How to Start a Firewood Business

The firewood business is busy with physically demanding work, deliveries, and local customer service constantly swarming owner-operators, when all they want to do is split. Trust us, we get it.

So, for those looking to get into the firewood industry, it’s better to do it right the first time. Here’s how:

 

Know the Firewood Market

Types of firewood, amount of customers, and the duration of “firewood season,” is dependent on where you plan to sell firewood.

For example, 60.6% of households in Apache County, AZ are heated by firewood, but only 17.5% of households in St. Lawrence County, NY are heated by firewood.

Still, no matter where you plan to sell firewood, there is a market for the product - think fireplaces, neighborhood bonfires, power outages, or the steady rise in the cost of heating oil.

Look at Maine; many residents are switching to firewood from traditional heating fuels as heating oil surpasses $6 a gallon. The demand for firewood in Maine is so great that some firewood businesses are struggling to split enough firewood.

The future is bright for the global firewood industry. Allied Marketing Research states, “The global Firewood Market Size was valued at $878.5 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2022 to 2031.”

 

Know Your Firewood Goals

What are you trying to accomplish by selling firewood? A profitable business? A side hustle for beer money? If you’re not sure, you might want to do some research on log splitters.

First, you will need to know your budget. For those just starting out, we suggest Timberwolf’s TW Series log splitters.

The TW-2 has a base price under $3,000, but still has a commercial frame that will outlast a handful of box store log splitters put together.

As you rake in profits you can add to the TW-2 to create a more efficient log splitting experience. A manual log lift, table grate, and a 4-Way Wedge can be equipped to the small log splitter for big results.

 

 

The TW-3 also has a base price below $3,000. This home PTO wood splitter is perfect for those who already have a tractor or some kind of heavy machinery.

 

Provide the Cleanest Firewood

So, you’ve split your logs. How do you get customers? How do you keep customers? A good first impression will work pretty well.

A table grate will help filter fine materials from split logs, but for that pristine look, we suggest using a disc screener, like the AutoFine. A disc screener will filter all debris before logs are offloaded.

Still, you can’t just hand off an armful of logs to your customers. You have to make your firewood presentable - crazy as that may sound.

 

 

A firewood bundler is used to wrap firewood in plastic, so bundles can be easily stored, transported, and delivered. Firewood doesn’t have to be bundled in plastic, but unlike non-bundled firewood, bundled wood brings in two to four times as much profit.

Not only does bundling your firewood result in a professional look, but it is also quicker to bundle firewood than to bag it. 

 

Expand Your Firewood Processing Operation, Then Do It Again

As your profits and customer base grow, so will your demand. Sad to say, but a time may come when the TW-2 just isn’t cutting it (literally) with your growing demand.

Timberwolf’s HD Series firewood splitters may be just what you need to output more cords without the extra labor. Consisting of the TW-2 HD, TW-3 HD, and TW-5 HD, the HD Series is built for long periods of comfortable operation with a heavy-duty frame that will last from one generation to the next.

If you are looking for a commercial log splitter, built for easy one-man operations, look no further than Timberwolf’s Alpha Series Box Wedge log splitters. These wood splitters feature a log lift with a loading capacity of 500 pounds on the operator’s side, a wedge lift with 8” of vertical range, plus, they are the only Timberwolf log splitters that can be equipped with our Box Wedge and floating auto-retract arm.

 

 

The push block will drive logs through the teeth of the Box Wedge, available in three sizes, then the auto-retract arm will pull back the remaining portion of the log into the splitting chamber, with no re-handling necessary.

Keep expanding and you’ll want to look into Timberwolf’s Pro-HD firewood processors - but that’s for a different post.

 

References

Firewood Bundler Reviews - What’s The Best Choice? (n.d.). Firewood for Life. https://www.firewood-for-life.com/firewood-bundler.html

Firewood Market Size, Share | Industry Research Report, 2031. (n.d.). Allied Market Research. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/firewood-market-A47206#:~:text=Firewood%20Market%20Research%2C%202031,4.2%25%20from%202022%20to%202031

Nasser, H. E. (2021, October 8). More Than 30% of Homes Heated With Wood In Some Counties. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/02/who-knew-wood-burning-fuel.html