Interesting History, WW II Firewood Rationing

[Counselor]

I have been studying WW II home front history. Part of that is the rationing system of commodities. Fuel of most every type was rationed, gas and coal of course were tightly controlled. However, they apparently rationed firewood as well.

I could find very little about how it worked in actual practice. Some references seem to say it was limited to certain regions.

I can't imagine how they actually enforced that....every farm I ever saw in the midwest had a farm wood lot...people could cut whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted...

Anyone know anything about this?

 

[turnkey4099]

I have been studying WW II home front history. Part of that is the rationing system of commodities. Fuel of most every type was rationed, gas and coal of course were tightly controlled. However, they apparently rationed firewood as well.

I could find very little about how it worked in actual practice. Some references seem to say it was limited to certain regions.

I can't imagine how they actually enforced that....every farm I ever saw in the midwest had a farm wood lot...people could cut whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted...

Anyone know anything about this?

We, and most of our neighbors, heated with wood during WWII. I was 6 when it started. I do not recall it ever being mentioned.

 

[Counselor]

I've seen it mentioned in multiple places including from the National WWII Museum...

https://www.nps.gov/articles/Rationing-in-WWII.htm
If I read it right, it was apparently a regional thing and was restricted to the North East........

 

[old guy]

We, and most of our neighbors, heated with wood during WWII. I was 6 when it started. I do not recall it ever being mentioned.

You are an old Coot, I wasn't quite 10 months old yet.

 

[turnkey4099]

You are an old Coot, I wasn't quite 10 months old yet.

Ya got that right, 86 but still able to swing saws...or was still doing it last fall. We'll see how that works out in the spring.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

My dad was in the Coast Guard, stationed in Alaska patrolling the Aleutian Islands. Mom was a nurse, and the only non military spouse allowed to stay, to live, on base. There were black outs of all lights at night. All mail going and coming was opened and read, then stamped, before being delivered.

 

[rancher2]

My dad and brothers were kids and young adults during WWll. My dad pasted when I was a kid but his older brothers talked about coal rationing and of course gas rationing. They sold coal and trucked goods back then. Never heard them say anything about wood rationing. I think back then people who burned wood cut there own off there farms.