If it's cold where you live, what are you heating with and what is it costing?

[ovrszd]

That must be one serious lean to!! Mine's 7' x 24 and it holds a little over a year's worth. I cut and split well away from the house so sawdust, wood chips, etc. aren't tracked in. Stack it to dry in that general area too, fill up the woodshed in the fall.

12x30x9. Easily held 2 years worth.

 

[LouNY]

All you eastern folks are lucky. Our government would rather put money aside for putting fires out than bringing firewood out to consumers. Never understood it. But around here there is pine and that is all for local firewood. Any other wood species is trucked in and over $4-500 a cord.

I'm not sure in what way you are referring to;
higher taxs,
more government intrusion or what.
The government has nothing positive to do with firewood production,
actually it is the other way it is almost impossible to get firewood out of state forest.
Most of the firewood is coming off of private property.
What isn't is coming from utility or roadside easements, which is still actually taxed private property.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I'm not sure in what way you are referring to;
higher taxs,
more government intrusion or what.
The government has nothing positive to do with firewood production,
actually it is the other way it is almost impossible to get firewood out of state forest.
Most of the firewood is coming off of private property.
What isn't is coming from utility or roadside easements, which is still actually taxed private property.

Different here, most firewood comes from public land. But because wood is as expensive as propane in my area, Many people go with the set and forget aspect of propane. And many fire burning appliances sit unused. The fire that started just off the back of my place cost was $15.7 million to put out. That was 1 fire of many that year. That doesn’t include the millions still being paid in aid to the displaced people that lost their houses. But pine firewood is still more than what you all pay for hardwoods. Why would someone pay $250 for a cord of pine when they can spend less on propane. My take is that fire prevention logs should cost less than once commercially logged.

Edit. More figures. Total insurance losses $543 million. Costs to fight it, not really to put it out since snow did that for free, $15.7 million. So my governor‘s response was to give $15 million to first responders to put fires out quicker in 2022. And firewood went up 30-50% in 2022. Propane went up just under 20%.

 

[MossRoad]

Be thankful if you have public lands near you. Ours are all in the southern half of the state of Indiana. It would cost more in gas and fees to drive down there and back than the amount of natural gas it would save me.

On a side note, apparently the state recognizes a rick as something, but doesn't state it's measurement.

 

[Jstpssng]

Be thankful if you have public lands near you. Ours are all in the southern half of the state of Indiana. It would cost more in gas and fees to drive down there and back than the amount of natural gas it would save me.

On a side note, apparently the state recognizes a rick as something, but doesn't state it's measurement.

View attachment 771974

You also might meet with transportation regulations to reduce the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer and other pests.

 

[lman]

You also might meet with transportation regulations to reduce the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer and other pests.

The borer already covers the entire state. I think it's too late to save any Ash trees in Indiana. I've got a few that are still standing but they are dead and rotted and about to fall any day. I didn't need the wood so I left several and the wood is not good now.

 

[5030]

We managed to keep ours going for years using the Bayer tree and shrub insecticide but in the end, they died so I cut them down and roasted them in the burn pile. Still have to have the stumps ground.

 

[Oaktree]

The government has nothing positive to do with firewood production,
actually it is the other way it is almost impossible to get firewood out of state forest.
Most of the firewood is coming off of private property.
What isn't is coming from utility or roadside easements, which is still actually taxed private property.

Don't know if they still do it, but as of 10 years ago the forest service sold permits to take wood from national forest land. It had to be dead and on the ground. They were cheap, $25 or so. What I would do was go to where there'd been a logging operation the previous winter and take the treetops, branches, etc. Technically you were limited to 2 or 3 cords, but the ranger told me no one cares if you take more...just make sure you have the permit with you...fines were steep for taking it without a permit.
It's been quite a while since there's been any activity in the WMNF within a reasonable driving distance so I haven't bothered since the 00s, plus now many/most loggers chip all the slash.
Once upon a time there was a similar program for state forests.

 

[5030]

Being 'frugal', I like to heat with the least expensive method and for me it's a biomass stove and my free corn. Our central propane fired high efficiency furnace rarely comes on unless it's very cold and extremely windy and I'm good with that because propane has been inching up right along with other fuels. Of course unlike a central furnace, heating with biomass requires regular maintenance like removing ashes and exchanging burn pots as they get carboned up. One in the units and the other soaking in a pail of water so the hard carbon flakes off. I bought my propane this last summer when it was cheaper than it is presently and I own 3 500 gallon propane tanks and they are all sitting at 85% presently.

 

[jyoutz]

Don't know if they still do it, but as of 10 years ago the forest service sold permits to take wood from national forest land. It had to be dead and on the ground. They were cheap, $25 or so. What I would do was go to where there'd been a logging operation the previous winter and take the treetops, branches, etc. Technically you were limited to 2 or 3 cords, but the ranger told me no one cares if you take more...just make sure you have the permit with you...fines were steep for taking it without a permit.
It's been quite a while since there's been any activity in the WMNF within a reasonable driving distance so I haven't bothered since the 00s, plus now many/most loggers chip all the slash.
Once upon a time there was a similar program for state forests.

In my region the US Forest Service sells personal use permits for dead and down firewood: 4 cords for $20. Also there are special cutting permits to cut green standing to accomplish thinning objectives in many locations. Easy pickings in a recently logged area to cut cull logs and slash tops.