firewood business

[chevytaHOE5674]

If fossil fuels are cheap, demand for wood goes down. People don't like the hassle of burning wood to save a few pennies.
Fossil fuel gets expensive, everybody wants wood to save $$$.


Production cost depends on labor in your area, cost of the wood, overhead, buying logs, or harvesting your own, yada yada yada.

[chucker]

?? must be "location, location or just the location " from braintree,ma?? lol

[240b]

I'm sorry, but you really need to get out and live some life in the real world so you know how things work. That statement is so ridiculously uninformed and uneducated I feel the need to put some sort of force field around you to keep the membership from pummeling you.

Now thats funny..

The other problem is the price of oil goes up and all the $$ ends up in the gas tank = no more $ for wood  Firewood guys here had people asking if they could buy half a pick up truck load or what ever they had cash for. Kind of hard to run a business selling a wheelburrow load at a time. (And below cost to boot)

[beenthere]

Jeff
The forcefield is working....obviously a strong one.  ;D

[mrnero]

I'm sorry, but you really need to get out and live some life in the real world so you know how things work. That statement is so ridiculously uninformed and uneducated I feel the need to put some sort of force field around you to keep the membership from pummeling you.

Jeff, you ain't preaching to me again, are U ??
May the force be with you

[mrnero]

?? must be "location, location or just the location " from braintree,ma?? lol

Whats wrong with braintree,MA location??

[mrnero]

I'm sorry, but you really need to get out and live some life in the real world so you know how things work. That statement is so ridiculously uninformed and uneducated I feel the need to put some sort of force field around you to keep the membership from pummeling you.

P.S. That was a funny comeback 8) 8)

[gunman63]

easy way to fix that wheelburrow load at a time thing, say NO , I dont even do pickup loads, 1 cord min.   save that manual labor for the  guys that need beer money

[Jeff]

Jeff, you ain't preaching to me again, are U ??

I'm trying to save you from Forestry Forum Hell. You can choose to be saved, or maybe even go to disneyland.

[Dan_Shade]

mrnero, you probably understand this, but here goes:

supply and demand, if the supply is low, and the demand high, then the cost will rise (think two bidders at an auction)

If the demand is not there for a good or service, then the price lowers (think an auctioneer lowering a price to get a bid).

cost of living can also vary greatly from one area to another, I'd guess that a cord of firewood where you live costs much more than one does in a retirement town in Florida (due to cost of living and demand).

your mileage may vary 

[mrnero]

Jeff, you ain't preaching to me again, are U ??

I'm trying to save you from Forestry Forum Hell. You can choose to be saved, or maybe even go to disneyland.

Thanks Jeff, I dont need to be saved. I get to be saved every Sunday when I go to church. Thanks for your concern, but I like it here instead of Disneyland.

[240b]

easy way to fix that wheelburrow load at a time thing, say NO , I dont even do pickup loads, 1 cord min.   save that manual labor for the  guys that need beer money

yep, thats what he tells'em 2cd min. another guy i know will hang up the phone on people if they even say anything about his prices.

[rebocardo]

> Also wondering if it pays to buy a large woodlot

Yes because you ensure your supply AND can rent it out for hunting etc. The thing to do is make it your main residence so you can claim any mortgage interest on your taxes. Then claim a business space if you claim the income on taxes.

I would start small with a $1000 splitter and a dump trailer or dump body on a F-350 diesel 7.3L 4x4 before investing in a processor then UP grade as you make your money. Before a processor I would buy a CASE or Bobcat for loading the trailer. I would have a really nice stove for myself to use the pine wood no one else really wants so I could sell the hardwoods for high dollar without impacting my profits.

Find a location with lots of acres 200+ (have a forester do a survey so you know how many cords of wood you are buying) and make sure it has an elevated flat place to store wood under cover. You do not want to store all your wood together either, not fun to lose all your profits in one fire.

I find nothing worse then loading and then unloading a trailer by hand because it takes too much time and is tedious after the 1st ten cords. You only have a small window to sell firewood because most people will not buy until the snow falls so you want to be able to deliver a cord an hour for 60 hours a week. So, a dump truck or trailer is a must, imho.

$50,000 / $150 a cord = a lot of cords =333 = five 60 hour weeks of delivery.

[Black_Bear]

> Also wondering if it pays to buy a large woodlot

Yes because you ensure your supply AND can rent it out for hunting etc.

I would have a really nice stove for myself to use the pine wood no one else really wants so I could sell the hardwoods for high dollar without impacting my profits.

Find a location with lots of acres 200+ (have a forester do a survey so you know how many cords of wood you are buying) and make sure it has an elevated flat place to store wood under cover. You do not want to store all your wood together either, not fun to lose all your profits in one fire.

