Claude Edwards (left) and Gene Swartz split firewood for customers at Swartz's home in Sumerduck. Swartz expects to sell twice as much wood this winter as he did last winter. PETER CIHELKA/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

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In tough times, wood heats up

In troubled economy, more people turn to firewood as source of heat and income

Date published: 1/11/2009

BY CATHY DYSON

When Steve Jones' job hauling construction equipment dropped off like the rest of the industry, he needed another way to make money.

He saw people in shopping-center parking lots and along roads with loaded pickup trucks, offering firewood for sale.

"I was like, maybe I can get a little piece of the pie," the Fredericksburg man said.

Like many others across the region, Jones turned to firewood as a source of both heat and income. He and other wood choppers have seen an increase in firewood use this year; so have firefighters, chimney sweepers and foresters.

"Everybody that I've talked to says they don't want to pay for gas, they want to burn wood," said Wendell Adkinson, who hauls firewood from King George County to Northern Virginia.

The cost savings seems to be the biggest reason more people are going to the woodpile. Firewood is, by far, the cheapest source of heat.

Last month, a cord of wood averaged $142 in local ads, while the equivalent amount of fuel oil cost $344 and propane cost $667.

There's also a lot of wood available. Spring storms tore through forests, and industrious people like Gene Swartz of Sumerduck have offered to clean up the mess. Homeowners let him clear the downed trees, which he splits at his home and sells by the truckload.

He's cutting more dead wood daily to keep up with the demand.

"It's a lot of work, but there's money in it," he said.

A recent customer's story may be typical these days.

"She said she was out of wood and her husband was raising Cain about the electric bill," Jones said. "I think a lot of people are panicking."

No figures are available on how many Virginians use firewood. The Virginia Department of Forestry says homeowners buy about 2 million cords of firewood a year, but that's just the amount sold from commercial lumberyards, said Charlie Becker, the department's utilization and marketing manager.

The figure doesn't include the many mom-and-pop operations that sell firewood on the side.

Becker recognizes that firewood helps both buyers and sellers who are watching every penny.

"Some people have more sweat equity than they have cash," he said.

But he and other officials remind homeowners of the safety issues involved with burning wood.

COMPARING COSTS SAFETY TIPS A LOAD OR CORD? Start fires with clean newspaper and dry kindling only. Use seasoned wood cut at least six months ago. It's darker, has cracks in the end grain and sounds hollow when smacked against another piece of wood. It delivers more heat and creates less creosote buildup in chimneys. Build small, hot fires. A smoldering fire is not safe or efficient. Keep wood-stove doors closed unless loading or stoking the fire. Avoid adding one log at a time; reload with at least three pieces. Regularly remove ashes and put in a metal container with a cover. Store outdoors on concrete or brick--not near wood or on a wooden deck. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. --U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Hardwoods tend to make the best firewood because they're dense and pack more potential heat. Virginia Cooperative Extension rates common Virginia woods as follows: BEST: ash, red oak, white oak, beech, birch, hickory and hard maple GOOD: soft maple, black cherry and yellow pine FAIR: elm, sweetgum, basswood, yellow poplar and white pine POOR: spruce A widely recognized formula--called the Smithers method--says one cord of hardwood equals: 150 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil 230 gallons of propane 6,158 kilowatt hours of electricity Using that formula and December prices, a cord of firewood, which cost an average of $142, was equivalent to: $344 for No. 2 fuel oil $667 for propane $800 for electricity --Energy Information Administration and local businesses A cord is the standard measurement for wood. Stacked tightly, it's 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 8 feet long, the equivalent of 128 cubic feet. Recent prices ranged from $100 to $200 a cord, with the average being $142. Prices for truckloads differ even more, because the size of the trucks varies.

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Date published: 1/11/2009