You’re thinking of spending a night under the sky with friends or family but don’t have any firewood for the fire pit…
WHAT A PITY!
Well, it doesn’t have to be a PITY when you can burn the Y with some proper firewood (pun intended).
Now, where to buy firewood when you’ve never purchased any before? OR even worse, when you have no idea what kind of firewood to get?
We have the answer to these questions and a lot more.
Whether you want to buy high-quality firewood for the best experience or a cheap one to simply heat up your home – this is the perfect guide for you.
Check it out below!
Where to Buy Firewood: Popular Places to Look For
If we were to recommend the BEST PLACES TO BUY FIREWOOD, we wouldn’t hesitate to mention these three:
1. Amazon
Known as the “Everything Store,” Amazon offers practically anything you can think of that’s not illegal. And that includes firewood.
The quality of the firewood tends to be a little higher than the one you find on local sawmills or get from loggers. And it often comes with additives that add up to each log’s burning scent and durability.
What sets Amazon apart, however, is that you get firewood shipped directly to your home. And given you have Prime Membership or are lucky enough to live close to a fulfillment facility, you may get that firewood within 24 hours.
Here are two options from Amazon to consider:
Regardless of the firewood you want – Smoak Firewood offers it. This pack, for example, is split oak that’s ready to fire up as soon as you light it up. It even comes with a firestarter so you can get the party started as soon as it arrives.
Plus, every piece is kiln-dried. That means you won’t have to spend a single second more than expected to light up anything. And given they’re split, you can use them ANYWHERE.
You can also pick the uncut logs for longer-lasting fires, the kindling, or even the larger split firewood packs. Either way, you get the quality no other brand offers.
Another kiln-dried alternative we couldn’t dismiss comes from TImberTote. This next-level brand stands out for the quality of its firewood without leaving behind CHEAPNESS.
You can enjoy natural firewood that lasts a long time, lights up super-quickly, and works well in either indoor or outdoor environments.
Apart from that, you can get varying amounts of wood according to your needs. Whether it is for a single-night firepit or to heat up your home for months – this bundle offers what you need.
2. Lowe’s
If you want a little quicker response and maybe even cheaper firewood, don’t hesitate to look for Lowe’s availability.
There’s probably a Lowe’s around town that delivers the firewood within hours. You get different bulks as well, and probably even better attention from the delivery people.
PLUS, the quality is still up there – so you may get twice the advantage if there’s a Lowe’s around.
Here are some firewood alternatives to consider:
Need enough firewood to heat up your home for a month or two? Get this LARGE bundle cord of wood.
It is kiln-dried to ensure fast lighting-up times as well as conveniently packaged so you can set it up in your driveway, garage, backyard shed, or anywhere without problems.
The pack is even USDA certified, so you can rest assured it won’t cause problems at home. And with the quality of the wood, you can get long-lasting fires.
You may also pick the tiny Pinon Wood bag from David’s Firewood – the perfect choice for people who don’t need that much firewood.
This bag comes with a cubic foot that may last a few nights. Plus, the split cuts are sufficiently small to fit anywhere – so you can store them and light them up with complete ease.
There’s something you must know, though: this Pinon Wood is a mosquito repellent. If you suffer from swarms of mosquitoes invading your home or party place – this is an excellent solution (heat and repellant – what else do you need?)
3. Local Websites / Social Media
Local websites where people share things they’re selling (or giving away) always work. These include websites like:
- FirewoodScout
- Freecycle Group
- Craigslist
- Facebook Marketplace
- Local Facebook Groups
- Local WhatsApp Groups
Asking or looking in these places for firewood will probably give you an excellent response. People are always willing to provide you with directions or simply sell you the firewood directly for cheap.
If you’re lucky, you may even find the firewood for FREE. Don’t waste this chance!
Where to Get Free Firewood?
Don’t want to pay for the firewood? Well, you wouldn’t believe there are also many ways you can get it for FREE.
This counts for most areas, especially towns and small cities. Here are some places to consider:
1. Construction Sites
This is mainly through towns and suburban areas, places where people have to bring down trees to get on with their construction plans.
As you may guess, these trees are often thrashed away. People don’t use them. As a consequence, a lot of that wood is either taken to storage facilities or simply burned away to avoid leaving residues behind.
You can take advantage of this situation by visiting construction sites on workdays and asking around for scraps and cut-down trees.
This is typically an excellent way to find some free firewood – sometimes way more than you need. And as a benefit for the construction company, you help them avoid a fine by taking care of their waste.
2. Sawmills
Most sawmills cut away big pieces of lumber for woodworkers and big companies. The lumber they end up with is used on furniture, houses, and a wide array of other places. To make this lumber, however, sawmills need to bring down entire trees… BUT THEY ONLY USE THE TRUNK.
Most of the branches, especially the small ones, are left out as waste. These sawmills sometimes pay haulers to get the scraps away and use them however they want.
If you live close to sawmills, you can always go and ask for some of these scraps. They won’t have to pay haulers as much, and you’ll end up doing them a favor by taking some of the waste.
3. Trimming Companies / Woodworkers
The people whose job is to work with wood or bringing them down may also have a lot of waste to give away.
