So a question I get a lot about my wood stove is where do I find the wood? People in the city think that if you don't have your own trees to cut down your only other option is to buy it. Buying wood is easy, it comes split, dry, and ready to burn but it is expensive. It can cost up to $300 a season or more to buy enough wood for a winter. I use wood to heat my workshop everyday. I make a living as a wood smith so I can be out in my wood shop 8 to 12 hours each day, especially as we get toward the Christmas season. Needless to say I can go through quite a bit of wood and I don't want to buy it.
Even in the city, my property has several extra trees that I am taking down and cutting into proper size to burn next year, so start in your own yard. If you don't want to take down any trees, maybe you can trim the tree, cut back some branches that grow over your drive way, etc. Use these limbs as burning wood.
Stop by the wooded areas in your local parks. You would be amazed at how many branches were down at a Frisbee golf park on the south side of town. Many of these branches were 3 inches or better in diameter which makes them great for burning. I was able to get half a truck load in one city park and the branches had already fallen from the tree so I wasn't hurting anything.
Most major cities and even smaller towns are built close to a lake, river, or both. Visit the trails or gravel roads in the woods that run along the rivers, etc. There are tons of downed limbs, small trees that have fallen over in storms or from animals, etc. Bring a wagon so you can load up and make fewer trips back and forth to your truck. Trust me, you will find much more wood than you think.
Listen to friends. You don't know how many times I've heard guys talking about taking down trees in their yards. Even if you don't have a chain saw (which you should as an urban farmer!) or if the tree is too big for you to feel comfortable taking it down next to your buddies house you can still save him some money. If he hired a crew to take down the tree, part of his quote was getting rid of and hauling the tree. Instead of the tree company taking the tree, just have them cut it down and you can load it up and take it off his hands for him. My father in law had some trees removed and stopped by with my wheel barrow and got a years worth of wood just for getting it out of his yard!
Wait for the big storms! After a big storm, high winds, blizzard with ice, trees come down, limbs get broken etc. After a blizzard last year here in Iowa there were tree limbs dragged to the curb along the streets through out the city. People were happy to let me take them out of their yards, I got almost a cord of wood in just one storm, saving money and recycling wood that would have gone to the chipper.
Lastly make sure you have a reliable chain saw because many of the limbs and branches you find in the woods and after storms will not be the proper length to fit into your wood stove. A chain saw makes very fast and easy work of cutting limbs to size. If you do not have or want to buy a chain saw, you can pick up a corded reciprocating saw for cheap at the local hardware store. It isn't as fast or good as a chain saw but wood blades are cheap and they plug in so no need for gas. It isn't what they are made for but they work just fine.
Even in the city, my property has several extra trees that I am taking down and cutting into proper size to burn next year, so start in your own yard. If you don't want to take down any trees, maybe you can trim the tree, cut back some branches that grow over your drive way, etc. Use these limbs as burning wood.
Most major cities and even smaller towns are built close to a lake, river, or both. Visit the trails or gravel roads in the woods that run along the rivers, etc. There are tons of downed limbs, small trees that have fallen over in storms or from animals, etc. Bring a wagon so you can load up and make fewer trips back and forth to your truck. Trust me, you will find much more wood than you think.
Listen to friends. You don't know how many times I've heard guys talking about taking down trees in their yards. Even if you don't have a chain saw (which you should as an urban farmer!) or if the tree is too big for you to feel comfortable taking it down next to your buddies house you can still save him some money. If he hired a crew to take down the tree, part of his quote was getting rid of and hauling the tree. Instead of the tree company taking the tree, just have them cut it down and you can load it up and take it off his hands for him. My father in law had some trees removed and stopped by with my wheel barrow and got a years worth of wood just for getting it out of his yard!
Wait for the big storms! After a big storm, high winds, blizzard with ice, trees come down, limbs get broken etc. After a blizzard last year here in Iowa there were tree limbs dragged to the curb along the streets through out the city. People were happy to let me take them out of their yards, I got almost a cord of wood in just one storm, saving money and recycling wood that would have gone to the chipper.
Lastly make sure you have a reliable chain saw because many of the limbs and branches you find in the woods and after storms will not be the proper length to fit into your wood stove. A chain saw makes very fast and easy work of cutting limbs to size. If you do not have or want to buy a chain saw, you can pick up a corded reciprocating saw for cheap at the local hardware store. It isn't as fast or good as a chain saw but wood blades are cheap and they plug in so no need for gas. It isn't what they are made for but they work just fine.
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