Long Island KILN DRIED Firewood

***** Insane Store Prices *****

$1300 to $1500+ per Cord

Think buying firewood in the store is a good deal?

We all buy things in the stores because it's convenient. There's always a price to pay for that convenience. How much are you willing to pay?
Does 100% to 200% more sound fair ?
That's what you are paying if you buy KILN DRIED Firewood in the supermarkets, 7-11 or Home Depot.

The Facts

Packaged KILN DRIED firewood bought in stores is absolutely the most expensive way to enjoy a fire. On average
you are paying between $1300 to $1500+ PER CORD !!!!!!!!!
That can cost you close to $2 per log. Buying firewood in small packages is the most expensive way to purchase it. Just think how much small bottles of water cost (per volume) compared to 5 gallon jugs, except KILN DRIED Firewood is much more expensive than water.

When you purchase KILN DRIED firewood from a store everyone has their hands in your pocket. The producer sells it to the wholesaler. The wholesaler sells it to the store. The store sells it to you + the County collects their 8.625% Retails Sales Tax.
By the time you are done, everyone has made a ton of $$$ from you being too lazy to care. That's okay if you've got $$$ to burn.

The Math

The stores are counting on the fact that you will no be able to do the math. After all, most people don't know how to convert bundles & bags of firewood into the true price per cord.

Here is the conversion :

Most people know a cord of firewood as a 4 x 4 x 8 stack.
A cord is a legal volume measurement = 128 cubic feet.

Most bags/bundles of firewood are 0.75 cubic feet.
AT 0.75 cubic feet :
170 BAGS/BUNDLES = 1 CORD
$6.99 x 170 = $1188 + $102 tax = $1290 per cord

Some bags/bundles are 0.85 cubic feet.
AT 0.85 cubic feet :
144 BAGS/BUNDLES = 1 CORD
$8.99 x 144 = $1295 + $112 tax = $1407 per cord

( The photo above shows the prices for each & price per cord. )
Would you buy those bags if they labeled
the TRUE CORD PRICES as shown in the photo?

Who Cares ?

You might say "so what, I only have a few fires every year" or maybe
"I like the convenience of buying the wood in the stores".
Everyone is free to make there own decisions.

Did you know buying firewood in stores hurts the local economy? Zero of your purchase is supporting local business.
The store is a huge corporation, the wholesaler is too.
The producers many times are foreign = outside of the USA.
You might as well be buying oil.

You can save tax of 6.125% to 8.625% by having firewood delivered. In the stores you are paying 8.625% Retail Sales Tax in both Nassau & Suffolk County. The Residential Fuel Delivery Tax in Suffolk County is only 2.5% & in Nassau County it is ZERO !!!

Don't forget each bag/bundle has plastic and labels.
YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE PACKAGING ON 170+ ITEMS.
You are also paying the hidden credit card fees, shoppers club cards & store coupon discounts that are built into all store prices.

NO WONDER STORES CHARGE $1300 to $1500+ PER CORD

What can you do ?

Keep on buying foreign KILN DRIED Firewood
at a 100% to 200% mark up over
quality local KILN DRIED firewood or
buy your firewood from reputable Long Island companies.

It's your choice, I just did the math for you.

View Premium Long Island KILN DRIED Firewood

Firewood Outlook
for Long Island, NY

Winter 2013-2014

Winter 2012-2013 recap

Long Island had a very tough Winter 2012-2013. It started off with Hurricane Sandy in late October, followed up shortly thereafter by a wicked Northeaster. We proceeded to have a cold Winter, with a monster February blizzard named "Nemo", and then we had extended below-average temperatures through the middle of April.

Why am I talking about 2012 ? Because last winter does have an effect on this upcoming winter's available supply of firewood. Long Island is a densely populated area and when demand goes up, supplies can deplete very quickly, and then take a long time to recover. Do you remember the gas shortages after Hurricane Sandy ? Well, gas wasn't the only fuel that was affected by Sandy.

The Good News

Since April our weather has been fairly calm. There have been no major storms. No catastrophic rains. We did have a 90+ degree heat wave that lasted over a week.

The recent calm weather has allowed most of us to clean up from Hurricane Sandy & the harsh winter. Now we are all enjoying the Summer. It has also provided a window of opportunity for firewood to be produced & seasoned for the upcoming 2013-2014 Winter.

Hurricane Sandy provided an abundance of downed trees and many firewood producers stocked up while they could. There were actually so many downed trees stockpiled in town yards that the federal government had to send trucks from the Midwest to haul the trees to be disposed of out of state.

So now you see every landscaper, tree company & part time firewood seller with piles & piles of "firewood". Most of them began splitting it in May because they were too busy doing clean ups from Hurricane Sandy. Craig's List, the Pennysaver & all of the local papers are full of ads for firewood at reasonable prices. You don't have to drive far to find somebody selling firewood. What more could you ask for ?

