Buring Wood is about being prepared. Relying on your wood dealer for dry wood will mostly likely end in failure. Wood dealers will do their best to keep wood dry; however mother nature is always working against them.

Most of all Use common sense

Many state Bureau of Weights and Measures receive complaints from unhappy citizens about the quality and/or quality of their $250-$300/cord firewood. In some cases, citizens are paying in advance for firewood that is not being delivered. Several cases deal with customers paying cash, or making checks payable to cash, to dealers they know nothing about, with the promise of some future delivery. When they complain to the bureau, investigators don’t have a name, receipt or other evidence to go on except for a telephone number. In other words pay only when the wood is delivered and the quantity is represented.
We would like to advises you to use common sense in conducting your business. Please consider the following:

1.  Never pay in advance for future deliveries of firewood. Too many things can go wrong and you may be left without money or wood.
2.  Always ask for and expect a sales invoice or delivery ticket. This protects both you and the dealer. The receipt   should include:
   •   a) the name and address of the dealer.
   •   b) your name and address.
   •   c) the date delivered.
   •   d) the quantity delivered and the quantity upon which the price is based, e.g., 2-cords at $200 a cord.
   •   e) the price of the amount delivered.
   •   f) the identity in the most descriptive terms commercially practicable, including quality representations, e.g.,   ,  seasoned hardwood.
3.   Do build a business relationship with a reputable firewood dealer. If you do not know one, ask your neighbor.

If a dealer asks you to pay in advance, politely decline, keep your money, and find someone else.

The first question that should be asked is are you licensed?

By Law anyone who deals in firewood has to be licensed to be in the woods, They need to know and understand the differnt rule, regulations and Laws regarding protecting the forest and the resources within the forest. If you look at our A Cord page you can find the laws to specific states. This will help protect you, and the forest.

The Second question you should ask is are you insured?

Why may this matter you ask. If the person delivering your wood runs over your septic tank and crushes it or causes any damage are you going to pay for it. Well thats what will happen if they are not Insured. Some people deliver in trucks that can hold 3 to 4 cords of wood, and some deliver is smaller trucks that only hold one. Find out this infromation out before you have an issue. If they are insured it will not be an issue, and this is not automobile insurance this is insurance for a business dealing with Forest prodcuts.

How much is a cord of wood thrown into the truck?

The reason you should ask this is to know if the person dealing firewood to you knows that a cord of wood thrown into a truck will consume about 180 cubic feet as to a cord of wood stacked which takes up 128 cubic feet.

Do you stack the back row of the truck?

This questions is asked because stacking the back row of the truck will reduce the amount of space the cord of wood will take up. It may look like less wood but because of the tightness in the back row of the truck it is the same amount of wood. Some trucks do not need to be stacked in order to hold a cord of wood, yet some dealers wills stack it for ease of loading and unloading. However you should always stack and measure your wood as soon as possible, so if there are any issues you can contact the dealer and they can rectify the shortage. But honesty is key on both parties, dont be trying to hide wood to get more for you money, this only hurt both of you.

How many cubic feet is your truck and what are the measurement?

This is a great question to ask, it allows you to gauge the dedication of the dealer and their ability to produce the facts without hesitation. Any reputiable dealer is going to know the size and cubic feet of their truck to ensure that they are not delivering more than a cord of wood. Many people depend on this type of business as a living to provide for families and will gladly give any infomation that is asked by a customer.

Will the Dealer give you a written receipe?

This question garuntees you that they are a legit business, They are not just doing it as a fly by the night way to make a few dollars on the side. A receipe will give you the ability to go back and say you were suppose to deliver me so many cords;however, when stacked out it only amounted to this many cords. Licensed professional’s are only there to make you happy, and rely on your return business this should not be and issue or inconvience.

Who’s Responsibility is it to ensure the wood is dry?

Covering a pile of 300 cord of wood is very difficult and costly. When dealing with 4 to 5 cords of wood its much easier to keep dry but still a challenge. Imagine that 4 cords of wood multiplied by 100. Trying to cover the wood when it rains and uncover it when its sunny and turnning the pile over to keep it from getting moldy is impossible, in order for the dealer to do this your wood would cost atleast 3 times the amount know.

Drying Your wood

In order to get the most for your firewood, you need to ensure that it is keep dry from the time the wood is delivered to the time you will be burning it. This is best done if the wood is stacked off of the ground and kept covered. Covering only the top of the wood pile and drapping the tarp down each side about a quarter of the way will allow for the most air cirrculation troughout the wood pile. Also leaving a space between each row of wood of about 6 inches will improve upon this airflow.
Tree length wood takes a lot longer to dry than wood that is cut into blocks or wood that has been cut and split. However if wood that is cut and split and not covered will mostlikely have the same moisture content as wood that is still in tree length and cut to split to order, unless it is properly covered.

What do you consider to be seasoned wood?

This would be answered by the laws that are in place for your area. They may differ from state to state, an example is Connectitcut is any wood that is cut and air dried for no less than 6 months, yet tree length will take a much longer time to dry than wood cut to length. The best way to ensure seasoned wood is to buy it early and then stack and cover it, buying it green is going to get you a better price.