Even if you don’t heat your home exclusively with wood, you may have a fireplace or wood stove that serves for more than just romantic ambience. In a pinch, you could use it to stay warm in case the furnace goes out. But either way, you need to have firewood on hand. If you don’t own a woodlot yourself, that can get expensive.
Fortunately, there are a few sources for free or nearly free firewood if you know where to look.
Storm Debris
Scout your neighborhood after bad storms. If a neighbor had a tree come down, they might be willing to allow you to take care of it in exchange for keeping the wood. Be careful, though. Personally, I’d avoid making that offer if the tree is resting on their home or an outbuilding. Obviously, this sort of firewood will need to be seasoned before use.
Tree Trimmers
Watch for tree-trimming crews working in the area. Ask the homeowner if they plan to keep the wood that’s being removed. If not, they’ll probably let you have it. If so, be sure to leave the area in better condition than it was when you arrived. Clean up after yourself.
Street Department
If you live in an area that has a municipal or county street department, give them a call. Ask what they do with the trees they take down. Brush surely gets mulched, but the larger limbs and trunks have to go somewhere. In many areas, you can buy this wood for just a nominal fee. But you’ll have to transport this firewood yourself. It isn’t likely to be premium-grade hardwood, but you’re also not paying a premium price for it.
Construction Sites
If you see a new house or other building going up nearby, watch for them to start framing. When that happens, get in touch with the site foreman. Ask them if you might be able to snag on some of the cut-offs.
As they cut framing to length, scraps are typically tossed into a bin of some sort. Find out if you can get a load or two of those scraps. Most commonly, it’ll be pine 2×4 cut-offs. You may have to cut some of them smaller so they’ll fit into your wood stove.
If transportation might be a problem, you could try to strike a deal with one of the workers and offer them a 12-pack of their favorite beverage in exchange for dropping off the wood to your driveway.
Note that many people suggest avoiding using softwoods like pine exclusively for firewood due to the possibility of creosote in the chimney. If that’s a concern for you, be sure to use these cut-offs in moderation.
Farm Fields
This one involves a fair bit of work on your part. But it could prove to be worth the effort, not just in firewood but the positive relationships you can build. An awful lot of farmland is bordered by forests. If you pay attention, you’ll see that trees overhang the cropland in spots. This can be problematic for the farmer. As branches fall due to storms or whatever, the farmer needs to clear them from the field so they can plow or harvest.
Find a farm field that shows promise for harvesting firewood. Using county plat maps, which are usually accessible online, determine the owner of the field. Reach out to them and ask about working out an agreement. You’ll trim the trees back around the field, and in exchange, you’ll split the harvested firewood with them. There’s a fair chance they’ll just let you keep all of it, but it’s only fair to offer up half.
If they give you permission to cut trees, be respectful of their property. Ask them where you should pile loose brush, as they’ll probably just want to burn it in the fall. You might consider going so far as to write up a simple agreement for you both to sign, just so there are no misunderstandings about the permission being granted to you. If it works out satisfactorily for all involved, you’ll probably make a new friend in the bargain.
