# Local cost for firewood



## wickedawesome (Oct 8, 2014)

Hi there,

I am a new owner of a wood stove insert. I've been doing some searching locally (Westchester County, NY) for firewood to purchase. I haven't yet checked with the local tree companies, but several kiln drying companies that deliver to my area offer "face cords" for around $300 delivered. If I am reading that right, that's around $900/cord. Does that seem insane? Is this just the NYC/Westchester standard upcharge? 

Thanks,
Carl


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## Rickb (Oct 8, 2014)

Seems insane to me but im from the midwest.


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## sumpnz (Oct 8, 2014)

Where I'm at $200 per full cord is on the high side.  But down in Seattle $250 is fairly average.  $900/cord is about the equivalent price for campfire bundles that you can buy at gas stations.


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## fossil (Oct 8, 2014)

wickedawesome said:


> Does that seem insane?



Yes.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 8, 2014)

Depends on whether I am selling, or buying.


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## Pennsyltucky Chris (Oct 8, 2014)

$200 a cord for hardwood around here.


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## CLVTCH (Oct 8, 2014)

220-270/ cord for jackpine, 380-590/ cord for birch.  Needless to say, I'm glad I found a free source.


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## paul bunion (Oct 8, 2014)

Across the Tappan Zee and into NJ you can get all the unprocessed wood you could ever want delivered for free from tree services.  I don't see why it would be that different on your side of the river.    Split and kilned are different because you are paying for that service and many of the buyers are probably looking for some weekend fireplace ambience.  Thus they can get more and what you see is probably what the NYC commuters are willing to pay.


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## matt1@ (Oct 8, 2014)

You might be able to get better prices from a local tree service like you said. Give it a shot. I was given the name of a guy in my town that cuts trees along the main power lines and sells the wood for reasonable prices.


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## wickedawesome (Oct 8, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. I figured it was out of hand and the idea of this wood being used as ambient firewood makes sense. My concern with tree companies was unreliable seasoning. But, I think I will have to power through. Hopefully I will get lucky (and hopefully it will stay mild into November).


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## BillLion (Oct 8, 2014)

wickedawesome said:


> Thanks for the replies. I figured it was out of hand and the idea of this wood being used as ambient firewood makes sense. My concern with tree companies was unreliable seasoning. But, I think I will have to power through. Hopefully I will get lucky (and hopefully it will stay mild into November).



Yeah, I'd keep looking. At $900 per cord you're better off heating with gas or oil.


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## BillLion (Oct 8, 2014)

BTW: $175-$275 hardwood delivered here in CT.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 8, 2014)

At $900 a cord you can save a fortune by going to thrift stores and burning coffee tables.


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## Craig S. (Oct 8, 2014)

At that price, just buy some evi-blocks or bio bricks, and stock up on green wood for next year.


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## Rebelduckman (Oct 8, 2014)

$100-150 down here in Dixie around my neck of the woods. I've never bought any and I hope I never have to


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## ridemgis (Oct 8, 2014)

$350/cord here in RI for kiln dried.  $250/"seasoned" cord.


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## dafattkidd (Oct 8, 2014)

At those prices you are way better off with compressed firewood. Kiln dried wood is the most unreasonable.

If you're going to be buying wood, Maybe this is a good plan: this year get a few tons of compressed wood, and buy 3-4 cords of green wood for next year- and if you have the space 3-4 cords of wood for the following. Then buy 3-4 cords each year as you burn it. The first year is always the hardest.


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## BigCountryNY (Oct 8, 2014)

wickedawesome said:


> If I am reading that right, that's around $900/cord. Does that seem insane? Is this just the NYC/Westchester standard upcharge?



Congrats on the new stove and welcome to the forums!  I'm not too far north of you and I haven't come across anything that wildly outrageous.  This is my first full winter in my house and I just put in my stove last month.  I'm probably going to burn compressed logs mixed with some cord wood this winter so I can work on getting ahead for following years.  That would be far and above better than paying $900 for a cord of wood.  Hot Bricks is right up the road in Waterbury, CT - I haven't found anyone locally that sells compressed logs yet.  But I haven't been searching too terribly hard.


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## JTRock (Oct 8, 2014)

BillLion said:


> BTW: $175-$275 hardwood delivered here in CT.



