Got Wood?
February 15th, 2015 · No Comments · Posted in rural life
When we found what would become our new farm one of the first things we noticed was that the primary form of heat was a wood stove. Oh, there was an oil furnace in the basement, but that was just for emergencies. It wasn’t ducted to the rest of the house. So while the basement could be a sauna if you wanted, the real action was in the living room around the wood stove. The previous owners loved their wood stove so much, they asked if they could take it with them when they moved. We eventually bought a more modern version.
But when we asked how much wood, exactly, they burned over the winter, the best answer we got was a vague “about three cords.” So, first thing I did after moving in was order four cords of wood. I laid down wood pallets for a base just outside the house and started stacking.
We really didn’t keep close track of how much wood we used that first winter. We added a lot of wood to the pile from trees that either fell down on the property or had to be cut down. I rented a gas-powered splitter at the hardware store and turned those into fireplace logs as well. When spring rolled around, we still had a lot of wood left over. But again, I really didn’t take any measurements to find out exactly how much. But judging from the look of the pile, I figured two cords, in addition to what we already had, would take care of our needs. And again, we scavenged some wood off the property.
Well, curiosity finally got the better of me and I put the tape measurer to the wood we had stacked last October to see what we were dealing with. In case you’re wondering, a cord of wood works out to be 128 cubic feet, or a pile four feet wide, four feet tall and eight feet long. My measurements told me we had a tad less that 4.5 cords. That’s a good deal more than three cords, and my wife assured me we would have plenty. “Look at how much we had left over last year!”
About this time of year–Ground Hog Day, to be exact–people start to look closely at their supplies, especially their firewood and their hay. You’re supposed to have at least half of what you started with to see you through spring, or so the old saw goes. After I applied the tape measurer again, I calculated we had somewhat more than 1.5 cords of wood in the pile, plus what we had stacked on the porch–about two week’s worth.
Having started the heating season around mid-October, that means we’re using an average of about 3/4-cord per month. If that’s correct, then we have just enough to get us through the end of April, which, coincidentally, is about the end of heating season.
With bone-chilling winds gusting 50 mph today from the latest nor’easter, and temperatures forecast to plummet to around -13 tonight, our margin of safety with the fire wood strikes me as a bit thin. Yes, we have that furnace in the basement, as well as electric space heaters. And if we have any luck at all, the sun will come out eventually and make the house toasty warm. But I see a pattern here: living a rural life, you need to pay close attention to your needs and your supplies. It’s all about collecting measurements and keeping detailed records. I wouldn’t want to be caught short of feed for the animals or heat for my family.
Funny how simple things like that can focus the mind.
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