Unlike the south and west, hunting leases are not part of the culture here in New England and are just about non-existent. Your land is considered open to the public unless you post it. The one hunting lease I know of in VT is $10/year.

Most homeowners in New England don't burn softwood. It builds up creosote too fast, which leads to chimney fires. I can see if you have 4 fires a year it could be OK, but when you burn wood 6 months/year it's not a good idea to burn softwood. Unless you like to clean your chimney and/or have the fire dept. on speed dial.

200 acres that has been high-graded (all that remains is pulp/firewood) will currently run you $300/acre to $1000/acre.

240b - nothing wrong with Orange County, plenty of deer!!   

[240b]

> Also wondering if it pays to buy a large woodlot

Yes because you ensure your supply AND can rent it out for hunting etc.

I would have a really nice stove for myself to use the pine wood no one else really wants so I could sell the hardwoods for high dollar without impacting my profits.

Find a location with lots of acres 200+ (have a forester do a survey so you know how many cords of wood you are buying) and make sure it has an elevated flat place to store wood under cover. You do not want to store all your wood together either, not fun to lose all your profits in one fire.

Unlike the south and west, hunting leases are not part of the culture here in New England and are just about non-existent. Your land is considered open to the public unless you post it. The one hunting lease I know of in VT is $10/year.

Most homeowners in New England don't burn softwood. It builds up creosote too fast, which leads to chimney fires. I can see if you have 4 fires a year it could be OK, but when you burn wood 6 months/year it's not a good idea to burn softwood. Unless you like to clean your chimney and/or have the fire dept. on speed dial.

200 acres that has been high-graded (all that remains is pulp/firewood) will currently run you $300/acre to $1000/acre.

240b - nothing wrong with Orange County, plenty of deer!!  

If I remember correctly, if you are enrolled in current use, you can't lease for recreational  use.  And the deer? Saw two all summer and I've yet to have any show up to eat buds (cutting maple next to a "deer yard" )  moose on the other hand I wish they would have an open season on those things and I no longer even slow down for the turkeys in the road.  Log trucker caught one in the grill last week.  Out west if its posted thats it.. people seem to respect that, here on the other hand, what is yours is everybody elses.  I posted my land this summer and the nieghbors got a hot about it. ( had troubles with atv's on my woods roads) it was amazing how many people were tromping around out there.(I really did not care about the foot traffic.) People in new england really feel entitled to use what isn't there's.
good luck finding two hundred acres of fire wood, anything that big already has somebody w/ a hand in it. It is not impossible but chances are slim.   

[gunman63]

want him to start  with a $1000 spilter, and then buy 200 acres of land, for firewood, the intrest on that 200 acres would more than by a processor, and i dont think u would have trouble buying firewood hauled in, in long lenghts, if u buy the land for stumpage u still need to findsome one to harvest it  and haul it to u. buy a lower cost processor, and get a spliting and piling and selling, but no matter how u do it, u will have a pile of money invested in it.

[woodmills1]

just so you know the 1610 got here this morning and man only one word  SWEET  pictures at eleven

[mrnero]

mrnero, you probably understand this, but here goes:

supply and demand, if the supply is low, and the demand high, then the cost will rise (think two bidders at an auction)

If the demand is not there for a good or service, then the price lowers (think an auctioneer lowering a price to get a bid).

cost of living can also vary greatly from one area to another, I'd guess that a cord of firewood where you live costs much more than one does in a retirement town in Florida (due to cost of living and demand).

your mileage may vary 

Here I go again, I just can't help myself. :D :D :D Let me see if I understand you correctly :P    If there is a local power outage and there becomes a demand for generators.  you are saying, that home depot should raise their prices on their generators because there is a shortage of generators in their store. And Lowes should do the same when snow shovels, rock salt and etc becomes in high demand during snow storms. Therefore, I guess you also means that the big food chain stores should also the same when the shelves become understocked too. I appears that some of you have different meanings of supply and demand confused with price goughing and the meaning of suggested retail price vs autionering. Maybe we should have national regulations and laws passed so everyone will know and "understand" what price gouging is. Oh well, here I go again back to disneyland !! Bye

BTW; Check out the (Craiglist) firewood prices in Fl retirment country. There getting more $$$ for their firewood than some of the northern states dealer are.  ;D ;D

[bull]

woodmills, welcome to the team... what do you think !!! congratulations...

I have been busy getting everything setup at my landing !! busy with snow and other jobs, have only run 4 cords thru mine, but it took a heck of a lot less time and allowed me to get other work done..... Hope to be back in the woods this weekend pulling out more storm damage, I'm shooting for about 20 cord before february !!!

