Fire wood

[briansd]

Hello all,

I am interested in starting a firewood buisiness. In order to get our supply up in a short time, i would like to get from logging companies.

My ignorance leads me for your help in what i need to ask for when talking to the logging companies. I would not want to end up with venear logs.

i am located in south central PA. Not a big logging area.

any other advise is appretiated, can contact me directly at [email protected]

Thank you in advance
Brian Dubs

 

[Stumper]

They certainly won't give you veneer logs. The only wood that you might be able to buy and cut into firewood without taking a direct loss is cull saw logs and Pulpwood. Be advised, it is extremely difficult to make anything more than expenses and very low , unskilled labor, wages in firewood. Your best bet will probably be a deal to clean up landings for the loggers for salvage rights to the wood-but there is still little money in it.:angel:

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Know your tree types too. When I moved to NC from WI 20+ yrs ago I saw a sign saying Free Firewood and thought Great! Turned out to be sweetgum which is even harder to split than elm. I generated more internal heat trying to process it than I gained in external heat by burning it.

Better $ flipping french fries.

 

[Newfie]

What kind of equipment do you have for your operation?


Delivery vehicle? Preferably large enough to fit a loose stack cord and dumps.

Loader or conveyor? Hydraulic splitter?

Don't worry about getting veneer, it won't happen, even by accident. Ask for tree length or truck length firewood logs. Trucking may kill you if there are no loggers close by. Try tree services maybe.

How many cords are you going to sell? What is the going price in your area? Do you have a couple thousand dollars to tie up in wood until you can sell it?

Just a few of the things to think about.

 

[treeman82]

A bunch of tree services around here are always looking for people who will take wood. They will give you just about anything good that they get; oak, maple, ash, etc. They are just happy to get rid of it. Also, when they drop it off at your place, it will most likely be cut up into firewood lengths.

 

[Down To Earth]

around here a tri-axle load of tops mixed hardwood goes between 250 to 350 depending on the logger and haul distance.

 

[Dadatwins]

Are you planning on selling to commercial business, split and wrap for resale, or are you going to sell to homeowners? Agree with the others not a whole lot of money in firewood after you back out expenses and labor. Most tree companies that do it are just trying to get rid of there own wood and keep thier personel on payroll through slower season. Need to have a lot of space for storage and truck for hauling. Don't forget about the labor to split and load the wood. Be careful asking tree companies to dump on your lot and supply your wood since they will probably bring you EVERYTHING they cut, good and bad wood.
In N.Y. my father's company had a contract with some jewish bakeries that heated the baking ovens exclusive with wood and they were not picky about what they burned, but most homeowners want dry, hardwood that makes good heat.

 

[spencerhenry]

i agree with the others. there is very little money in firewood. i cut and sell firewood as a hobby, and have 70 acres of dead and dying trees of my own for free. i coordinate deliveries with other trips to work or town. even thought my wood supply is free, and i have a skidder for other purposes, and have the space to store the wood, and i do it for recreation, its still just beer money. last year i split (with an axe) 116 face cords. i was out of work for a while. to make a living at firewood i figure i would have to sell about 1000 face cords a year!

 

[briansd]

What is your market though.

here is a market of $75-100 a cord, with a neerby market of about $150 a cord.

Brian

 

[buckwheat]

Brian: almost all of the logging going on in our area is for veneer, with the remainder going for pulpwood. you aren't going to turn a profit unless you can keep your overhead and outlay to a minimum. the only wood in abundance is poplar - locust and oak are out there, but not easy to come by at a logging site.

my suggestion is to develop a network and get your name out there with landowners, loggers, aborists, and the right of way guys. i'm at the point where i get calls from "friends of friends" who know i take wood. the other night i was cutting up a good sized poplar that was dropped by a right of way crew (two cords) when a guy just stopped and asked if i was interested in red oak. 'turns out he has three on his property that are dead. a pro is coming in and taking them down for $600 and i will haul them out for free. the pro was quoted $500 to haul away. so everyone is happy and i'm guessing an easy five cords out of these monsters. and this is in a new neighborhood, all previously wooded, with a lot of dead trees still standing. so i know as soon as the saws start running, the neighbors will be asking about business. moral is: you can make a go of it, but as soon as you start paying for wood, your profits are history.

there are a lot of little operations going on north of york - Camp Hill Firewood and some new outfit started advertising in the Harrisburg paper. and a couple landowners selling regularly. Perhaps some of them could provide some insight.

'best of luck if you take the plunge.

 

[Ryan Willock]

If you hustle and play things right (depending on your area) there is good money in firewood.

 

[rmihalek]

I see two types of successful firewood operations around here; those that have land clearing businesses and those that somehow or another (the 'hustle' part) get their wood for free. The land clearing guys have it best because they get paid to take the trees and then get paid to sell the firewood.

There is a third type that seems to be successful: the specialty guys who kiln dry wood for restaurant's brick ovens. I think the kiln dried stuff is $300+ per cord.

Still, when you do the math, it's a tough business. 500 cords per year at $150 per cord is $75,000. Seems like it would take at least two guys, maybe three, to sell that kind of volume, so you're looking at busting your a$$ for under $40k per year at best.

 

[sedanman]

One of the customers at the saw shop where I work asked a tree man to drop un-wanted wood on his driveway for firewood. "How much wood do you want" "All 'ya can give" came the reply. Guy who asked got so much he couldn't park in his driveway for 2 months! Best source of free wood is tree surgeons, they got more of than they need and wuould be happy for you to take it.

 

[BigSawMan]

There are 2 Amish farms around here that deal in the firewood buisness, they got a detroit diesel powered saw mill, with chrome stacks coming out the top of their barn. We can get a cord of wood for about $15-20, no Im serious, and half a semi-dump load of it for about $400 IIRC. These guys work for cheap, and there is some logging company close to them that they get their logs from.


Neil

 

[earache]

hello

 

[earache]

Sorry about that, I tried three times to post, and it wouldn't allow me.
I believe there is money to be made selling firewood. Alot of people like the wood heat enough, cost isn't as big of a factor as is getting dry, split firewood delivered. Plus LP is not cheap, and electricity is even more.
Tree companies are the best bet. My buddy owns his own, and I work for him part time when he has a big job. I get all the wood I want, get paid, and he helps load it. Landowners seldom ever want it. The old company he worked for would let you come to their woodlot with permission and fill you're pickup from the firewood pile.
Another option is county land. With permission from the cutter, I pay the county $10, and get a permit that lasts a month. Pretty good deal. One job I found was a slasher leftover, all small, and all short. No limbs, all in one pile. There was enough wood there to last me years. No splitting, just in a pile in my yard. Think I may sell some. A buddy of mine is asking about buying some from me, since he has none for the winter, and it is August.
I believe it can be done if the market is there, and you do a little homework.

 

[leweee]

as in real estate...location location location with firewood it's marketing marketing marketing.Even if the wood is free...if you get burned on the retail end (and you will get burned) it soon gets to be no fun! Cash will be your best friend.(providing it's not counterfit)"Show Me The Money"will be your favourite one liner.Take it from one who knows"It's a tuff row to hoe".
leweee

 

[Ax-man]

I got started on our pile of firewood today.

Larry

 

[Ax-man]

Just another picture.

Larry

 

[Gypo Logger]

Another good way to get firewood is from the aftermath of logging operations. Contact local loggers, but you must be taken serious and not as "just another woodtick".
John