How much wood.

[flotek]

around 6.5 cords in my englander addon wood furnace

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

1 CORD = 4' X 4' X 8' PILE OF WOOD

In North America, that is it. Now, when getting into actual volume and mass of actual wood, it's another story. The CORD piled dimensions are still 4x4x8.

Nope. Not in Canada or the U.S.

"A standard cord is a unit of measure of wood products 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long, or its equivalent, containing 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed. "

That one is from Maine's statute. It's typical of legal definitions in the various United States, and Canada's definition.




Here's Idaho:

71-230. "BARREL," "TON" AND "CORD" DEFINED. ... The term "cord" when used in connection with wood intended for fuel purposes shall mean the amount of wood that is contained in a space of one hundred twenty-eight (128) cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed.

From Measurement Canada:

Follow these steps to ensure that you have received the correct quantity:

* Stack the wood neatly in a line or row, ensuring that individual pieces are touching and parallel to each other with as few gaps as possible.
* Measure the length, width and height of the stack in feet (for example, 4 feet x 8 feet x 4 feet).
* Multiply these measurements to calculate the volume in cubic feet.

If your result is equal to 128 cubic feet, you have a cord.

Every legal definition you'll find in the U.S. or Canada will have similar wording - a cord is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, whether that stack is 4x4x8 or some other combination that yields 128 cubic feet.

 

[Old Cane]

I've lived and cut north, south and west and a rick is 1/3 of a cord every place I've been. 8'x4'x16".

 

[logbutcher]

Nope. Not in Canada or the U.S.
That one is from Maine's statute. It's typical of legal definitions in the various United States, and Canada's definition.
Here's Idaho:
From Measurement Canada:
Every legal definition you'll find in the U.S. or Canada will have similar wording - a cord is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, whether that stack is 4x4x8 or some other combination that yields 128 cubic feet.

Yes, yes, and maybe. That's the stated bureaucratic definition by statute and in online research. :help:

In the real world of selling wood it varies except for the use of the cord. All pros here at least, use the cord measure in the field/yard/load. Since trees vary, the piled cord became the standard measure. Piles are sometimes 128 cu ft, sometimes more, sometimes less. NO cutter or seller takes the time to meaure volume. And how would you get that ideal "128 cubic feet" measure ?? Most loggers here bringing logs to a mill use the 4x4x8 measure as a standard measure. How the load is measured for $$$ varies. Pulp (paper) mills purchase the load by weight at the station, so most sellers and loggers here prefer fresh cut pulp in 4' lengths for weight and ease of handling. Sawlogs for lumber at the mill sometimes measure board feet in the log load, or by weight depending on species, or by the cord. Valuable veneer or high grade furniture/flooring wood e.g. cherry, walnut, some oak, some birch, maple may be bought by the log.

Unfortunately here in the Northeast, the pulp market is near shut down. Too many of our sawlogs are run up to Canada for milling.:chainsawguy:

JMNSHO

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Yes, yes, and maybe. That's the stated bureaucratic definition by statute

That's right. That's the legal definition, and the only one that matters.

Anything else is just someone's ignorance or dishonesty.


Same as if people were making up their own definitions for gallon, mile, pound, or any other legally defined unit of measure.

You find someone selling gas by the glorg, and telling you "It's about half a gallon in our neck of the woods.", and you'd know you were dealing with either a crook or an idiot.


It's no different with firewood or pulpwood. There's a legally defined measurement, used by knowledgeable and honest folks, and there are the others.

Only the ignorant are proud of their ignorance.


Don't like it? Tough.

 

[dustytools]

I burned right at 3 cords last year. Where at in SE Kentucky are you?

 

[stint]

Using a Jotul F600 as primary heat source for 2 story Farmhouse: use about 5 cords a year of mostly white ash and black (choke)cherry cut off fencerows.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Last year we went through approx 8-10 cords.

This year, if things keep on like they are, maybe 5.

It's been terribly warm here.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

If I had berry bushes across the street instead of apple trees, I'd swear you were lying about being in MI - pretty much identical here.

In a "normal" year (what's that?), I'll go through about 8 cords, +-2100sq feet 20 year old mobile home on full basement, woodchuck wood furnace in the basement, annual LP use is about 250 gallons with most of that being cooking and hot water.

About 4-5 cords of good hardwoods, oak, ironwood, cherry and elm, and the remainder being birch, boxelder, poplar, or whatever follows me home.

So far this year, I'm probably a full cord off of normal use, I've burned about a cord and a half since late September, with most of that being box elder.

 

[logbutcher]

That's right. That's the legal definition, and the only one that matters.
Anything else is just someone's ignorance or dishonesty.
Same as if people were making up their own definitions for gallon, mile, pound, or any other legally defined unit of measure.
You find someone selling gas by the glorg, and telling you "It's about half a gallon in our neck of the woods.", and you'd know you were dealing with either a crook or an idiot.
It's no different with firewood or pulpwood. There's a legally defined measurement, used by knowledgeable and honest folks, and there are the others.
Only the ignorant are proud of their ignorance.
Don't like it? Tough.

None of the above Mark. It's not ignorance or dishonesty; and trees are not gas or milk.

