Get your wood ordered soon. (Rockland, Hope: insurance, how much, houses)

[Maineah]

I had two of four cords of firewood delivered yesterday. My supplier said he is sold out for the year already. He said someone actually flashed his lights at him, pulled him over and asked to buy my load of wood on his way here. Unreal. He also said the price of wood is going to go through the roof soon as heating oil will most likely be hovering around $4.00 a gallon next winter.
People will be quite literally eating dog food to have enough money to pay for heating oil this winter. There will be many more house and chimney fires as people open up old chimneys and run poorly installed woodstoves in an effort to keep from freezing to death. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter though I wouldn't count on it.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

About eight years ago we had a cold winter. The Maine legislature had just passed two bad bills. One would limit the hours a fuel truck driver could work and the other required extensive hazmat training. There were not enough hours in the day to deliver needed oil. People were buying diesel in 5 gallon cans to heat their homes because fuel trucks could not go out more than about 10 miles from town.

Price is not the only problem. Availability is also a problem.

[namder1]

I have HazMat...it's not really too tough to pass that test....a couple hours of study should do it.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Maineah

People will be quite literally eating dog food to have enough money to pay for heating oil this winter. There will be many more house and chimney fires as people open up old chimneys and run poorly installed woodstoves in an effort to keep from freezing to death. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter though I wouldn't count on it.

Have you priced dog food lately? I don't think that is a solution...

[Cornerguy1]

Originally Posted by Maineah

I had two of four cords of firewood delivered yesterday. My supplier said he is sold out for the year already. He said someone actually flashed his lights at him, pulled him over and asked to buy my load of wood on his way here. Unreal. He also said the price of wood is going to go through the roof soon as heating oil will most likely be hovering around $4.00 a gallon next winter.
People will be quite literally eating dog food to have enough money to pay for heating oil this winter. There will be many more house and chimney fires as people open up old chimneys and run poorly installed woodstoves in an effort to keep from freezing to death. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter though I wouldn't count on it.

Hardwood cut split and delivered?

Care to share the cord price?

[maureenb]

I live in the Rockland area. The firewood prices are not greatly increased from last year's prices; neither is the availability diminished this year.

I buy green, split, a year in advance; I finally have the room to do so. Green usually runs $25 - $50/cord less than "dry"; "dry" is a term that is always open for interpretation. The man that I buy from has been in the biz 4ever. He delivers exactly what he says he's going to deliver.

Last year I paid $225/cord for 16" green split hardwood. Mr. Blake delivered a true 2 cord pile of 90% red oak, 10% birch. I like the birch for split kindling, and it makes the neighborhood smell nice when it's burning! I haven't heard back from him, but I am anticipating an increase of as much as $25/cord over last year. I'll confess the truth when I know.

Meanwhile, here are a few prices I pulled from Village Soup, a local (mid-coast) newspaper:

One guy advertises: red oak $250/cord; green 16" split $200; white ash $300/cord free delivery (who knows what you'd get for $200/cord, and is the ash green or "dry"?

Another: green $185/cord; "dry" (quotes are mine) $235/cord

Another: green $200/cord (green or "dry" ???, who knows, and is delivery free ???)

Lastly, a reputable, long time wood guy simply advertises, "green firewood, cut & split to your specifications. Satisfaction guaranteed."

Buying firewood can be a special kind of challenge. It is entirely possible to be blatantly ripped off if you can't ID wood species. Disreputable wood guys are adept at loading their trucks so when they dump, the junk wood is hidden in the middle of the pile; you won't know about it until he's long gone.

Yes, the prices have increased over the years. I expect that. I have never had an issue with wood prices. I look at it this way - think of how much effort goes into getting the split piece of wood to your dooryard. It begins as a tree, often far away from your home, and often, standing in a not easily accessed area. Think of all of the time, sweat, broken & dulled chains, vehicle maintenance on any number of various vehicles involved in processing fire wood, fuel costs, sometimes insurance costs, & etc. Heck, most people I hear talking about fire wood only consider how many times they handle it in the heating process.

Firewood is not for everyone. It's work. I can still deal with stacking, splitting, etc., and I don't mind the chore it presents as my sole source of heat. I like it. And I'm not finding the price prohibitive for heating my home year 'round - yes, I leave a few small sticks in all summer just in case we get a spell in July. My house is new, has great passive solar, and it's well insulated. It's 18' X 20', story and 1/2. Last year I burned 1.75 cords. Really. So, I'm definitely not complaining about the price of firewood, not for awhile, anyhow.

[Zarathu]

If you only burned 1.75 cords last year at a cost of mybe 400 bucks to heat your house, that's astounding. People burning oil usually have to look at up to 3000 bucks a year to heat their houses.

But you'd think that a state with so much woods would have cheaper firewoood. IN PA, I get it for about $175 a cord, but its always green. I've never ever been able to get seasoned wood, at least never in 32 years of buring wood for heat.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by Zarathu

But you'd think that a state with so much woods would have cheaper firewoood. IN PA, I get it for about $175 a cord, but its always green. I've never ever been able to get seasoned wood, at least never in 32 years of buring wood for heat.

Softwood is not firewood.

[Zymer]

I get mine in 16' lengths. Cut and split it myself the way I want it. Going to have to get a machine splitter one of these days, I'm getting to be of an age where splitting 4-6 cords by hand is starting to wear on me.

[SportFury59]

Just curious. I would think Maine would have numerous saw mills scattered about. Wouldn't they be a cheaper source to obtain wood? Here in WI I buy my wood from an area saw mill. Last year I was getting it for $35 a (generous) face cord ($105 a full cord) This was board ends, 20" long. Had to pick it up myself.
Recently they discontinued the board end process so this year I will be buying 8' slab bundles @ $25 a bundle. They say a bundle will measure out to be at least a face cord. This wood is oak and maple.
This mill also has a "junk" wood area in which you can pick up that wood up for free.

Just sayin', if you have the time and a way to haul the wood, check out your local saw mill.

BTW the other morning I had to crank up the ol' stove. Morning temps were in the 40's. Previous mornings were in the 70's with daytime highs in 90's.