Buying Firewood? What Should You Know?

About 23,000 Maryland households use wood as their primary heat source. When selecting a firewood dealer you should take several things into consideration.

Are They Licensed?

If the dealer is in the firewood business, they shall have a Forest Products Operators License issued by the MD DNR - Forest Service. If you have found a potential dealer, you can easily check if they are properly licensed at the link below.

Find a Firewood Dealer

Get References!

If you haven't worked with a particular dealer before, they should be willing to offer you references of customers they have delivered wood to before. If they're not willing to offer you a list of customers, those customers may not be happy ones. Maryland law states that firewood must be sold by a cord or a fraction of a cord. A cord, neatly stacked, equals 128 cubic feet of wood. This stack measures 4 ft tall x 4 ft wide x 8 ft long and equals 128 cubic feet.

Be Sure to Burn Dry Wood

The more moisture in your wood, the less heat you will get from it. It takes energy to burn the water out of wood (it may make a hissing sound). This is energy that should be used in warming your house.

Know what size wood your woodstove or fireplace can use. Most dealers will cut wood into certain lengths (for example 18"). To get special lengths you may have to special order it early or pay a premium.

Not All Wood is Created Equal!

Different woods have different qualities. Oak creates a lasting fire and splits easily. But oak may be expensive and other woods may work just as well. Some woods are less dense and have different splitting and coaling qualities.

Learn more about purchasing firewood