Help a newbie order wood for the first time

[Yarzy]

Guys, this is my first post on hearth.com and I have found this site to be incredibly helpful with many things, including my stove purchase. Thanks again!

I am up in Bucks county, PA and I am getting my new stove delivered next week (Jotel f500) and I am on the hunt for firewood. What type of wood do you recommend? 100% Oak? We have space to order 3-4+ (maybe many more) cords at a time. Do you think I should order a cord of "seasoned" now and then green wood in the spring? I know there is a fine art to firewood. Any advice you can give to a newbie would be great. Thanks

 

[firefighterjake]

I harvest my own wood . . . but if I had to buy wood and hoped to use that wood this year or next (preferably next year) I would most definitely not want oak unless I knew it had been cut and split for at least a year or two . . . I would rather order a load of mixed wood . . . better still would be a load of all white ash if possible. My own take is to get in your wood (whether scrounging, harvesting or buying) at least a year before you plan to use it . . . if you ordered a load of green wood now it may be good to go by next Fall.

 

[shawneyboy]

What is usually sold as seasoned, well, um, isn't. But if you can get your hands on seasoned wood then yes order up a couple, 3 cords. Whatever you order now, can always be used next year. In Bucks county (I lived in Montgomery County many years) depending on the building insulation, draftiness, etc. and of course how cold the winter is, you can probably count on going through at least 3 cords a year if you are using stove 24/7 for heat. Unseasoned Oak can take up to 2 years to season, that is in a good area with lots of wind and sun. So make sure you have enough seasoned for next winter. Idealy you want to be 2 years or so ahead. Of course if you are going to be buying seasoned wood every year, then you only need to store that which you will burn.

If you order true "green" Oak, then don't plan on burning it for at least another 2 years.

Shawn

 

[jhoff310]

If I were in your shoes I would order 1 cord for now. I would make damn sure it is seasoned "Grey and cracked ends " otherwise I personally would reject it. Too many scabs out there claiming their wood is seasoned when it was cut last week. I would go with a mixture of hardwoods < oak, maple, hickory, walnut etc..>. I would ask around and see who has bought firewood from who, who is reputable who is not. Then when the weather breaks I would be on the hunt for my own firewood. Spring brush pickup is a great way to snag some easy good wood.
I hope this helps you out, Good luck and let us know what you do

Jeff

 

[Shari]

Agree - bad time of year to 'expect' any wood seller to have verifiable, fully seasoned wood. EPA stoves are picky. Moisture level of wood should be <20%. Get yourself a moisture meter. Go TO the wood seller who purports to be selling seasoned wood. Have them re-split one of their splits and then test it for moisture. Over 20% = too wet.

If you have a buddy who IS burning seasoned wood, ask if you can swap out a cord or two with them. You get his wood & you replace it with newly purchased wood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Guys, this is my first post on hearth.com and I have found this site to be incredibly helpful with many things, including my stove purchase. Thanks again!

I am up in Bucks county, PA and I am getting my new stove delivered next week (Jotel f500) and I am on the hunt for firewood. What type of wood do you recommend? 100% Oak? We have space to order 3-4+ (maybe many more) cords at a time. Do you think I should order a cord of "seasoned" now and then green wood in the spring? I know there is a fine art to firewood. Any advice you can give to a newbie would be great. Thanks

Welcome to the forum Yarzy.


Sorry to hear this. It does seem that almost every new wood burner does things the same as you. Believe it or not, the very first step to deciding to burn wood should have been to buy the wood.....and then buy the stove. Why? Because wood needs time to dry in order to burn good.

Sadly, you may find some wood there that a seller will say is seasoned. Don't believe it. Also, oak is the last thing you want to buy now. Around here we won't burn oak until it has been split and stacked for 3 years.

There are many types of wood that will dry well enough in a year to burn but the sad part is that the wood will not dry hardly at all until it is cut to length and split then stacked out in the wind. A wood seller just will not do this because it would add to his labor and needed space. So he may cut or buy in regular log length, which can be from 8' to 12' long (sometimes longer). Then they won't cut to firewood length nor split it until it has been ordered. This is not what a wood burner needs but sadly is probably all you will be able to find.

With all this in mind, you will probably end up with the best wood you can find and have to burn it. Some get by with also getting some pallets, cutting those up and burning along with the not seasoned wood. So, buy what you have to buy for this season but also you should buy what you will be burning next year. Yes, buy next year's wood now! If you are buying oak, buy at least 2 years ahead.

You say you have enough room for 3-4 cords. I say buy 4 cords.

After you get the wood you no doubt will have many questions on the burning. Post that in the Hearth room and many will to their best to help. Good luck.

 

[northwinds]

Be prepared for disappointment.

Don't order green oak unless you have time to season it for a couple of years before burning.

Buying seasoned wood this time of year is tough. Talk to other folks in your area to see if there
are any reputable suppliers with seasoned wood. If someone says they have dry, seasoned wood,
be ready to inspect it carefully and to turn it down if it isn't as advertised.