[bull]

Mrnero there had to be something wrong with Braintree because they made *( New Braintree )* way back in the 1800's and it's still a nice quite town !! In Worcester County,Central Mass

[mrnero]

Mrnero there had to be something wrong with Braintree because they made *( New Braintree )* way back in the 1800's and it's still a nice quite town !! In Worcester County,Central Mass

I wouldn't know what happened back in the 1800's, This is only my occupation resident for 3 to 4 days a week.

[motohed]

mrnero, you probably understand this, but here goes:

supply and demand, if the supply is low, and the demand high, then the cost will rise (think two bidders at an auction)

If the demand is not there for a good or service, then the price lowers (think an auctioneer lowering a price to get a bid).

cost of living can also vary greatly from one area to another, I'd guess that a cord of firewood where you live costs much more than one does in a retirement town in Florida (due to cost of living and demand).

your mileage may vary 

Here I go again, I just can't help myself. :D :D :D Let me see if I understand you correctly :P    If there is a local power outage and there becomes a demand for generators.  you are saying, that home depot should raise their prices on their generators because there is a shortage of generators in their store. And Lowes should do the same when snow shovels, rock salt and etc becomes in high demand during snow storms. Therefore, I guess you also means that the big food chain stores should also the same when the shelves become understocked too. I appears that some of you have different meanings of supply and demand confused with price goughing and the meaning of suggested retail price vs autionering. Maybe we should have national regulations and laws passed so everyone will know and "understand" what price gouging is. Oh well, here I go again back to disneyland !! Bye

Firewood is a fuel source like oil . The price of oil fluctuates acording to available source and shipping , guess what so does firewood . I guess you need to learn something about stock market trading and fuel commodities , along with world trade . Some of your views , are off base . I agree with Jeff and some others . There is a huge difference in retail sales and fuel prices . firewood is a fuel commodity like home heating fuel ,gasoline ,diesel ,etc . Do you buy your gas at the highest price or the cheapest price . What about the quality of the gas or firewood , or correct quantity ,  a true cord versus face cord . Firewood has a direct coralation to oil prices and availability . My price for a seasoned cord of firewood is 220.00 , for a green cord is 185.00 . Delivery with in a 10 mile radius is free , outside of that it's 1.50 a mile both ways . I have built up many customers , they will leave the money some where , when they order from me . Why , because they know they will get what they pay for every time . There is no dirt and the wood is clean and seasoned . I am sure many others do the same as I do , I garranty , if people get shorted or dirty wood they will become a customer of mine or someone else like me . Price is in some what imetrical , in the firewood business , also it's a buyer beware product .There are some individuals in the firewood business , that don't serve the people as well as others  .  Same thing with gasoline and home heating fuel being substandard . We are lucky now that the oil industry is widely regulated to protect us . Firewood leaves something to be desired ,when it comes to being regulated ,other than the new regulation that will be imposed due to insect infestation quarentines .

[motohed]

Mrnero there had to be something wrong with Braintree because they made *( New Braintree )* way back in the 1800's and it's still a nice quite town !! In Worcester County,Central Mass

I wouldn't know what happened back in the 1800's, This is only my occupation resident for 3 to 4 days a week.

That explains every thing ! 8)

[motohed]

just so you know the 1610 got here this morning and man only one word  SWEET  pictures at eleven

Thats cool , maybe a day trip is in order .

[John Mc]

Unlike the south and west, hunting leases are not part of the culture here in New England and are just about non-existent. Your land is considered open to the public unless you post it. The one hunting lease I know of in VT is $10/year.

At that rate, they might as well not be charging anything. Vermont has some good laws protecting landowners from liability if someone gets hurt while using their land (to hunt, hike, snowmobile, etc). THat protection goes away if you charge for the use.

Most homeowners in New England don't burn softwood. It builds up creosote too fast, which leads to chimney fires. I can see if you have 4 fires a year it could be OK, but when you burn wood 6 months/year it's not a good idea to burn softwood. Unless you like to clean your chimney and/or have the fire dept. on speed dial.

It's a myth that softwood builds up creosote too fast. You just have to start with properly seasoned wood, and burn it correctly. Some softwoods will still catch and burn OK even if they are not completely seasoned. This leads some people to try to burn it while still somewhat green. This means a colder fire, which means more creosote. The other big creosote contributor is choking the fire for air - which again makes for a colder fire (usually done in an attempt to get the fire to burn longer -- since softwoods burn quicker than a similar volume of hardwoods, some people have a tendency to choke the air supply down even further).

Burn dry wood, and burn it hot, and you won't have a significant problem with creosote build-up burning softwoods. You will end up loading your stove a lot more frequently... most species of wood have the same number of BTUs per pound. The difference is that softwoods are a lot less dense than hardwoods, so it takes a lot more volume to get the same number of BTUs.