So You Think You Can Wood 5

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Onto the story…

Part 5 in a series of stories about our farm, the firewood production project and our involvement with Oregon Woodland Coop.

The first story of the series, looked at history, growing conditions and what kind of wood that is available with our farm/forest protocol. The second story got into the volume of wood, the manner of storage and how much space is needed for the process. Story three examined our steps of how to get from log to firewood. Story four showed the bundling process. Story 5, the order and delivery.

So You Think You Can Wood 5

Here on the farm we are just shy of our 1st year anniversary of our first bundle delivery, but the story started more than 6 months before that. We had stacks of logs at the side of the logging landing that were a byproduct of harvest. They could not be made into sell-able logs. These logs were damaged, not big enough in diameter or long enough to fit onto a log truck for shipment either as logs or pulp, but they  can make great firewood.

The summer of 2018 was busy with the normal day to day farm, cattle, logging, hay business, but in the times between, we got to work on cutting those decks of logs into 16 inch chunks of wood and stacking them in rows for the sunshine and heat of summer to dry and season the wood.

By the end of summer we were loading the split wood onto homemade cribs that were built on pallets that we had around the farm. We went to fellow OWC members to get ideas, tips and tricks about the bundling process and even borrowed some equipment to get started. Even though the finished product is a pretty straight forward process, there was still a learning curve to get the bundles stacked and bundled tightly so they hold together during loading, shipment, and for the customer.

We were worried about pests finding their way into the finished bundles. Being a farm with livestock, we were hesitant about leaving bundles in the open ended barns where we wrapped the firewood so the one bay of the garage was converted to storage for the finished product.  The finished pallets were moved from the bundling barn to the garage by a front loader tractor.

Keeping pallets of bundles of firewood in the heated garage meant that we did not have to deal with pests or dampness and we could load the pickup in a clean, dry, comfortable space.

Sunday is the day we send in our inventory numbers so the Co-Op knows how much firewood and kindling we have on hand, ready to ship. The stores that OWC sells to have options about purchasing regular firewood bundles, kindling or premium bundles (consisting of hard wood) and there are other customers that want specialty loads such as bins, bulk or Chiminea firewood (those small outdoor fireplaces). To date we here on the farm have only supplied regular firewood and kindling bundles but have a cache of hardwood cherry seasoning to be ready and bundled by the dead of winter.

On Monday, the inventories of all the producers are matched up with the orders from the stores that are contracted with OWC and by Monday afternoon each producer has their marching orders for the deliveries. Monday evening is when we like to load the pickup so we have everything in order before we take off. Deliveries can be made to the stores the following morning or the next three days. The load gets tied down with straps so it is secure during the trip along with being tarped on those days when rain or snow are a possibility.

At the store, we check in to see where they want the delivery. Sometimes it is near the loading dock as was the case with our first delivery, but other times we get to unload and stack right into the display. Interactions with employees and customers are truly amazing and it makes our day when we are asked about the process, our farm and the firewood we deliver. For us, the question is not about do we think we can wood, but how we can continue to make the byproduct of our harvest work for the OWC, the stores that sell the bundles and for the end consumer.