firewood business

[Cage116]

I am looking for some advice or hints or anytype of constructive comments. Myself and brother in law are thinking of starting a firewood business. currently we heat with wood we dont have any type of tree business between us but we feel the market in our area is a good one for wood. people are upset over the cost of oil and many folks are going to wood burning. We are looking at either buying log length or paying people for standing timber. what type of machinery should we invest in tog et this thing off the ground?

 

[ponyexpress976]

Tractor or skid steer to move logs. Buying timber lots may be cheaper but purchasing logs that get dropped off the truck = a lot of work already done for you. A large dump trailer will also be darn handy.

I will say I think you may be going about this all wrong.

I really think you should be focused on finding out the costs of getting and producing the end product. Then doing the research to KNOW what the market in your area will support. Then deciding if the difference between the two results in a profit margin you can live with.

A lot of guys end up making beer money or getting into serious debt because that first step was missed.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

One word. RUN. You really dont make any money doing firewood. I only sell it because i get the wood from my tree jobs. I couldn't imagine having to pay for wood.

 

[blk90s13]

How much is a cord sold for around you ? pay for logs ? why is that ? usually tree companies pay to get rid of wood and you want to pay for it ?


at least around here they bring it in free or I go pick it up at job site cut up already to length.


Skid steer a log splitter and a whole lot of chain saws with chains also a small dump truck.


And most important a yard with easy in and out for trucks to unload wood

 

[2treeornot2tree]

How much is a cord sold for around you ? pay for logs ? why is that ? usually tree companies pay to get rid of wood and you want to pay for it ?


at least around here they bring it in free or I go pick it up at job site cut up already to length.


Skid steer a log splitter and a whole lot of chain saws with chains also a small dump truck.


And most important a yard with easy in and out for trucks to unload wood

Around here a cord of wood sells for $150-$160. Its a whole lotta work with not a lot of return. Some people like to work for peanuts so to each his own.

 

[Cage116]

well around here some places are getting upwards of 100 bucks per face cord. Last winter the going price was somewhere in the neighborhood of 260 dollars per full cord. i am really on the fence with this right now i am not sure the return is very good on the investment. but since i heat with wood and i process wood now maybe i can make soem extra $$ by selling off some of my extra wood..

 

[blk90s13]

That is cheap !!! cords are close to $200 + here

Some sell for $150 but that is the cord they bring in a pickup truck and say here u go a cord of wood :msp_rolleyes:


When I sell my cord almost every customer I roll up to with my dump truck say oh wow that is a lot of wood ! :msp_w00t:

 

[Rockland Farm]

It depends on what type of business you are looking to get into . Are you just looking for a side thing for some extra money or are you looking to make your living off it ? If you want to make a living off firewood you can probably set yourself up in a more profitable business of some other type for the same investment in equipment . You have to sell a lot of firewood to make a living off it . On the other hand if you want to just supplement your income then I say go for it . It sounds like you and I are in the same situation , I already heated with wood so I already had the basics the saws , truck and splitter . So it was only a matter of cutting and splitting more wood to sell . You also live in a area where firewood commands a higher price as I do . If I could only get what firewood sells for in other parts of the country I would not bother with it . So in a nutshell . Pay the mortgage nope . Make some extra money yep . For me it was the perfect thing to do . No extra investment to have a small hobby business and all kinds of excuses to buy more stuff .

 

[Gologit]

Firewood?

You won't make much money. Just try not to lose much money.

When you figure what your actual net profit is, and figure it completely and honestly, you might be better off working at Burger King.

 

[ponyexpress976]

i am really on the fence with this right now i am not sure the return is very good on the investment. but since i heat with wood and i process wood now maybe i can make soem extra $$ by selling off some of my extra wood..

This is a good place to start. You already have the "stuff" so a couple extra hours/weekends processing is no big deal for you. My advice would be to make friends with the tree services in your area that don't sell firewood. This way you can get the raw materials for your operation already partially processed and for "free". If they offer any wood to you, bust your hump to get it as that will show your commitment and they will offer you more. I started selling once I was 2-3 years ahead for the house. Got my feet wet with little to no risk.

 

[allstihl]

im 30miles south of utica. a face cord is about $50 around here. i dont sell wood but if i could get $100 a face cord, im 3 years ahead, i would be selling.