Now for The Bad News

Hurricane Sandy completely depleted any stock of firewood that was available in 2012-2013. The storm caught many by surprise. Some homeowners went weeks without electric (or heat) and used firewood as their main heat source. This used up the 2012-2013 supply very early in the season and also cut into the "semi-seasoned" firewood that would have been further seasoned for Winter 2013-2014.

The majority of firewood that is being produced from Hurricane Sandy trees is from large Oak trees. Oak takes a very long time to season, and the larger the tree, the denser the wood. So most of the wood that is being split this May will not be fully seasoned in time for Winter 2013-2014. Once average daytime temperatures drop below 70 degrees the best part of the firewood drying season is over. Firewood needs hot sun & low humidity to dry the best.

The very humid & moist Long Island Summer is not productive in air drying the firewood. If you don't believe me, just think of all of your swollen doors at home and how long it takes something wet to dry outside. Firewood is harder to air dry than just about anything you can imagine. When thrown into large firewood piles the outer shell dries, while the inner pieces actually begin the natural process of decay. Once the outer shell pieces are sold, only the inner moist pieces remain. In reality, only about 10% of a large firewood pile is fully seasoned. The inner split firewood must season much longer and it becomes moldy & smelly in the meantime.

What does that mean for the average firewood buyer ?

"Firewood" will be easier & cheaper to buy at the beginning of this 2013-2014 Winter. However, good burning firewood will be just as scarce, if not more, as it has been in past Winters.

The abundance of Hurricane Sandy trees has allowed newcomers & inexperienced firewood sellers to jump into the market. They have very little experience and it will show in the poor quality of firewood that they produce.

If we have another late season Hurricane or an early cold spell, we will see shortages (again) of quality seasoned firewood.

What can you do ?

Buy your firewood early.

Test your firewood before the Winter comes.

Start seasoning firewood this year for next year.

Only buy your firewood from reputable companies.

Stay away from deals that seem "too good to be true".
They usually are.

Enjoy burning good firewood all winter long.

Click here to buy premium Long Island Firewood

DO YOU WANT TO BUY WET FIREWOOD ?

Buying firewood on Long Island can be quite a challenge. If you don't have knowledge of firewood and a reliable source you may be in for quite a surprise.

What you should know before spending your hard earned money:

• Firewood producers are not regulated.


• The only legal volume measurement is a CORD.


• "Seasoned" firewood can refer to any type of firewood.


• BTU (heat) ratings occur only at the correct moisture content.


• Some firewood sellers are not legitimate.

No Regulation of Firewood Producers

Anyone can cut and sell firewood. There is no licensing, permits or regulatory agencies. You would think there would be someone insuring the firewood industry was regulated and fair for the consumer.
WELL, THERE IS NOT. Be sure you know who you are dealing with. If the deal seems too good to be true, it usually is. Once you have a few 1,000 pounds of wood in your yard, it'll be tough to get your money back if you're not happy.

One Cord of Firewood = 128 cubic feet

Did you know that the only legal volume to measure and sell firewood is the CORD ? There is no legal volume for a "Face Cord" or a "Rick" or a "Pile" or a "Stack". Sellers are legally obligated to disclose the cubic feet or portion of any cord they sell.By law it must be printed on your receipt.
Example: 1/8 cord, 1/4 cord, 1/2 cord, etc.
[ BTW, the "CORD" came in use 100's of years ago when firewood was cheap and sellers were honest. ]


The only way to measure and sell firewood is to stack it and measure the stack:
(length) x (width) x (height) = 128 cubic feet
There are infinite ways to stack the wood to end up with the magic number 128.
The most common reference is a stack that is:
(4 ft high) x (4 ft wide) x (8 ft long)
You could also have a stack that was:
(1 ft high) x (1 ft wide) x (128 ft long)
Hope you are good at math.


The majority of the firewood sold on Long Island does not even come close to measuring a true cord and 128 cubic feet. The only way you can find out is by stacking and measuring your firewood. By that time the seller is long gone. Better to pay to have it stacked, rather than find out later that your pile shrunk when you stacked it. A pile will take up a volume 30% more than stacked firewood and IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO DELIVER A TRUE CORD IN A PICK UP TRUCK or STACKED ON 2 PALLETS !!

"SEASONED" Firewood Doesn't = DRY Firewood

Just because firewood is referred to a "SEASONED" doesn't guarantee it will burn. I'm constantly amazed at what sellers considered seasoned. ON LONG ISLAND IT TAKES A MINIMUM OF 6 MONTHS TO PROPERLY SEASON SPLIT FIREWOOD.
Do you know how to dry laundry outside on a clothesline? Now imagine you wanted to dry some firewood. How much longer do you think it will take? What if you pile it up in the shade and let it get rained on every week? How about adding the Long Island humidity of July and August?


