Re Wood Prices

[jcam222]

Curious what the price of seasoned cords of wood run in various areas. I have a good source for lower volume wood who is cheap. For cords looks like cherry , apple oak and hickory run about $400 a cord around me in NE Ohio. Plenty of mixed wood cheaper for heating but often had undesirable woods mixed in. Longer term I’ll get a saw, truck and collect trimmings and storm wood. What do you pay in your area?

 

[noboundaries]

$400/cord for cooking wood is pretty standard in my area (NorCal).

 

[Chasdev]

In Austin, the post oak craze is in full swing, prices are through the roof and fully seasoned post oak is like mummy dust, VERY rare and VERY expensive.
Lots of sellers offering far from seasoned wood for 250 a 1/4 cord.
I've heard rumors of real post oak (dead fall or seasoned for 4 years) going for 500 a cord but have not witnessed it myself.
IMHO most chainsaw drivers don't know and/or don't care what the moisture content of their wood really is.
I want around 20% with 15% being ideal.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I haven't ever bought wood, even when I heated with it, but I remember a guy down the road selling a full-size pickup truck load stacked as high as he could stack it for $100 a load, green. For $25 more, he would bring it to your house and stack it for you. He was there every Friday and Saturday with a sign and a load. May be a sign of the times, but $400/cord seems excessive. Thankfully I have the tools, means, and availability to cut my own.

Currently, I have all the seasoned white oak that I could probably ever use. I have some hickory, cherry, and pecan, but am looking for more. There's a large tract of land nearby that was logged with a sign advertising free firewood. I need to see what's available.

 

[noboundaries]

Firewood is cheaper than cooking wood in my area by about half. There's a lot of eucalyptus sold in my area for firewood. You DEFINITELY wouldn't want to smoke or cook with it.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Cord of season oak $250.00 cord of mixed wood being maple oak etc. $175.00

Warren

 

[SmokyMose]

I paid $70 for a half RICK of Ash last fall delivered. If you ask what kind of wood it is you get a blank look usually. Luckily most stuff around here is Oak or Maple...

 

[jcam222]

Cord of season oak $250.00 cord of mixed wood being maple oak etc. $175.00

Warren

Great price on the oak!

 

[jcam222]

Firewood is cheaper than cooking wood in my area by about half. There's a lot of eucalyptus sold in my area for firewood. You DEFINITELY wouldn't want to smoke or cook with it.

Same here for firewood. None of the firewood sellers can assure me a mix of woods good for smoking. Always have something mixed in like black walnut or other woods.

 

[Bruceski44]

I just bought a generous cord of seasoned apple, stove length and split. Delivered for $350 in the Boise area. I’m very pleased with the wood and the seller.

 

[jcam222]

In Austin, the post oak craze is in full swing, prices are through the roof and fully seasoned post oak is like mummy dust, VERY rare and VERY expensive.
Lots of sellers offering far from seasoned wood for 250 a 1/4 cord.
I've heard rumors of real post oak (dead fall or seasoned for 4 years) going for 500 a cord but have not witnessed it myself.
IMHO most chainsaw drivers don't know and/or don't care what the moisture content of their wood really is.
I want around 20% with 15% being ideal.

Moisture levels is interesting to me. I have some split oak that’s only 3-4 months since it was cut. I started a smoke Saturday with well seasoned cherry. A few hours in once I had a good hot bed of coals I mixed in some of the oak. I had zero issues with dirty smoke and it smelled great. The only difference was I thought I heard it sizzle a bit at first.

 

[NoCoPK360]

Wood is expensive in Colorado. I paid 260 for a quarter cord of Pecan early this year. Oak is a little cheaper but not much. I'm ok with it though as that amount will last me for several months.

 

[daspyknows]

My truck holds a 1/4 cord. Recently I have gotten fresh pear for $45/quarter cord, $125/quarter cord for cherry that is seasoned but will not get to it for at least 4 or 5 months and apple for $75/quarter cord from an apple orchard. I can get oak, walnut and almond for $100-$125/quarter cord too.

 

[BenCarlson]

The last kid I dealt with brought me some very nice Oak and helped me rank the cord for $200 bucks here in PA. The prices around here seem to be anywhere between $180-$300, depending on any number of factors. Green wood vs seasoned, delivery vs pick up, etc.

The PA DCNR will allow you to cut a cord for a $20 permit so I will be doing that going forward.

 

[pineywoods]

Moisture levels is interesting to me. I have some split oak that’s only 3-4 months since it was cut. I started a smoke Saturday with well seasoned cherry. A few hours in once I had a good hot bed of coals I mixed in some of the oak. I had zero issues with dirty smoke and it smelled great. The only difference was I thought I heard it sizzle a bit at first.

Jeff if you think the wood still has some moisture in it put some in the warming cabinet or on top of it while your smoking and it will help heat it up some and somewhat dry it if it's not real wet . Then just feed the firebox with that wood and put more in as you take it out.

As for prices of wood I have no idea I'm lucky and can find oak, pecan, cherry, and hickory for free usually just have to cut it up and split it

 

[Alsta]

Average is around $175 1/2cord here in my section of NJ, My problem comes in with - No Truck, No Front yard ( Town I live in is urban ) so I would have to pay out the nose to have delivered / stacked. Ups the cost to around 225/250 per 1/2 cord

 

[Chasdev]

There's a ton of difference in the smoke flavor profile from wet to 15% moisture content.
Less than fully dry wood burns slower and hotter and also creates a larger coal base that makes your cooker run hotter than you want and at the same time does not produce the smoke profile needed to create killer Q.
Burning wood produces the smoke that flavors the meat but coals produce the heat needed to purify that smoke.
You need enough heat to scrub the smoke of it's nasty tasting volatile elements but if the coal base grows too large you can't add more wood (which you need to get the smoke flavor you want) without running the temps too high.
I've spent many hours tending offset stickburner fires using all different moisture level wood and cooking with fully dry wood makes a Pit driver look great and wet wood makes folks scramble to keep temps and flavors in line.

 

[Preacher Man]

In NW Montana, a cord of hardwood runs me $900. It's brutal.
Driving through Oklahoma a couple of months ago, I paid $240 for a cord of pecan and trucked it back up to Montana.
What I try to do is watch for people getting their trees cut while I'm out running errands. The other day I scored a Maple tree this way. I've gotten cherry and apple trees, too. The only problem with this is that I usually have to split it and put it out to season in my backyard.
B Bruceski44 , I might need to make a trip to Boise if you can find prices like that for hardwood.

 

[Bruceski44]

In NW Montana, a cord of hardwood runs me $900. It's brutal.
Driving through Oklahoma a couple of months ago, I paid $240 for a cord of pecan and trucked it back up to Montana.
What I try to do is watch for people getting their trees cut while I'm out running errands. The other day I scored a Maple tree this way. I've gotten cherry and apple trees, too. The only problem with this is that I usually have to split it and put it out to season in my backyard.
B Bruceski44 , I might need to make a trip to Boise if you can find prices like that for hardwood.

The guy said he had more. The moisture was between 12% and 17% using my meter. Good to go! PM me for his contact info.

 

[zwiller]

I think the smaller the cut, the faster it dries. I saw some pics of your splits Jeff and think they would dry real fast. I go by sound... Give it rap on the driveway and if it gives a nice "ding" sound, you're good to go. I can get firewood here cheap. Most times I am paying most for the delivery. I like your plan for storm wood. Also, the orchards here put out their trimmings free for the taking.