Writing a Short Story and Would Love to Ask Lumberjacks a Few Questions

[olsenb]

I'm writing a short story and one of the characters is a lumberjack.

This character is stuck in the middle of a blizzard with his family. Their house is in the middle of nowhere. The family has been going through more firewood that they thought they'd need because of the weather.

My questions are:

1. Do lumberjacks ever run out of firewood for their homes in the middle of winter? If so, what do they do?

2. I imagine it's hard to saw down a tree in the middle of winter. Would it take him a much longer time than in the fall months? How would moisture/ice affect chopping it down?

3. Is this a realistic problem for this character to have? Is it possible for a real lumberjack to underestimate the amount he'd need for a big winter? I don't know anyone who's a lumberjack, but I'd hate to write something that is way too far-fetched to be taken seriously.

4. Would that make him a bad lumberjack? Or an unbelievable character? Or does that actually happen from time to time?

Would love to hear any insight! Thanks!

 

[begreen]

1) Possibly, though not likely. if so they go out and get more wood. Maybe his stash was stolen or he gave some to a family in need?
2) Getting wood in the winter can be easier depending on how far he has to go and what mode of conveyance he has to bring it back. You haven't defined the time period. That's important.
Does he have a draft horse and sled? Or an ATV? If so, dragging a sled in the winter is easier. I would assume he would take down a standing dead tree for firewood and start splitting it on site. Of course a blizzard or ice storm
3) Not too likely, but there may be extenuating circumstances and an exceptionally long hard winter that caused it.
4) Yes and No, there are all sorts of true survival stories where a person had to cope with the unexpected, in spite of preparations. Stuff happens.

 

[xman23]

Chainsaw runs just fine in the winter. Any wood does burn.

All of us so called lumber jacks have experienced, the woods getting low panic. And then we turn up the thermostat.

Rember the Donner Pass story.

 

[Nealm66]

I can tell with 100% accuracy that as a former lumber jack, after following this forum, I have learned a lot! It can be difficult in the commercial and resi logging industry around here to get firewood. Everything commercial is sold as salvage. Everything resi is suspected to have huge value so don’t put a stick in your truck without prior agreement. Not much different in the winter, summer just have to follow fire hazard precautions.

 

[MTY]

When I was younger and dumber, we often pushed snow with the front bumper to get firewood. Sometimes it took four chains, and often the reason was Christmas money, boredom, or helping someone out.

For a logger around here, the only thing that stops the show is mud. Spring breakup is much worse than winter.

It is not a bad situation. You trip the tree, get a good fire going, begin bucking and splitting, have lunch around the fire, load up and go home. This is cutting snags, the wood is dry, and ready to burn.

I need about 7 cords for winter, I have about 4 stacked up. The missus is worried to death, but to me this is not a big deal. I've been too busy with other things to worry about wood, and I know winter will not prevent getting wood in.

 

[Simonkenton]

No problem sawing down a tree in the snow, the chain saw would work fine.
The problem with cutting down a tree and burning it that day is that the wood is "green." It is loaded with moisture.
In the new wood stoves that most of us have, we have to dry the wood in the wood pile for several years before it is ready to burn. Fresh cut green wood would choke down my new Jotul stove, and fully loaded with that, the stove would go out.

Now, if you had an old-time wood stove, like the kind you can make from a 55 gallon drum, you could do fine burning fresh cut wood.
Look up "Sotz wood stove." Sotz was a company that made a door and leg kit for $45 where you could turn a 55 gallon drum into a wood stove. I used to have one and it is a pretty good wood stove.

 

[olsenb]

Thank you all so much! I try to do a lot of research about a topic before I write about it. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me!