Contacting these professionals usually comes with tons of benefits because even if they can’t give you any firewood, they may give you a clue where to find it (free or cheap).
4. Homeowners
Many people are always looking for trimmers and landscapers to cut down their old trees – FOR FREE. They may not want to pay people for any work, but they’re willing to receive free assistance.
In that case, you can always ask people to pay you with the branches and waste from the cuttings. You help homeowners clean out their trees, and you get free firewood as a consequence.
ADVICE TO CONSIDER: You will need wood-cutting equipment for this job. So don’t ask people unless you have a chainsaw or similar wood-cutting tool – preferably something you know how to use.
5. Factories and Storage Facilities
If you can’t find any firewood with one of the above ways, don’t hesitate to reach out to factories, storage facilities, and straight-up any company that uses wood pallets.
You’ll be surprised at how many people have broken or unusable wooden pallets they’re trying to get rid of but can’t. Asking them for these pallets may help them finally eliminate their worries with the waste, and you’ll get those pallets for totally free.
TO KNOW: These pallets are not exactly firewood but pretty much work the same way. Just be careful with pallets containing screws, nails, staples, and any other dangerous piece when you’re transporting them.
6. Fallen Trees
Places where storms, tornados, or simple winds bring trees down consistently, are also excellent sources of free firewood.
Many of the trees that fall down from winds tend to be old and dried from sun exposure. This may give you almost perfect firewood to enjoy.
You will need wood-cutting tools, of course, especially for large trees. And carrying the firewood could require a truck or two in some cases. But the free firewood is PRICELESS.
ALSO CONSIDER: For fallen trees from rains or storms, there’s a chance it’s all wet. In that case, you will need to wait a few days until the wood dries before using it.
7. Cut from Licensable Places
Some areas in your town or city may be available for you to go and get firewood from – DIRECTLY FROM THE ALIVE TREES.
This is rare, but it happens. You will need to contact your local municipality and ask for this opportunity – they will tell you precisely WHAT, HOW, and WHERE to make this happen.
ADVICE: You will probably need a permit or special license to get firewood this way.
How to Get a Firewood Permit?
The best way to get a permit/license for cutting down trees to make firewood is to ask your local government. There’s probably no other alternative.
Asking trimming companies and landscapers may also give you an idea of what to do, but nothing compares to authorities directly.
What does this permit offer? Here are some benefits:
- Collect firewood from recent construction or trimming sites
- Collect firewood from local public places (different states may have different rules)
- Collect firewood from forests and national parks (if available)
- Collect firewood from private areas (with the owner’s permission)
As for the trees you can take firewood from, typically include trees that need some pruning, trees with dead limbs, fallen trees, and sometimes from invasive species.
Just be aware many exceptions apply, and rules must be followed to perfection. Most of these permits last an entire season (3 to 6 months).
How to Buy the Right Pile of Firewood?
Sure, you can get premium firewood, cheap firewood, or even free firewood… BUT WHAT ARE YOU GETTING IN EACH?
To avoid getting sold rotten firewood or simply avoiding firewood that doesn’t meet your demands – here’s a brief guide with all the factors to consider:
- Look for Hardwoods
It seems obvious if you think about it, but many people don’t even care. As long as it looks like firewood, it should work – right?
Well, not so much.
The best type of firewood is hardwood. That means oak, birch, cherry, or maple. Any other wood-like aspen, poplar, or pine will light up fast and run out super-quickly. If you want the fire to last and give you enough heat for a night – choose hardwoods only.
PLUS: Softwoods create too much creosote. This creosote may burn down later around the house or chimney – so be careful.
- Dryness
Do you want the wood to start burning right away? Then make sure it’s dry enough. For that, nothing matches kiln-dried firewood.
Bundles of wood need to be seasoned and at least dried to a standard level. Otherwise, they will take longer to light up or never do.
This is why you should avoid getting green wood if possible. Stick to getting wood that has been dried if you want it to fire up right away.
- Cut Types
Some firewood bundles come in split pieces. These will fit almost anywhere with little effort but won’t last long in your woodshed, for example.
If you want longer-lasting firewood, choose complete logs. These tend to last a lot longer stored, yet they require splitting before using (which could be too much work for some).
You may also find finely split wood pieces (also called kindling). This is excellent to start the fires but won’t last too long, either burning or stored.
What sounds better for you? Choose accordingly.
- Check the Quantity
This is probably obvious, but you don’t want to buy a bundle that comes with more firewood than you need (or worse, less than you require).
That’s why you should consider how many cubic feet you’re getting from the pack. As a general rule, get 1 cubic foot if you’re using firewood for a day or two. If you need enough firewood for a weed, you can get up to 5 cubic feet.
For those moments where you’re trying to get enough wood for a few weeks or months, then don’t hesitate to order a pallet or truckload.
Get That Firewood RIGHT NOW!
If you learned something from this article, we hope it was that you don’t need to spend any winter or fall night suffering from freezing temperatures. You can literally buy quality firewood (cheap or even for free) at many different places – so don’t let that chance slip out.
As long as you know where to buy firewood and aren’t hesitant to ask around, you will eventually get to it.
So, what are you waiting for? Get that chimney or pit fired up!