Where??? I am in the Bristol area and could use some seasoned


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## BillLion (Oct 9, 2014)

JTRock said:


> Where??? I am in the Bristol area and could use some seasoned



Well, that's the problem. That's the cost, but availability is another issue. I started another thread about firewood running out earlier than ever this year. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/is-firewood-selling-out-fast-this-year-in-your-area-too.131888/


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## iBurnWood (Oct 9, 2014)

I'm not sure how you came to the figure of around $900/cord using "face cord" measurement, as face cord is not a standard of a fixed measure.  Sure 4ft x 8ft x ???   is the wood 12" long? 14"?  16"?  If I buy cut/split wood I check to see the average length of each piece so I can calculate the value.  20" pieces offer 25% more wood than 16" pieces.

Be sure to know the length so you can calc. more accurately.

Good Luck.

iBurnWood


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## Ricky8443 (Oct 9, 2014)

$180 / cord unseasoned, $250 cord seasoned here. Delivery usually free less than 10 miles. Tack on extra $50 for hand stacking. Thats southeastern PA.


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## wickedawesome (Oct 9, 2014)

BigCountryNY said:


> I'm probably going to burn compressed logs mixed with some cord wood this winter so I can work on getting ahead for following years.



That is the conclusion that I have come to as well. 




iBurnWood said:


> I'm not sure how you came to the figure of around $900/cord using "face cord" measurement, as face cord is not a standard of a fixed measure. Sure 4ft x 8ft x ??? is the wood 12" long? 14"? 16"?



The places that I am looking list the log length as 16" so I was basing it on that. After contacting a company, I was told they could discount it to about $225/face cord if I buy 3 at once. So theres that.

Like many have suggested, I'll be ordering some compressed bricks and mix that in with the wood I bought this summer (not nearly as much as it has turned out!). Thanks to everyone for the replies!


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## Silenced38 (Oct 9, 2014)

$120 a cord. Seasoned with 2 stroke smoke and bar oil. The local guy has about ten cords forsale and still cutting.


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## mudr (Oct 9, 2014)

Im in upstate ny near rochester.  $70 per face cord (16 inch) plus or minus $5.  Something is not right with your price.


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## leaf4952 (Oct 9, 2014)

I grew up in Upper Westchester County. You'll pay more for anything in Westchester County. It is the land of the wealthy. As the years pass you will hopefully connect with the right backwoods people who'll give you a decent price. Inquire in the Putnam county area. The further north the better the price.


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## NewStoveGuy (Oct 10, 2014)

Down here in the Upper South a FULL cord of kiln dried is $300.  Back when we lived in your neck of the woods (New Canaan) I think the wife paid $200 for a face cord of kiln dried delivered and stacked perfectly with your deck swept afterwards.  As we only burned for "decorative" purposes back then we'd buy one to one and and a half and call it a winter.  That was back in the pre-financial crises days when I still had a viable career...


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## Charles1981 (Oct 11, 2014)

Face cords range from 60-90 (wouldn't trust a single one to actually be selling truly seasoned firewood).  The best deal in town is a local farm that sells about 80 cords a year. I see em split and stack it all in March/April and sell it in October. That is about as seasoned as it gets and they sell out in about 2 weeks at 75$ a face cord.

Full cords are similar 180-240.

Buying 2-5 cords at a time can save you some and bring the price per cord to ~160-220

The biggest concern is many places will sell you 1-2 cords at a time because that is what they can deliver with their truck and trailer.

I've gone around asking for 5-10 cords and pricing and no-one will deliver or offer that except for 2-3 larger tree services and they want a 150$ deliver fee.


I order from a forester log length 8-10 foot sections. Anywhere from 11-22 cords at a time. Get it for 100$ a cord. But have to c/s/s it myself. Lots of work but for 10 cords the savings is pretty huge.


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## jeffesonm (Oct 11, 2014)

Rent a u-haul, take a field trip down to central NJ and I'll sell you up 2+ year <20% wood for $150/real cord.


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## gyrfalcon (Oct 11, 2014)

Here green is around $170-$180/cord. "Seasoned" as in cut down in spring and cut to order in fall goes for $200 to $250.  I get kiln-dried (av. 20 % mm) for a bargain $265/cord, but the big lumber mill upstate charges $350-plus for kiln-dried plus $30 or $40 delivery-- impossibly pricey, but man, it's gourmet firewood, 18-20 mm, clean, beautifully evenly cut stuff.

I'm in the middle of farm country, and I do notice the going rate for nearby "cities" (or what passes for them in VT) is $20 to $50/cord higher for green or "seasoned."

This year I'm in pig heaven with about 3 cords of mixed beech, black birch and hickory, and another 1 cord-plus of yellow birch, white ash, black cherry, some white birch and a smattering of red maple, all around 20 mm.  I think I'm actually going to be able to stay warm this winter.


