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[chadley]

I'm in southern Indiana. I've been selling firewood for three seasons now.  The last two seasons I have sold 23 and 27 cords.  This year I started heating my house with an OWB so I cut 50 cords (most split for sell) and I haven't sold but 2 loads so far.  Is anyone seeing the slow down like I am?  I'm wondering if the economy is bad enough to cut my firewood sales down that much.  I've checked prices locally and am in the average range and offer a variety of hardwoods to choose from.  My customers over the last two years have raved about the quality of wood I sell compared to others locally.  Whats the deal?

[MattyNH]

 I swear its a last minute thing.. I sell wood on the side as well..My  1 ton sat for a month no calls or anything.. People hear about a cold snap coming or  a big storm coming..Phone rings..Wood bought up..Amazing.. It will come.. You'll sell it..

[RSI]

It is probably the LP prices. I think my brother said he paid $1.30 per gallon last time. I have noticed the price of firewood on craigslist is a lot lower than other years.

[walkerdogman85]

A guy I work with usually sells 60 or so loads a year said he is slow this year too.

[oldchenowth]

I know it is probably a simple business math problem, but how do you guys figure your price for wood?  Cutting, splitting, travel, loading, unloading, etc, etc, etc.  Seems to me with your labor involved, wood could cost $220/face.  How do you profit from it?  I am impressed as all get out.  I know for me cutting my own gas, saws, splitter, trailer, truck, I'll bet it costs me $30+ a face.  That is with free sweat equity.  I think my time is worth $50/ hr, the wife says I'm worth $5 tops.  You guys, honestly, impress the hell out of me.

[chadley]

the simple answer to your question is we don't make any money.  We just enjoy doing it.  At least I do.  Its more of a hobby.  I lost 50 lbs when I started my firewood business.  I feel healthier and have more energy.  Something about the process of working a standing tree into a pile of wood gives me a real sense of accomplishment.  Its not for everyone but I LOVE it.  When I'm not cutting my firewood on the side, I work for a tree service cutting. When I'm not doing that, I clear brush (sapplings, briars, bushes etc.) on my property running a saw.  I bet I run a saw 250 days a year or better some years.   

[Michael]

I sell all that we work up some years more than others. Most of our wood is gone by Christmas as it is now. Did not have as much this year. We will start on next years wood supply and will sell some of it in the Spring. I have some customers buy for summer outdoor fires.

[MattyNH]

I know it is probably a simple business math problem, but how do you guys figure your price for wood?  Cutting, splitting, travel, loading, unloading, etc, etc, etc.  Seems to me with your labor involved, wood could cost $220/face.  How do you profit from it?  I am impressed as all get out.  I know for me cutting my own gas, saws, splitter, trailer, truck, I'll bet it costs me $30+ a face.  That is with free sweat equity.  I think my time is worth $50/ hr, the wife says I'm worth $5 tops.  You guys, honestly, impress the hell out of me.

Well for me I charge the going price..I check out who ever sells wood and see what they get for a cord of wood...Now for me..Dry wood is where you get the extra buck for that cord of wood..Going price right now for green here in NH is $180 and $250 for dry..Its worth the wait to sell the dry wood all in the late fall..All my deliveries are local within a radius..Word of mouth is a powerful thing...This isn't my full time job..Selling wood is a a lot of work for little money the way I do it..But I enjoy doing firewood.. If i had a wood processor..Things wood be different lol

[Michael]

We don't sell it by the cord here. It is sold  as what some call it a face cord or rick. I sell two loader buckets about a pickup load. $65 plus delivery. You would need 2 1/2 or 3 load to make up cord. This is mixed wood no. NO Pine, Willow or Cottonwood. People here won't buy that wood. Oak and Hickory cost more. I can haul eight buckets on my truck dump in with the loader. I dump it out of the dump truck and it is yours to stack or move. People here only buy seasoned wood endless it is all gone.

[chadley]

Seems like wood goes for more up north.  I sell an 8ft truck bed flush with the sides (a shade under a cord tightly stacked) for 65 plus delivery.  I separate all my wood.  Red oak, white oak, walnut, ash, cherry, hickory or campfire wood are my choices.  My hickory and white oak are 100 a load and my campfire wood is 40 a load.  everything else is 65.  Delivery is a dollar a mile roundtrip simply because my work truck gets 8 mpg and I need to cover my fuel and time.  My prices are average for my area but I am not getting any calls compared to last year.  I advertise the same way I have in the past and I call my customers from the past two years and drop fliers at previous homes to let them know I am selling again this year.  I ask when I sell if I can contact them next year and if they say no, I don't bother them so I know I'm not bothering them.  I don't know what the deal is. We'll see what the rest of the winter brings I guess. If this year and next are the same (no calls)  I will probably hang it up except for cutting my own wood.

[MattyNH]

  Thats pretty cool you can great more money by the specie of wood..Up here in NH.. As long its hard wood..All the same price..Specialty wood like apple, hickory..is more Ive seen..But I never seen it sold for fire wood.. Yeah wood goes for more in the north.. Huge money in the city areas..But at the same time..When wood is a abundance wood is cheap.. Like i  recently bought my grapple load of wood for $725 for 8 cord....$90 a cord..still cheap...Couple of  summers  back.. I was getting a $165 for eastern white pine a cord to campers.. I couldnt keep up with demand.. Campers figure its better than paying $5 for like 2 logs ..They bought from me.. last them a season +

[bajonesy77]

Here in Va. After the wind  storm in june there were so many trees down people were begging people to come get wood. Some guys I know that normally do firewood are just stockpiling because of the abundance of wood from the storm. And we get tri-axle loads estimated at 8 cords for 550.

[jrider]

I have had no problem moving the firewood this year.  I have sold 65 cords since the second weekend in October.  One more week and I should be all out.  I was fearful that last year's mild winter was going to hurt me but thankfully that hasn't been the case.

[chadley]

jrider- where are you located?  65 cords is a ton of wood.  What is your day job? Are you splitting it all or selling rounds too?  Hardwoods or everything? 

I work a 6-3:30 day job M-F.  I'm off holidays and summers so that is when I get my wood cutting done.  By myself 35-40 cords felled, bucked, and split is about all I can do with a wife and 2 year old daughter at 32 years old.  I can't imagine selling 65 cords by mid Dec.

[jrider]

I am in south Jersey.  I typically sell between 60-75 cords a year.  It is all hardwood - about 80% is oak.  Its all cut to 16" and split.  I don't sell any rounds - not that I'm against it, just haven't had anyone want it. 
I am 36, married with 2 kids and one on the way.  I am a highschool teacher so my summer is wide open.  That is when I get a good deal of the wood split which we all know, thats the most time consuming part of firewood.  Typically I work on the wood pile 6 days a week all summer and from anywhere between 2-8 hours a day.  Whenever it gets too hot or it starts to feel like a job and I don't want to be there, I shut off whatever I am using call it a day and go play in the pool.