 

[tomtrees58]

Well here on Long Island get $200 delivered for a full cord a face cord is a half cord if you're getting hundred and 60 four a full cord and buying it log length you're not making any money you're just working to workopcorn:

 

[Ductape]

This is all the encouragement you'll need for your firewood business........

Last year I made a hundred thousand dollars selling firewood !









Unfortunately, I started with two hundred thousand dollars.

 

[Finch12]

I'm in the St.Lawrence seaway area, just north of Massena, NY and it all depends on who you are planning on selling the wood to around here. If you have a truck and are willing to go into Ottawa you can expect $100+ for a face cord from the city dwellers. Around my parts that same face cord costs around $60, but I'm about 45 minutes south of the city in farm country. Most of the true wood burners have some access to supply, so prices aren't crazy but can get that way further into winter when some people estimate their supply improperly or we have a harsh or long winter. A load of logs can usually be had for around $900 and it provides about 25-30 face cords if you have the space to have them dropped off and then work, so that would end up costing about $90 per proper cord at 16" lengths.

 

[m37]

Make friends with some arborist's they can provide some wood.

 

[blades]

Firewood and snowplowing about one in the same, Equipment insurance ect not much profit, Sometimes if any. In snowplowing its not the plowing that is the money maker but the salting. I have plenty of wood around CSS 2 years, but I do not sell. Once in a blue moon someone will ask if I would like to sell or if they could purchase some. So a couple bucks in the pocket at about the local rate which is about a tank of fuel on either truck.
Around here a semi log load is about 10 cord in 8ft or so logs, avg price is 100/cord depending on distance there might be a fuel charge as well. Cut split might equal 7.5 cord so on the low side that is $133/cord with out any other costs involved. add fuel, labor, insurance. maintenance, now that cost is pushing the $175 marker. Local market ranges from $160 to $250 ( latest ad on CL- Beech at a little over $300 /cord) and there is a lot of competition.

 

[lmbrman]

tough around here to make any money on firewood.

log length, $75/full cord delivered

cut and split, $50/face cord delivered

 

[stihlcrazy20]

I do pretty well

I get all my wood free within 5 miles of my house. Sells for 180-240 a cord, minus my gas and chains, etc. I come out about 100-125 in profit per cord. But I have no labor to pay out, and already own all the neccesary equipment because I burn wood and the construction biz. So I do a little better then alot of the local guys here. Always add a little extra and throw in a little kindling (2x4 cut-offs split down work great) and you won't be able to keep up with demand.

 

[zogger]

Just by reading here, i would say stall small, or go big, nothing in the middle.

the other thing to consider is you can't just start now, you have no dry wood! You have to cut and process and let it sit for a year beore you can have anything worth selling. You'll have a lot of time and expense involved before you see a single dollar back. Logs cut this year and not processed are not good to burn.

The other I have read here is custom wood, sold by the bundle, for campers and fireplace ambience burners, which is much more per cord, but more handling. And also find real steady guaranteed customers like the pizza joints and home burners with big demands and you know they got money.

What the other guys said, if you can guarantee to take delivery or pickup tree service wood, you would be miles ahead to start out like that. Not near as much equipment needed right now, just have to get it cut and split, then start looking for that dumptruck or trailer for next year, and start looking for customers as well. Who knows, some might take green for next winter, but I doubt that market is near what the "need it now, must be seasoned" market is.

hey, good luck!

more edit, dang keep finding more typos and had another thought...

I think if I was going to do it...I would try to make an asset out of the liability of the grade C wood. The uglies, lesser species, off cuts, gnarly stuff that you will accumulate while processing. Chunks of wood that would be near impossible to sell, but still could be burnt. Anything, even pine, which I bet you could get for free all the time where you are. Build a kiln for the good stuff that will be sold, and run it off the uglies/everything else. Just being able to advertise "kiln dried" wood would set you apart from the other guys in your area. I would still open air season by bulk, then, by demand, on a sale by sale deal, do a final kiln dry for those cords right before delivery.

 

[D&B Mack]

Unless you are a very large operation processing 10+ cords per hour, I don't see how you can pay for logs and re-sell them to make any real money. There is too much handling in firewood.

Since you are starting out, you should be able to work with tree service companies and get enough wood for free. Talk to loggers about cleaning up their tops, that worked for me.