll buy if I find out midwinter that I won't have enough to finish the season.
 
Honnestly, I've been cutting / splitting / seasoning my own wood on my land. I have a lot of sick trees and it's just good for the land to do so.

But, on of my friend just bought a ''truck Load'' of 2 year cut maple & hard wood (Eastern Quebec) deliver in his yard for 50$ a cord. It's in 8ft length. It's almost dry since it have been cut 2 years ago. You can't beat this.... if it wouldn't be that I want to clean my land of those dying rees, I wouldn't be cutting my own trees if I could get truck load of hard wood, delivered at 50$ / cord......

But, on the other hand, cutting my own wood will justify to the wife the need of a ski-doo (for the winter time, when I'm usually off) , the need of a splitter, eventually the need of a tractor (I'm thinking a Kubota B3030) and once I will have the tractor, I will need a barn or a garage to store it.....

And honnestly, I really love to cut trees down, when I have the time......
 
I buy and scrounge. The wood in the yard now is 1/5 scrounged.
I long for the days of growing up when my father had (still has actually) 10 wooded acres in Stafford, CT. We had a small Fisher stove on our porch and the dead standing wood we would grab would heat that porch all winter.
Now heating with wood is primary for my whole house so whatever the time of year, if there is a call for free firewood, I am there.
Clients who have acres of property and dead trees they would like removed, I am there. Neighbors who want a tree down, I am there.
I have never paid for seasoned, cut, split and delivered.
I bought and had to haul 5 cords of four foot lengths two years in a row. ($95 a cord)
Last year I opted to buy tree length. One truckload delivered and dumped at the house worked out to 8 cords and cost $700 total.
I have oil for back up but I have only filled the tank once in 3 1/2 years and there is still a quarter of a tank left.
I look at getting through the winter as a challenge. The less I pay for the heat in my home, the more I feel that I won!
 
Scrounge, beg, plead,...... any means possible, I search craigslist, post ads for tree removal, relatives, ....whatever gets me the wood free.
I don't knock those who don't have the time,....but it's been 6 years burning now and I have yet to pay for firewood!
 
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