Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Look For Value When Purchasing Firewood This Winter

Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D.

Clark County Extension Agent -

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Service

A chill is in the air, and if you haven't ordered your firewood it's time to do so.

Attorney General Winston Bryant advised consumers not to get burned when buying firewood. Shop around, look for good value and a fair measure at a fair price, Bryant advised.

Regulations adopted by the Arkansas Bureau of Standards are designed to protected consumers. These regulations require that firewood be advertised and sold only by standard measurements such as a cord or a fraction of a cord. A cord, properly stacked, is four feet high, eight feet long and four feet wide or deep. It contains a total of 128 cubic feet of wood.

Consumers should be wary of advetisements which offer firewood by measurements that have no standardized meaning, such a "truckload" or a "pile."

Bureau of Standards regulations require that firewood sellers provide the buyer with a delivery ticket or sale invoice which sets out the identity of the seller, identity of the buyer and the quantity and price of the firewood. This document also should identify the type of wood delivered, and include any representation made as to the quality of the wood.

An accurate receipt protects the interests of the consumer. While most local wood sellers give good measure at a fair price, the requirement of an accurate and complete receipt protects the consumers' interests should any question arise regarding the firewood purchased.

The quality of the wood is just as important as the measure and price. Seasoned wood burns better and hotter than green wood, and is safer to burn.

The higher moisture content of green wood causes a heavier buildup of tars and creosote in the chimney, and thus greater danger of a chimney fire. Hardwoods, such as oak or hickory, are preferable to soften woods, like pine or cedar. The hard woods burn longer and generate more heat.

Any species of wood provides about 8,000 to 9,000 BTU's of heat per pound of dry matter. However, some woods are heavier than others and produce hotter, longer lasting fires. Comparing sticks of oak and pine of equal size and moisture content, for example, you'll find that oak weighs more and provides much more heat.

There are differences in fuel woods other than heat value caused by weight differences. Other factors to consider are availability, ease of starting, coaling qualities, sparks and fragrance.

Consumers who want a pleasant aroma may want to specifically order woods such as pecan, hickory, apple or cherry, but they should remember that specialty woods normally will be more expensive than common hardwoods such as oak.

In any case, the delivery receipt should identify the type of wood delivered.

Consumers with questions concerning firewood purchase may contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-482-8982, or the Arkansas Plant Board, Bureau of Standards at 4608 W. 65th St. in Little Rock.

More information about home management can be found at the Clark County Cooperative Extension office in Arkadelphia at 423 Clay Street. Or call 246-2281 with your questions.