This is a nice summary of what to look for:

(broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/fuelproc.htm)

 

[mtarbert]

I smile big when I hear someone shopping for firewood in November let alone January (well almost) My bet is....No one is going to sell you seasoned firewood and you will be damm lucky to actually get the "Cord" you pay for. With that being said.....Asking your friends and neighbors about firewood suppliers is a Waste of time. They know less than you do about the subject . IMHO for a new buyer it is better to buy wood by the pickup load. At least when you buy a truck load you know the quanity. The bad thing about buying a "Cord" whether it is delivered in a dump or two loads from a standard pickup is when you stack the load(s)

 

[shawneyboy]

Now that I think of it.... The guy who sells wood, where 611 goes into the bypass, just south of Doylestown. He usually has a BIG stack seasoning all year long. I am unsure what species, or if he has moved the outermost portion, the inner portion may not season that well with the size of his pile, but maybe try him. If you know who I am talking about good, if not he is on the Northbound side on the southern end of the 611 Doylestown Bypass.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

Buy unseasond wood NOW!! and pay less. Get more unseasoned wood in spring, and pay even less.

For this year go to Aldi's every day and get all the boxes they have. Be careful not to let the stove glow :ahhh:

 

[woodchip]

If you can get some freshly cut unseasoned wood now at a low price, it will have been cut with the sap down, and could be ready for next Winter, some wood can season quite quickly

 

[gyrfalcon]

Guys, this is my first post on hearth.com and I have found this site to be incredibly helpful with many things, including my stove purchase. Thanks again!

I am up in Bucks county, PA and I am getting my new stove delivered next week (Jotel f500) and I am on the hunt for firewood. What type of wood do you recommend? 100% Oak? We have space to order 3-4+ (maybe many more) cords at a time. Do you think I should order a cord of "seasoned" now and then green wood in the spring? I know there is a fine art to firewood. Any advice you can give to a newbie would be great. Thanks

Odds are absolutely overwhelming that you are not going to find genuinely "seasoned" wood anywhere, and if you do, it will be wildly expensive. It has to be cut, split and stacked (not dumped in a big pile somewhere) for a year or two to be dry enough, and there are few, if any, firewood dealers/suppliers who do that. If you want to burn this winter, my advice would be to find kiln-dried wood and pay the premium they'll charge for it. One of the lumber mills around here is selling kiln-dried firewood at a very reasonable price now because the home building market has collapsed.

Get yourself as many cords of green wood as you can afford in the spring. How long it takes to season depends on how small it's been split, how close the stacks are to each other, and most importantly, whether they're in full sun and wind. If you can split it down to 4 inches or under and put in single stacks in sun and wind, you'll have burnable stuff by next winter. With oak, it depends on which kind. White oak, I gather, takes several years. I had no problem burning red oak last year that had been split fairly far down (3 inches) and spent less than six months seasoning. No doubt it would have been better a year later, but it was fine.

The term "seasoned" to most suppliers just means it was cut down a few months ago. Most of them aren't trying to cheat you, that's just the pre-EPA-stove standard. In rural areas, nobody "seasons" their wood before burning it in big old smoke dragons. In suburban areas, most of their customers have fireplaces for amusement, not serious heating.

 

[krex1010]

As others have said you likely will have difficulty finding decent wood right now. Be prepared for the real possibility of disappointing heat output this winter, poor fuel = poor heat. It will get better once you have dry wood though. I would not buy from anyone advertising 100% oak, oak is great when it's dry but will piss you off when it's wet, and if you buy from one of those 100% oak guys you will pay more. Mixed hardwoods in our area will mean maple, ash, cherry, oak, hickory, locust, mulberry etc. All pretty good stuff and will season faster than all oak. And around here you really won't be able to order wood by species, with the exception of the all oak guys. And remember a cord should be 4x4x8 feet when tightly stacked (128 cubic feet). That much wood will not fit in a pickup truck in one load ( unless it has high side) so if a guy shows up in a regular f-150 type pickup, he better be making 2 trips or you are getting shorted.

 

[Yarzy]

Well, here is what I did. I contacted some people and finally spoke to someone whom I ordered two cords of wood from. He owns a tree service and he said the wood was cut down in July of 2009 and was started to be split between July and December of 2009. It is a mix of hardwoods, and he said he gives the pine he gets away to the boyscouts, so no "softwood". He said he stood by his wood, etc. so he seems to think it is decent. I told him that if I am happy with the quality, I will order 3-4 more cords in the spring.

Thanks everyone for their input. I will be much better prepared for next year and now the hunt for cheaper green wood begins!

In the PA area, what should I be expecting to pay for a cord of green wood in the spring?

 

[krex1010]

You should be able to find green wood for $150-$250 a cord, if you want to start processing your own wood the talk to the tree guy and see if you can work out a deal for unsplit logs. Should be able find a tree guy who will give you cheap logs by the truckload, because alot of the wood they cut they have to pay to dump if they don't sell firewood.

 

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

You're screwed. Sorry. First year woodburner syndrome- happens to everyone! =)

Talk to some tree service people and see what you can work out for green, unsplit logs and get cracking for next year. I would stay away from oak, but some maple, ash, or beech should season nicely between now and next year. Softwoods like pine and aspen will definitely get you through the fall shoulder season.

~Rose

 

[wood-fan-atic]

Welcome ,Yarzy!! As stated, finding truly seasoned hardwood to purchase is a hard thing to do at ANY time of year, almost impossible to do in mid-winter. If you have the time , call up as many dealers as you can find, and go to their yards. Look at the wood - is it dry and cracking at the ends? When you smack 2 pieces together, does it CRACK like smacking 2 baseball bats (good), or is it a dull "thud" (wet,green). In a pinch like yours, you can always bite the bullet and buy some hardwood bricks....I think Liberty bricks are the ones in your area. Good luck, and welcome.