Firewood is Getting Expensive!

I'm moving up there...

 

At that price I would consider hanging up my chainsaw.

 

Except for in the larger towns, wood in Maine seems mostly driven buy the cost of labor and equipment. This state is heavily forested. Wood is available most all the time in the classified ads. If it is pellets, we have a few pellet plants. There must be at least 10 locations within a 20 min drive of me where I can buy pellets and as many places selling stoves. Only two of those dedicated to stoves, and stove supplies. I haven't seen new installs this year, but from what I understand, sales are stable. The stove shop where I bought my Harman is busy. Lots of folks upgrading.

 

Scotty...I will take 2 loads!! See you Saturday??

 

Was thinking about this yesterday nate, and you're right.
Much less work to have a log load dropped. Getting into the woods takes quite a bit more time for the same amount of wood processed from a log load.
With a log load, it takes me about 3 hours to c/s/s 1/3 cord. I'd never make a ton of money as a firewood supplier.

 

Around here the going rate for *cough* seasoned *cough* is anywhere from 250 in the summer to 350 in fall. Drive 30 minutes closer to Boston and you see the city sellers advertising up to a couple hundred a face cord to the condo dwellers.

You might find "green" wood for 175-200 a cord in the summer, but from what Ive seen the only difference is the green was just cut and the seasoned might have been cut 6 months earlier and heaped into a huge pile on the tree service lot.

Most sellers also short you on quantity. Typically the "cord" will be something like an F250 dump body load and measure out around 3/4 cord stacked.

There is one tree service guy who is better than average, sells an honest full cord that was split a year ago and dried in piles for $275. And mostly real nice hardwoods like oak and maple. Its still wetter than I will burn but he is the guy I refer to my friends who just want some fireplace wood.

The best deals if you a serious burner and need to buy and have the space/gear are a local sawmill that sells green split by the 3 cord (honest) load for $500, and some logging outfits that sell log length grapple loads at similar prices.

 

Definitely less work, and presumably safer starting with logs laid out vertical in your yard.

 

Me too! I can't even get truckloads of logs for that cheap!

 

Working by myself and not with a fire under my but I can do 2 cords in 4-5 hrs. The main thing that slows me down is having to stop making firewood to stack it in the truck.

 

I have to take two days off just to move and stack the 2.5 cords that get dumped in the driveway! Then I am sore for another day...
I do have to resplit some, and cut some off, but no big deal.
Most of the cost of the dealer here is the labor, tools and upkeep of them, and the GAS he puts in them and in his truck to bring his trailer to my house.

 

Yeah, but you have all the cool toys.
It's usually an even spread of an hour to cut, an hour to split, then an hour to stack. 1/3 cord.
Where's the slowpoke smiley?

 

You're doing good. I'd do well just trying to keep up. And you're only sore for one day.

 

I used to live in the Cleveland/North Royalton, Ohio area. Many places gouged on firewood sales back then too and I refused to buy from them. I had a guy deliver slabs to my house when I lived there.

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Here's a picture of an article in my local news paper from last winter alerting consumers wanting to purchase firewood on what to look for.