Tips for Buying Firewood
Burning wood in a fireplace or stove can be an
economical source of heating and can provide a
cozy focus for your home. On the other hand,
buying firewood can be a daunting experience,
as most sales are rather informal affairs.
There are three main things to look for when
buying firewood: whether the wood is dry, the
wood species, and the quantity being sold.
When a tree is harvested, the wood is “green” –
it contains a lot of water. This makes the wood a
Learn more about firewood from Virginia Cooperative Extension:
poor fuel for fires. The wood must be dried –
“seasoned” – before it will be useful for burning. http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/
Wood species vary in the amount of water they
contain when green and the ease with which they dry out. Ash wood dries easily and so requires little
seasoning time. Oak, while it is excellent firewood when dry, dries very slowly so it requires a long
seasoning period. Wood will dry much faster if it is cut to the final length as soon as possible (12” to
24”). Splitting will also speed drying. Wood that is left in the log form will dry very slowly. It can be very
difficult to tell if firewood is seasoned by looking at it but if there are lots of cracks (“checks”) in the ends
of the pieces, that can be a sign that the wood is getting dry. You should only buy well-seasoned
firewood, unless you are able to wait a year before burning it.
Any wood species will make an acceptable fire (if the wood is dry). Heavier woods such as oak and
hickory are often preferred for firewood because the have more fuel value per piece. An oak or hickory
fire will last longer and produce more heat than a fire made with pine. Lighter woods can be mixed with
heavier wood, and may be preferred as for kindling for starting fires. In any case, the wood species mix
in a load of firewood should be clearly understood.
Wood is sold in various quantities. Ricks, racks, truckloads, face cords, bush cords and other terms are in
common use. The only official measure that is generally accepted is the cord – a stacked pile that
measures 4' high by 4' deep by 8' wide (128 cubic feet). If the firewood is cut into 16” lengths, a cord
(sometimes called a “bush cord”) will contain three rows. Each of these rows is one “face cord” or “rick.”
Firewood stacked neatly in the bed of a full-size pickup truck will amount to about ½ of a cord (64 cubic
feet).
In some states, a “loose thrown cord” is also a legal measure. This is an advantage for firewood
producers who want to simply dump their product into large trucks, rather than stack it neatly. A cord of
wood will occupy more volume when it is “loose”: a loose-thrown cord of 16” long pieces will fill 180
cubic feet, a cord of loose-thrown 24” long pieces will occupy 195 cubic feet.
Wood is an excellent, economical and environmentally-friendly fuel. The collection and sale of firewood
provides jobs and can encourage landowners to remove unhealthy or low-value trees from their
woodlots, thus improving the health and productivity of Tennessee 's forests. As long as the species mix,
degree of seasoning and volume of the load is clearly understood by the buyer and seller, the firewood
business benefits everyone.