I spent most of the early spring harvesting firewood from a highway widening project near me. The first thing they did was cut down all the trees. I hauled about 5 cords of oak and acacia out of there before they took everything I left to the dump. I wasn't fast enough, dang day job. I had an entire weekend of mourning when they hauled the rest of the wood away.
It was a very sad day.
I found a big pile of eucalyptus on the highway when I was driving to work this past June. Before I got there someone got the easy small stuff. I noodled some rounds that were over 30" across and put them on my truck by myself. I got another cord that day. My friends think I am crazy and they as me why I do this. I love the work and it saves me money. They ask me what I spend the money I save on. The important stuff: diesel for my truck, an ammunition. Yes, there are rednecks in California.
I see downed trees while we are out and about and my wife sees my head spin around. She knows I am going to say: "I wonder if they want that tree?" There is never, ever enough firewood. I wish they would let me work in the state parks that are around here. All the other people are enjoying a nice hike in the woods. The whole time I am out there I'm trying to figure out how I would get my truck and trailer in and how I would drop a tree to make it easy to bring up to level ground. We look at old growth redwoods and people say, "I wonder how tall that tree is?" I'm thinking, "I wonder how many cords are in that one?" I would only burn redwood in an emergency situation; that being I couldn't get any hardwood. It's still fun to think about how many cords are in a big tree. Going to state parks is fun, but I never feel as close to nature as when I am in the woods with a 100cc chainsaw in my hands screaming wide open. They won't let me do that in a state park. They just don't understand.
Last spring I drove 2 1/2 hours one way to buy chain loops from a guy that once owned a chainsaw dealership. He had piles of demo chains that were run once. He sold them for $3 - $4 a loop. I got at least 6 loops for every saw I own and I outfitted my friends with loops too. We all got chainsaw chaps and other accessories. My wife thought I was crazy for going that far but I won't need chains for a very long time and I paid a fraction of the cost of this stuff new.
On weekends I am constantly on the prowl for used chainsaws at garage sales. I love rebuilding saws. My wife asks me why I need so many saws. I ask her why she needs so many knitting needles. Chainsaws are like golf clubs: each one serves a different purpose. Plus they heat the house and I can make money on them when I sell them. I am about even or a little ahead on the saws I have rebuilt and sold and the saws I kept. I could sell them all and be way ahead.
Firewood has become a way of life for me. I like everything about it from the equipment to cutting and splitting wood. Stacking is the only thing I don't like, but I would rather stack firewood than go to work. I am a mechanical engineer and spend most of my time in the office. The people I work with think I am nuts, but then again I think they are nuts. I don't understand not being able to do things yourself. They call me crazy now, but if a big earthquake hits they'll be asking me for help. My house will be warm and my family will be taken care of. I don't need assistance from the police or the government.
This thread is much longer than I thought it would be when I started typing. I guess I really like cutting firewood. I thought I needed an intervention when all this started. What I really needed was a place where people did the same things I did. I found that place at Arboristsite. When I came here I had two chainsaws and a old logsplitter someone gave me that I rebuilt. I lost count of how many saws I have and I have more equipment than I ever thought I needed. I still think I don't need an intervention. I can quit anytime.
There are much worse things you can do with your free time than cutting up firewood. Through firewood I have saved our family a lot of money and made a lot of friends. When you split wood with someone for 8 hours you are better friends than if you sat on bar stools with them for as much time IMHO. My wife doesn't *like* me spending hours rebuilding chainsaws but she says at least I make money at it. There are worse hobbies to have.
After all the rambling this is my $0.02
Bob