Green vs Seasoned Firewood

[Mike_M]

What is the normal price difference per chord (4'x4'x8') of firewood between green and seasoned?Seasoned Douglas Fir is going for around $150 per chord. Was curious what I might charge for Green.
Thanks.

[CX3]

Same price if its coming off my truck

[Buck]

me too!

[saltydog]

same here

[John Mc]

Not that prices of hardwood in New England have much to do with your situation, but in my area of Vermont, seasoned, ready to burn hardwood does have a significant premium over green. The premium does seem to grow a bit the closer we get to the heating season. Right now seasoned hardwood is going for $250/cord. I haven't checked on green recently, but I had seen it as low as $150, though a bit higher is typical ($165-$185).

I'm not sure all that drives the difference. I'm sure as you get closer to actually needing to burn it, a buyer may have no other choice. They can burn green wood, but they get up to 40% fewer usable BTUs out of it (not to mention more creosote in their chimneys).

From the supplier side, maybe selling green allows less handling? If your customers are lined up ahead of time, you can run the conveyor from the firewood processor right into a dump truck and deliver it. If you are going to season it, you have to put it somewhere, then load it again later for delivery. Since I'm not in the business, I'm just guessing. With the premium as high as it is, I'd do whatever I could to get ahead enough to sell seasoned. A 50%+ return for letting it sit a year is tough to beat!

I see a more homeowners in my area considering buying log length firewood, and cutting and splitting it themselves. I hear some of the guys with firewood processors like to have a few customers in this category, since it's a great place to get rid of some of the more crooked logs that won't go through their processor as well. (I guess a few bends and gnarly pieces aren't such a big deal when you're only doing a few cords and using a chainsaw and hydraulic splitter, as opposed to more automated equipment).

John Mc

[SwampDonkey]

They all sell at one price around here, whatever they can get. ;D

[JDeere]

We sell some fire wood in Maine & New Hampshire and what John Mc said is dead on for us.

[barbender]

Seasoned goes for more around here. A lot of people buy green 100" loads and cut and split it themselves. I've made a lot of firewood deliveries when hauling wood in the winter, it's a nice change of pace from hauling pulp all day but it can sure bungle your schedule with some of the situations you get in. I think 100" red oak is going for around $85- $90 cord when getting a truckload. I think I've seen seasoned going for around $150, cut, split and delivered. I think green CSD goes around $100 a cord. But I think if it's 100" it all goes for the same price whether fresh or if it has sat a year (doesn't dry much like that anyhow)

[JHBC]

You can get more for seasoned.  Most people buy firewood for the service.  Seasoned, split, and delivered.  A cord 4x4x8 of doug fir goes for 200 these days,  I'd be hard pressed to ever sell any green wood, round or split, during burning season.  It can be sold easier in the spring, when people can let it sit.  Most who don't mind buying green, get log truck loads or half loads, for a low price, then cut and split themselves.

[mainiac]

Price for my firewood goes up through the summer as I have to pay the finance charges for the wood I bought last winter. I haven't built up enough cash reserves to do self finance of 100 cord yet. Started in april at 210/cord and am now at 230/cord for wood that was cut last winter.

Mainiac

[John Mc]

Mainiac -

How has your wood been moving for you this year?

It seems like a strange year around here. A number of firewood suppliers in my area have been sold out of seasoned wood (at $250/cord), while I've heard from some guys in other parts of the state that their firewood just isn't moving lie it has in other years.

John Mc

[SwampDonkey]

Stove oil hasn't been moving much in price for months. I suspect some are on that again. Just wait until Christmas, the phones will be ringing for wood. Even at current stove oil prices, still way ahead on wood heat in this area. I guess some people are just learning to live with the current stove oil prices. That's ok if your further south and in a well insulated house. For those guys the wood may not be worth the hassle man handling it.

[mainiac]

John Mc

I am going to sell out of wood that was cut last winter this month. A few new customers, but mostly repeat business. I don't advertise. It was slow early on, but after the first cool weather we had, phone started ringing. Most of my cutomers only take 1 or 2 cord per year, so it is more of a pleasure to them than heating. Going to burn that every year reguardless.

I agree though, been a strange summer for orders. Truck driver was delivering a load of ash a couple of weeks ago and was saying samething as you.

[Stephen Alford]

Here green and seasoned are going for $200.00/cd blocked split and delivered. Last year was a rather mild winter and most customers had wood left over. Ya sure got to like a roof with more than one chimney. 

[SwampDonkey]

Stephen, looks like old grampy had to add on to the homestead for the kids and grand kids. ;D

[Stephen Alford]

 Hey SD, folks have been coming and going there for 149 years. I wonder what seasoned wood was worth compared to greenwood in 1861 .   ???

[SwampDonkey]

Probably worth more back then before the pulp industry drove the price down.  But everyone had huge woodlots unless you lived in town. :D My grandfather hauled wood steady by horse and sleigh all winter to the reservation and the town. The reservation has a huge woodlot with a lot of hard maple for firewood. Back then it was cut for the priest house and church and anyone on the reserve that needed it of course. But if you cut for the priest you got paid. :D :D

One episode my grandfather told about for as long as I can remember, was he hauled into a house in town. The lady says throw it in the basement and pile it and I'll be right down with the pay.  Well after it was all done, he went to get the pay. The lady said that "so and so just stole every cent she had". :D So, no pay for that job.