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## Corey (Oct 11, 2014)

$160 / cord of hedge - split, delivered and stacked around here.  I wouldn't pay that much for it, but I'd have to have a lot more if I were selling it!!


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## BillLion (Oct 11, 2014)

Corey said:


> $160 / cord of hedge - split, delivered and stacked around here.  I wouldn't pay that much for it, but I'd have to have a lot more if I were selling it!!



Wow. Can't get hedge around here. At least it is VERY rare. I'd probably pay double than that for a cord delivered!


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## prezes13 (Oct 11, 2014)

I can get a cord split and delivered for $200 all day long.


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## BillLion (Oct 11, 2014)

prezes13 said:


> I can get a cord split and delivered for $200 all day long.



Seasoned? What part of CT are you in?


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## prezes13 (Oct 11, 2014)

It is seasoned according to the guy selling it but the truth is it was split this year and was laying bucked in his back yard for a year or so.  If you are looking for some better sources there is a place in Cheshire on old school road selling a block fire wood which is scraps from pallets making.  There is the same kind of place on John Downey Drive in New Britain.  They are relatively cheap.  If I remember correctly for $200 you would get an equivalent of 3 cords.  Also just passed twin city plaza on Newington Ave in New Britain where Koval Corp. used to be they sell fire wood splits stacked on pallets and surround wrapped.  I never bought it so I am not sure how much they want for it but I heard it's seasoned.  I live in Bristol.


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## superbee69 (Oct 11, 2014)

prezes13 said:


> It is seasoned according to the guy selling it but the truth is it was split this year and was laying bucked in his back yard for a year or so.  If you are looking for some better sources there is a place in Cheshire on old school road selling a block fire wood which is scraps from pallets making.  There is the same kind of place on John Downey Drive in New Britain.  They are relatively cheap.  If I remember correctly for $200 you would get an equivalent of 3 cords.  Also just passed twin city plaza on Newington Ave in New Britain where Koval Corp. used to be they sell fire wood splits stacked on pallets and surround wrapped.  I never bought it so I am not sure how much they want for it but I heard it's seasoned.  I live in Bristol.




$100-$110 in south central Missouri, generally delivered for that price.


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## budman (Oct 12, 2014)

wickedawesome said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am a new owner of a wood stove insert. I've been doing some searching locally (Westchester County, NY) for firewood to purchase. I haven't yet checked with the local tree companies, but several kiln drying companies that deliver to my area offer "face cords" for around $300 delivered. If I am reading that right, that's around $900/cord. Does that seem insane? Is this just the NYC/Westchester standard upcharge?
> 
> ...


Carl try this guy and see if he delivers accross the bridge he is in west nyack the price was 175 @ cord 1 1/2 years ago 845-406-5627 wifes name is Olivea


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## BillLion (Oct 12, 2014)

prezes13 said:


> It is seasoned according to the guy selling it but the truth is it was split this year and was laying bucked in his back yard for a year or so.  If you are looking for some better sources there is a place in Cheshire on old school road selling a block fire wood which is scraps from pallets making.  There is the same kind of place on John Downey Drive in New Britain.  They are relatively cheap.  If I remember correctly for $200 you would get an equivalent of 3 cords.  Also just passed twin city plaza on Newington Ave in New Britain where Koval Corp. used to be they sell fire wood splits stacked on pallets and surround wrapped.  I never bought it so I am not sure how much they want for it but I heard it's seasoned.  I live in Bristol.



Agh -ESPN land!  Thanks for the tips. I am set for this season and working to get ahead. But some of our fellow CT residents may benefit from this!


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## bugman31964 (Oct 12, 2014)

Maine-Seeing green cut, split, delivered $190-$210. Tree length/8 footers $120ish. Season dried? Forget that this time of year, can't find it.


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## littlalex (Oct 14, 2014)

wickedawesome said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am a new owner of a wood stove insert. I've been doing some searching locally (Westchester County, NY) for firewood to purchase. I haven't yet checked with the local tree companies, but several kiln drying companies that deliver to my area offer "face cords" for around $300 delivered. If I am reading that right, that's around $900/cord. Does that seem insane? Is this just the NYC/Westchester standard upcharge?
> 
> ...



Here in Jersey just south of Warwick NY the going price for good burnable wood is $200, up from $175 for the previous few years.


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## Frank625 (Oct 14, 2014)

$180 - $200 per cord for Oak & Mixed Hardwoods.

I seen this in another forum:

It's in Pawling but at $900 a cord you could rent a truck and pick up a couple bags here.

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/for/4670384123.html


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