Wood Doctor,
Dito for me, if i deliver no less than the best hardwoods to customers they would send me home .
I mix in some silver maple for everyone though, not to cheat them but to let them start fires.
Customers don't understand that most of the real dence hardwoods are painfull to get going without something that will burn semi fast.
I end up burning box elder and poplar myself in shoulder season.
Not much else you can do with it other than break out the shredder or have a giant bonfire.
Most jobs though a sign that says (free wood) goes at the tree customers curb, can't win them all though and some comes home.
Then the (free wood) sign goes up at the front of my place LOL
Always end up with a cord or two though no matter what.
I look at it this way. If they don't want it and it has to be removed from the site then they pay me to haul home mine or your firewood. Of course I sell mostly the good stuff like oak and such. I'm done with mixed hardwoods for sale. There is no money in that stuff around here. Most of my customers want oak.
You can not educate some people about keeping the wood off the ground and dry from rain or snow. I get comments like "I hope your wood burns better than the last guys did in my fire place last winter." Then I see the rotten frozen mess laying in a heap out back or on the side. I just try to educate them and once in a while it actually works. Most of them never get it that you need some good dry small semi-hardwood to get the coals or fire going. They think white oak and harder stuff will just go right up in there crappy setup fireplace after laying in the mud and frozen all winter.
On the flip side I could burn green oak cut yesterday in a decent stove with a good draft. I'm not saying I would but I think you get my point here. I know people that burn green pine in the shop stove and never have any trouble with anything. Their motto is it was free and it puts out heat so if you don't want it by all means please drop it off for me, so I do. If they are full up then it goes to the guy who makes campfire wood for the campgrounds.
I have a few customers that are real sharpies and could burn a wet rock if they had too. These are the "smart ones" I call them. They always order a cord of oak or two with some smaller splits of mixed hardwoods. Then the second order is always for semi seasoned or almost green wood of the hardest stuff I have on hand. The price is never and issue with them. Who do you think calls back year after year? I'd rather sell less wood to well educated repeat customers because they always tell-a-friend who brought them just what they wanted every time for their fireplace.
I've even had to educate a few on not ordering red cedar to burn in the fire place. "We like the smell of red cedar" my response is "you like your house better, trust me on that." That is after I find out they have no shield of any kind on the damn thing. They always say the same thing. "We like to see the fire directly when we burn the fireplace" and I respond, "I don't sell red cedar for under 500 a cord and it only comes in small rounds if I have any available." I don't think any of them realize the danger there. Then I do the long song about how dangerous this would be with all that carpet there yada yada yada. Most get it and thank you, some just don't. Like I would cut up large red cedar to burn for fun, really? I can think of ten thousand other things to use Jersey Red Cedar for.
Most all wood burns and puts out heat. Treat your wood right and it will be good to you in toasty returns on many a cold night
Locust RULES!!! Green or the elusive black. They are well worth the extra effort to harvest!!!!!!!!!
If you ask what I charge a cord for locust and then hesitate, then you really don't want it. I could care less because I can sell it for top dollar hand over fist everyday of the week.
Use damn good semi-chisel round cut hard ass chain, wide open bar oilier, go a lil fat on the tune, eat your wheaties and smile every time you wake to a bed of coals.
