Winter is fast approaching, and it’s going to be that time of the year where people will need to start stocking up on supplies and other essential items. If you’re more traditionalist in your lifestyle, then you’ll know that nothing beats tossing some firewood into a hearth for some heat. For some people, cooking in an open fire with some wood while hiking can bring out the flavor in most dishes.
Why the Firewood Industry?
With the majority of the United States being temperate, the temperature can fluctuate at any given time. One day you’ll have sunny weather, the next day, you’ll have to wear a coat if you want to avoid shivering from a cold snap. That said, the firewood industry has been a burgeoning business for centuries in the United States, especially in the northern parts when it’s bound to be colder. Fortunately, firewood is easy to store, lasts a long time, and can be found almost anywhere. But what most people don’t know is that chopping up and storing firewood isn’t an easy task.
If you’ve had a long day at the office or want to let off some steam, chopping up firewood is one way of letting out all of that anger. Besides being a useful hobby, it’s also necessary for most people who don’t have any means of heating their homes other than their fireplace.
Creating your own firewood business can be profitable, especially when firewood is an essential part of living in colder regions.
Preparations
How hard can chopping up firewood be? Contrary to what most people think, cutting logs and chopping up wood takes a lot of strength, accuracy, and overall work. Even if firewood can be found in a lot of forested areas, most will cost you $200 to $440 for each firewood cord.
To ensure the best value of your firewood, you should chop them into:
- Short, convenient lengths, which do involve more labor, but will be a bit pricier.
- Uniform sizes that can neatly be stacked on top of each other.
- Wood is free from any blemishes.
- Wood is dry and comfortable to burn.
Next, safety should also be taken into account in this type of industry. When handling wood, it’s best to wear safety gloves that are thick enough in handling wood.
Equipment
Like every business out there, you’ll need to have the necessary tools and capital to produce the goods. Since cutting firewood is something that’s being done even before the medieval period, there’s bound to be numerous tools for the job.
Transportation
When you’re hauling wood, you might need heavy-duty trucks. On average, a pine tree will be around 45 to 63 centimeters in length. If that’s the case, then having a truck that has a proper amount of space can help safely transport the raw materials from processing.
If you’re buying a used heavy-duty truck to haul wood from one part to another, it might be a good idea to look into the vehicle’s history. It’s also important noting that you should scrutinize the history of your driver and ensure that you completely trust your truck driver in making the delivery to the mill. While it might be tempting to go for the lowest bidding truck driver, but it’s a good idea to stick with the average rates and pricing. Distinguishing auto transport scams is imperative in keeping your assets and materials safe.
Machinery
But since we’re already in an age of technological marvels, it’s only logical that we use automated tools. There’s no doubt that automatic machinery has helped make our lives easier. There are a variety of different saws that you can use, although you might have to use eye and skin protection, primarily when splinters are being propelled at high speeds.
Source of Firewood
Last but not least, firewood is your primary resource in this business, so you’ll need to get your hands on as much wood as possible. Despite most people buying more during colder seasons, firewood is an accessible business all year round. Most of the time, people are already cutting for the next year’s supply; that’s how in-demand it can get.
As such, you will need a steady source of firewood and the right amount of space to work with. Your workspace shouldn’t be a problem since you’ll usually be in the great outdoors. Once you start building your reputation on having the right amount of seasoned and sturdy firewood a reasonable price, you’ll start noticing that demand will start evening out with the supply.
If you’re living in a rural area or tree-cutting is big business, you can ask for excess firewood that most of these more prominent companies will dispose of. However, much of the machinery that’s used today will also eat the limb woods. Ultimately, it will depend on what area you’re located in.
You might be thinking that setting up a firewood business is going to be easy money – it’s not. While it does reel in a reasonable amount of funds, it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and a commitment to the craft. You will be wrestling with logs and running them trough buzz saws even during harsh weather conditions. It’s not just any ordinary business; it’s a business made for strong people who want to warm up their homes.