When harvesting wood for real, in the forest, for wages, there is a standard that IS USED. No one tries to cheat ( vivid imagination, or self-righteous crap ?? ) or put anything over on anyone. Sounds like some legal bullsh$$$. It is what is used as a standard, is practical, and IS the business.

Here is the woods' reality. Now Mark, think about it: you're doing a day's work for a woodlot owner. Your crews' time and gear is money in the bank. The production needs to be measured. There are in a usual harvest at least half a million $$$ in equipment that need to produce: feller/bunchers, skidders, slashers, delimbers, semi flatbeds to carry the production. Besides, the crew needs to get paid, their liability insurance needs amortization, the machinery maintenance and insurance takes its cut. All are based on the production in cords. Simple, standardized, utilized for generations no matter what is "said" in the regs.

It's not "don't like it" :spamr "tough":spam:, it is what is done. No crooks, no dishonesty, no ignorance, no idiots. Take a look at the Ax Men program from northern Maine to get an idea of what harvesting reality is.

Oh, and we do buy our milk by the "glorg", doesn't everyone ?

 

[asb151]

4 cord in a wood stove as supplemental to my oil furnace. That keeps the oil bill around $200 for the winter which isn't too bad. The other benefit is that the house is always at 70+ degrees.

 

[ray benson]

5 to 7 cords.

 

[howellhandmade]

None of the above Mark. It's not ignorance or dishonesty; and trees are not gas or milk.

When harvesting wood for real, in the forest, for wages, there is a standard that IS USED. No one tries to cheat ( vivid imagination, or self-righteous crap ?? ) or put anything over on anyone. Sounds like some legal bullsh$$$. It is what is used as a standard, is practical, and IS the business.

Here is the woods' reality. Now Mark, think about it: you're doing a day's work for a woodlot owner. Your crews' time and gear is money in the bank. The production needs to be measured. There are in a usual harvest at least half a million $$$ in equipment that need to produce: feller/bunchers, skidders, slashers, delimbers, semi flatbeds to carry the production. Besides, the crew needs to get paid, their liability insurance needs amortization, the machinery maintenance and insurance takes its cut. All are based on the production in cords. Simple, standardized, utilized for generations no matter what is "said" in the regs.

It's not "don't like it" :spamr "tough":spam:, it is what is done. No crooks, no dishonesty, no ignorance, no idiots. Take a look at the Ax Men program from northern Maine to get an idea of what harvesting reality is.

Oh, and we do buy our milk by the "glorg", doesn't everyone ?

I know nobody asked, but I think two different things are being discussed. A cord is 128 cubic feet. This is a standard of measurement. Its purpose is the same as any other standard, to allow people to agree on things -- X amount of currency in exchange for Y commodity, for instance. Fairly strict application of the standard is necessary for comparing prices. In a business where both parties are familiar with the product and the terminology, you may see variations -- board feet, weight, cords, etc. But timber professionals dealing with each other is a very different thing from firewood sellers dealing with the public.

The crux of the matter, seems to me, is whether both parties know what is meant by the terminology and are able to verify it. A guy selling firewood by the pickup load isn't being dishonest if he calls it a pickup load and doesn't claim it's a certain fraction of a cord, or if he knows what fraction it is and says so. But if he calls it a cord, it had better be a very special pickup.

Jack

 

[barkeatr]

I burn 10-12 cords with a CB OWB...in an almost 9000 degree day climate. My house is 1500 sf, passive solar. Radiant floors, domestic hot water is heated also. My wife likes it about 75 plus degrees. We burn from Sept to May I believe.

We burn about 50 Gallons of Iraqi's finest in a year, mostly for hot water in the summer. I occasionally fire up the boiler in the summer to heat the pool and the domestic hot water is wood heated during those times. The way I figure it the gym fees that I displace by cutting and processing the wood pay for the chain saw and splitter fuel.

We have been burning 100% wood for 4-5 years. Some of areas I have extracted trees have new trees sprouting up..several are 4-5 feet tall already. Much of the tree removal is about releasing a lot of young maples. When the light hits the forest floor biomass is quick to put it to good use.

 

[logbutcher]

Firewood is a Tiny Part of the Industry

Talking with some of our logging buddies about this online firefight here about "what is a cord".
My fault guys: most think that the logging industry IS firewood when it's only a tiny part of what is harvested world-wide.
You are the only direct end-users of woodlot cutting. Most harvests are for pulp, sawlogs, veneer, biomass. Firewood is just a peripheral portion of the industry.
So while some of you may have been shorted, or given what was supposed to be "seasoned", even there, most sellers are honest doing a fair deal. They have to. It is tough, high labor, low margin work.

 

[Nuzzy]

7-8 full cords in our indoor wood furnace. Just been limping along so far this year though...

 

[Laird]

About 8-10 cords with an OWB. I've gone through just shy of 3 so far.

 

[rmount]

Just over 2 cord. We have a 1300 sq ft two story, wood frame farmhouse about 110 years old. Before us it was my wife's uncle, he probably burned 7-8 cord. We totally reno'd, spray foam insulation everywhere; 4" in exterior walls, 6" in ceiling and new doors and windows.