Wife Couples Firewood Business to Husband's Tree Company

Read this article on the Timberline Magazine website

Wife Couples Firewood Business to Husband's Tree Company

Timberwolf Firewood Processor, Splitter, and Conveyor Fuel Georgia Firewood Enterprise

BLAIRSVILLE, Georgia – Robert Barnett operates a tree service business. His wife, Susan, decided to help him get rid of some of the waste wood material by using it for a firewood business she started. Her growing business is fueled by Timberwolf firewood processing equipment.

Susan’s business is called Barnett’s Firewood; Robert’s business is Barnett’s Tree Removal. He started his business in 2016; Susan started her company in 2021.

Robert, 41, is an Army veteran who served 10 years with five combat deployments, three to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. He is the sole employee of his business. It is equipped with various chainsaws, a Bandit 200XP chipper, and a Kubota KX-055 compact excavator. In addition to removing trees and pruning and topping, Robert can clear small lots and rights-of-way.

Since its inception, Barnett’s Tree Removal has had one focus, explained Robert. It is “to cut or climb trees the safest way. Mainly because it’s one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and you have to be as safe as possible.”

“Robert established the company because he wanted to transition from employee to business owner,” said Susan, 40. “He also saw the need for someone with climbing and chainsaw skills. Being responsible for his own work was something that was essential for growth.”

It was Susan’s idea to take wood material from Robert’s business and turn it into firewood. “The motivation was to minimize the amount of waste from Barnett’s Tree Removal,” she said.

She had another reason. Susan wanted a business she could take on as a full-time enterprise if she decides to leave the nursing profession. “I was an ER nurse during COVID and was not sure I wanted to continue in that line of work,” she said. Susan is a registered nurse at a hospital and continues to work full-time, making firewood in the evenings and on weekends.

The Barnetts live in the small community of Blairsville in northeast Georgia, almost 115 miles north of Atlanta. They have two acres near their home and use the space for their businesses. “We are currently in the same space,” said Susan. “We are planning to buy land to expand production.” They are “bursting at the seams,” she added.

At present there is nowhere to store firewood under roof. “As of right now we dry the wood in the open air,” said Susan.

The pairing of businesses supports the goal of Susan and Robert, a goal to have a business that is in demand. “We have learned that tree removal and firewood will always be services that are needed,” said Susan.

Susan’s firewood business relies entirely on one supplier for equipment: Timberwolf. She has a Timberwolf Pro-MP XL firewood processor, a Timberwolf Alpha 6 splitter, and a Timberwolf TWC-24 firewood conveyor. She also has a Kubota KX-033 compact excavator. The couple bought the Alpha-6 splitter in 2022, the conveyor at the end of that year, then the Pro-MP XL firewood processor in January of 2024.

“Obviously, we are Timberwolf fans and plan to purchase more of their products when possible,” said Susan. They already have tentative plans for additional Timberwolf equipment. “We plan to get a cleaner next, followed by a larger processor and a conveyor,” said Susan.

Susan had a simple explanation for choosing Timberwolf for firewood processing equipment.  “Timberwolf is made in America – enough said.”

There was actually more to it than that when it came to choosing a firewood splitter. “[Timberwolf was] the only company at that time that offered a strong enough box wedge,” said Susan. “We are still using the original box wedge that we purchased.”

Timberwolf offers three sizes of the box wedge for the Alpha 6 splitter. The 4.5-inch box wedge is used to produce cord-sized firewood, which is the mainstay of Susan’s company.

The other sizes provide options, however. For example, the 2.5-inch box wedge could be used to produce cooking wood or firewood for campgrounds. That’s Timberwolf’s approach, to design firewood processing equipment so it can grow along with the businesses of its customers.

The Timberwolf Alpha 6 splitter, mounted on a trailer, is powered by a Honda GX700 22.1 hp engine. The five-inch cylinder can render 58,906 pounds of splitting force. The box wedge produces evenly sized wood, and a floating auto-retract arm pulls back the unsplit portion of the wood back into the splitting chamber. Other features include a hydraulic lift that can handle log rounds up to 500 pounds and a table grate to funnel the firewood into a conveyor.

Susan and Robert both operate the Timberwolf Alpha 6 splitter. They also cross over on operating the Timberwolf Pro-MP XL firewood processor. “[It] just depends on what we’re doing that day,” said Susan.

“If the logs are small and straight,” one person can operate the splitter, said Susan. For wood that is 18 inches or more in diameter, they prefer to work together – one person on each side to flip the bigger pieces back in the splitter trough.

“Our Alpha 6 is essential” for larger wood, noted Susan. “Every piece of Timberwolf equipment is needed, and we plan to add more of their products to our production.”

The Timberwolf Pro-MP XL firewood processor can handle logs up to 24 inches in diameter and over 32 feet long. It is powered by a Kohler 38 hp fuel-injected engine that features an integrated oil cooler to save on fuel consumption and prolong engine life. The Pro-MP XL can be paired with an integrated hydraulic conveyor to produce up to two cords of firewood per hour, according to Timberwolf. The conveyor folds over the center of the machine for travel. The processor features Timberwolf’s patented clamping system that advances and secures the log and a standard 3-strand live deck.

Timberwolf, located in Marathon, New York, offers multiple models of firewood processors and splitters. It also offers several models of conveyors as well as equipment to clean firewood.

(For more information about Timberwolf and its products, visit www.timberwolfequip.com.)

When it came to purchasing their first piece of equipment, they chose the splitter. “We had to purchase the Alpha 6 first because you cannot turn down logs based on their size,” said Susan. “The Alpha 6 will handle any size log.”

Much of the raw material for firewood comes from Robert’s tree service and removal jobs. That’s the “first source for logs,” said Susan. They also obtain wood from other tree service companies and contractors who perform land-clearing work. If needed, they can buy logs from local logging contractors.

When they buy land for a larger wood yard, they plan to install a scale to weigh incoming loads of wood and pay by the ton. “This will allow us to put a flat purchase rate on our logs that we take in,” explained Susan.

The mini-excavators are used for moving logs and other wood material, loading firewood, feeding the chipper, and other tasks

Susan plans to grow the business. Last year the Barnetts produced about 150 cords of firewood. “We want to double that number consecutively up to 1,000 cords per year,” said Susan.

Firewood is sold to a mix of customers. “They can range from weekend campers to people who use firewood as their primary source of heat,” said Susan.

They have four trucks available for delivering firewood and have delivered up to an hour away. For large loads the firewood is dumped. However, they will stack a face cord for an additional small fee.

They have a website for the firewood business and promote it on Facebook Marketplace and other social media platforms. They also have signage with a phone number on one of their trucks that they keep parked on the side of the road. However, “Word of mouth is best in our small community,” said Susan.

Last year Susan sold seasoned firewood – about 30 cords – for the first time. She expects to season 100 cords this year.

She’s also interested in selling bundled firewood. “We would like our bundles to be in boxes and then wrapped,” said Susan. “You take off the wrap and then light the box.”

Susan’s business philosophy is “do good work and provide a good product.” She also believes in giving customers options.

Making firewood has turned out to be a good fit for Susan. “Splitting firewood is very enjoyable,” she said. She also likes interacting with customers and providing a service to the community.

“Robert enjoys every part of tree removal – from going out and meeting customers to the dangerous work, to the easy work, to the cleanup, and to the final handshake,” said Susan.

Susan and Robert have been married for 20 years. They have two children in college and one in 8th grade. In their free time Susan enjoys being on nearby Nottely Lake, and Robert enjoys working on old trucks and spending time with the family.

 

Thank you to author Diane Calabrese, Timberline Magazine, and the Barnett's for this content.