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August 2007
Firewood
By Brian Murray
For over 150 years (1850?) the Eisenhauers, have continually been involved in the cutting, manufacturing and selling of wood products, at the same location. Over the years the focus has changed to mostly firewood production, with a small amount of lumber produced for farm use. The selling of firewood has always been a way of life, with the cutting of logs in the winter and the selling of finished dry wood the following fall. Blue Barn Farms continues to do this today with direct descendants still owning and operating the business. The experience gained over the years helps to select the proper species and quality of wood for today’s woodstoves. Today most woodstoves can handle a 16" log without a problem, and this is what Blue Barn Farms produce for our standard size of firewood. Some people prefer to have smaller pieces (14") which we can special cut with enough lead-time. There are others that prefer to purchase our short pieces (4-8" un-split), to put in their stove late in the night to burn slower for continual overnight heat. This option is favourable especially if you are buying 3 cords or more, (one short, two regular). The most popular types of wood that are available and sold locally are Maple and Birch, with Maple usually the dominant species. We have found that a mix of 80-90% Maple and 10-20% Birch gives good heat and reduced curing/drying time The drying of firewood is probably the second most important thing to consider after the species is decided. Blue Barn has found hardwood should be cut in 8’ lengths at least a year before it is to be burned, then cut and split for months (more is better) before attempting to use in a woodstove. The amount of time required for curing will depend on the time of year, as well as the weather conditions. Most people try to get their wood in the spring for the following fall, if possible. The summer and fall are usually the drier times in our area and help with the curing of the wood. Ideally a person would have their following years wood in their yard curing, but this means an additional cost for stockpiled wood. The room required for two years supply of wood is also a problem for most people.Another issue that comes up in the purchase of firewood is how much wood is in a cord? Although this sounds like an easy question, the answer is not as easy. A cord of wood according to government regulations is 128 cubic feet. The problem is an 8’ cord of wood, once cut and split will yield around 80-85% of a cord. Some wood retailers want to sell you 80% of a cord because if they bought 10 cords they want to sell ten cords. Where the confusion gets harder to understand is how much is really lost from processing? Some people say 15% some say up to 30%, which leaves the purchaser with an unknown amount of cubic feet they will receive. So when purchasing firewood you want to know how many cubic feet you are buying. If a seller is selling by the cord you should make sure you are getting 128 cubic feet. Some sellers will sell by the cubic foot which is fine, you just have to do the calculations to find out if it is a good deal or not compared to a cord (128 c.f.). A subject that has come up quite a few times is; can I see the wood before I buy it? Some sellers have a yard that they take pride in and others don’t want you to see their operation. It is nice to be able to see what you are buying before you hand over your money. You can usually tell a lot about how much pride they take in their product by the way they manage their wood yard. When visiting a wood yard you are most likely to meet the owner and form an opinion based on the questions you ask, and the answers you receive. If you don’t feel comfortable with the business in question, just keep shopping, and you will find a seller you like. Another topic is accountability for the product the seller is selling. A business card with a business address and a couple of phone numbers is good to have in case you have questions after the purchase. A website is handy for contact numbers as well as information about the company, and the product you are anticipating buying. This also gives some credibility to the business, as "here today gone tomorrow" businesses won’t invest the money for a website.In the end it is Caveat Emptor (buyer beware)
For additional information contact:Brian Murray
Blue Barn Farms/Excavating 1800 Hammonds Plains Rd
HammondsPlains
www.BlueBarn.ca
E-mail: info@bluebarn.ca
PH 902-499-3399
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