It's just common sense. A dense piece of wood full of water will take a long time to dry. It is impossible to correctly dry firewood in timber, log or block form. All firewood must be split and drying for at least 6 months, especially on Long Island. Anybody that tells you different is lying to you. Make sure you ask your seller how long their wood has been split and drying for. If it looks too clean and perfect when it arrives, get ready to send it back. Properly seasoned firewood should look dry, faded, have no smell, be losing the bark and feel light when picked up. Otherwise, you've got "seasoned" firewood that was not seasoned long enough. In that case you'll probably have to wait until next year to burn it.

BTU's = Heat

The measurement of heat is the BTU (British Thermal Unit). Your warm fire is a direct result of the amount of BTU's that are produced by the firewood you are burning. THE ONLY WAY TO GET TRUE BTU RATINGS IS AT THE CORRECT MOISTURE CONTENT. Firewood needs to be between 15 and 30% moisture content in order for the full BTU rating to be achieved. When the wood has too much moisture the fire spends its energy converting water into steam and not releasing the potential heat. When the wood has too little moisture it will burn too rapidly to efficiently release the heat.

Firewood that has not been fully dried is very inefficient. You will have to burn up to 3 times as much wood to achieve the same efficiency as properly dried firewood. Do you like buying three times as much gas for your car? Of course not. Be sure your wood has the correct moisture content. That's a topic almost all firewood producers like to avoid. I've heard some classic answers in the past.
Example: "If moisture content is so important, than how come forest fires burn?"
LOL. Most things, including steel burn at 2,000 degrees.

Buy From Someone You Can Trust

Everybody wants a good deal, but use common sense when purchasing firewood. Be sure you are dealing with a reputable year round company. Here on Long Island there are very few year round firewood companies, most of them are seasonal (landscapers, nurseries,etc.) Be sure to ask lots of questions before buying. Pay with a credit card and get a receipt stating the volume and type of firewood. Stay away from "Firewood 4 Sale" signs on telephone poles, ads on Craigslist, cell phone numbers and sellers that jump into the market seasonally. If someone can't answer your questions, then don't buy their firewood.

Know Your Firewood and Seller

Being educated about firewood will help you determine where to buy it. Remember there's no one regulating the sellers. The cord measurement is antiquated and very hard to verify. "Seasoned" firewood can refer to anything. If you've got too much moisture than you've got too little heat & always buy from a reputable company that you can trust.


Keep the above points in mind and I am sure you will bypass the poor firewood sellers and find quality firewood that will keep you warm and happy all Winter long.

STACKING FIREWOOD ON LONG ISLAND

It may not be cold outside but now is the best time to stack your firewood properly for this Winter. Here are the main reasons why:

• Long Island is very humid & firewood takes longer to dry here.


• Incorrectly stacked firewood can attract insects & vermin.


• Recently purchased "seasoned" firewood may need additional drying.


• Firewood no longer dries when the temperature goes below 45 degrees.


• You may find you do not have enough firewood for this upcoming season.

Long Island Humidity

The humidity on Long Island is usually very high during the warmest months of the Summer. That's a problem for drying firewood. The moisture in wood can only evaporate if it can be released into the atmosphere. When it is humid the moisture has no where to go and thus your firewood will dry much slower than you think. In drier climates firewood dries much faster than it does here on Long Island.

Insects and Rodents

Bugs and rodents love wood piles. Firewood warms up during the day and retains the heat well into the night. An undisturbed pile of firewood is an invitation to bugs, mice and even larger critters. Be sure to stack your firewood far away from your house. Bring a small pile closer to the house as you need it.

"Seasoned" Firewood

Okay, so you bought your firewood early this year. Good thinking. Only problem is that if it is Oak and has not been seasoned for over a year it will need more drying. Don't wait until the Winter to find out the wood is still wet. Use these hot Summer months to dry the would some more. Don't leave it in a heaping pile as it was delivered. Stack it so the sun and wind can do their job.

Firewood stops drying in the Winter

Once the temperature dips below 45 degrees you'll have to wait an eternity for hardwoods to dry. Remember, the wood retains both heat and cold. So those cold nights turn your firewood into ice cubes that will have little success warming up enough to dry during the moderate day time temperatures.

Don't get caught short

A pile of firewood usually takes up to 35% more space than a stack of firewood. Your unorganized pile may look like enough to get you through the Winter, but once you stack it you may be surprised that you have less than you thought.

Conclusion

Preparing your firewood in the Summer months will insure you have a Winter filled with toasty warm fires. Be sure to stack your wood early in the season. Place the wood in an area with plenty of wind and sun. Be sure the wood is up of the ground and alternate your stacking pattern to create airflow. Don't tarp or cover your stack unless the forecast in for lots of rain. The rain actually helps the wood season. Spend some time taking care of your firewood during the summer and you'll be glad you did when the cold weather arrives.