Firewood; Feast of Famine

That's the way it seems to go with me. The last couple of years I've not been able to locate a lot of FREE wood. I can usually count on some storm damage or friend who wants a tree down. I burn a lot of wood and last winter I almost ran out.

Last spring my Mother-in-law had 2 decent sized oak trees fall near her house and I've been working on it off and on all summer. One of the local schools had a tree service cut down a dead oak and grind limbs. They left the better wood for me.

Then a neighbor had a HUGE oak cut down after it was struck by lightning. It took 4 days for them to get it all down. I "volunteered" to take some of it off their hands. Didn't get as much as I wanted because they had several others wanting wood.

At any rate I have 6 cords stacked, 2-3 more truck loads still at my MIL's and I haven't even started cutting and splitting the wood from my neighbors tree. On top of that I have another friend who wants 3 oaks cut down this winter. He will give me the wood if I help him get it on the ground.

The wood from my neighbors




Today's load from MIL. I normally would use my 6'X10' trailer. But this is some big ass wood. about 75 yards into the woods off the driveway. I cut the brush enough to get the Tacoma into the woods and back right to the log. The logs are were too heavy to lift until I split them enough to redice the weight some. I highly recommend the Fiskars splitting maul.

Fiskars 8 lbs 36" IsoCore Maul - #1066016






After unloading. The Tacoma will haul a surprising amount. Can see what I have stacked and covered in the background.

I like to stay at least 1 year ahead. I may not burn all of this for another 3-4 years. But that's OK. If kept covered it will last several years. I stack it on pallets to keep the bottom layer off the ground.

 

After all that work, that wood will warm you twice!

 

In East Central Illinois, hardwoods galore

Now that we've moved into our new northern Idaho home, all softwoods



Going to take some getting used to

 

Never fails it always seems to happen this way.
How expensive is wood per cord out your way??

 

Theres tamarak/larch. What part north idaho?

 

Outside of Sandpoint in the Selkirks

 

I have no idea. Never paid for any.

There aren't enough people here that burn a lot of wood for there to be a demand for sellers. Most people may burn a little just for looks and don't need much. I have a Buck insert in my fireplace and keep a fire burning 24/7 most of the winter. I've often helped people clean up storm damage for the wood and I've had tree trimmers leave it in my yard rather than have to haul it off. In places where a lot of people actually burn wood they would cut and split it then sell it. Just not enough demand here to be worth it for them so they gladly give it away.

 

I highly recommend this. My back still pays for my years of using a splitting maul.