Acquiring Wood

[JakeLester9]

Hey all --

I am a new Yoder Loaded Wichita owner and I am wondering if there are suggestions anybody can pass along for purchasing wood. I live in the DC area, and to my surprise there seem to be very few BBQ supply stores in Northern VA or Maryland where I can acquire wood splits.

I have read on some websites that people buy wood off Craigslist, but frankly it makes me kind of nervous to buy wood in that manner. I guess I worry that it has chemicals on it or something. Maybe that is stupid and Craigslist is the best route.

As of now, I have been ordering from All Things BBQ in Kansas, they have free shipping on 1/2 cubic foot packages. But, I would prefer to find someplace more local. Also someplace that has a better selection as I have been using Hickory as my base wood and its a bit strong for me. I would like to find someplace that has oak readily available.

So just hoping somebody in my area has some suggestions of where you buy wood, any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

[Pirate Scott]

Look around for a Tree Service, They May have a wood lot.

[Steve R.]

The stuff I look for on Craigslist tends to be trees that have fallen in a storm and just need to be cut up. In my area, there are also quite a few firewood suppliers who post on there. I would be a little more concerned with apple or peach wood, as far as pesticides, if I didn't know exactly where it came from. There's not much reason to do that with oak.

[DWCowles]

Craigslist is a good source and as Scott stated above check with local tree services. Also you can check with some of your local bbq joints and ask them who they get there wood supply from.

[Huskee]

It can get awful expensive in a hurry buying wood from barbecue supply stores and such for a stick burner. If cash isn't much of an issue for you you can still go that route I suppose. However, you may find that there are firewood delivery services in your local area, since you live in an area that has winter. If I can't cut my own I've had it delivered before from a guy in a pickup, $60 for a pickup truck load of oak, which lasts quite a while and is well worth it to me. Most of the time though I just cut my own which is obviously the best if you have that ability.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I wouldn't worry about chemicals unless the tree had been recently treated. And since trees that are treated are trying to be saved, most wood is from trees that have not been recently treated. Pesticides degrade and washed off over time.

That said, and not to be contradictory with Steve R. , fruitwoods, although likely to have been treated at some time in their lifespan (and that includes certified organic), have been treated with contact pesticides. They stay on the surface of the plant and have no residual activity. On the other hand, ornamentals can be treated with systemic pesticides, these are absorbed by the plant and have long term effects. However, keep in mind these are only active in the living tissue, which is the bark and sapwood, the heartwood is already dead. So if you have any concerns, I suggest removing bark before using the wood.

As for sources, you can answer ads on Craigslist. Ask the seller where the wood came from and, if not comfortable with the answer, thank him/her for their time. BBQ_Bill put an ad on Craigslist asking for wood and now has it coming out his ears. PBCDad scours the free section of Craigslist and finds wood from homeowners who just want to go away. And as mentioned, tree services are a good source. As is any local orchards, I got trailer (7x14x2.5) loads for $150 loaded from a local orchard. This time a year some towns, like mine, allow residents to stack yard debris on the street for pickup. If I had time I could go glean more wood than I could burn in a year.

Best wishes in your quest.

[PBCDad]

ComfortablyNumb Your post reminded me to look again and I scored a nice pile of maple wood, perfect size, picking it up tomorrow. Just needs to season a bit. Guy just wants it out of his driveway.

[Troutman]

All good advice above. And that's a really nice stick burner, enjoy it !!! One last question, is acquiring wood the same as getting wood ?

[ComfortablyNumb]

Whichever, it requires you keep it up or lose it.

[Troutman]

You mean 'chop' it off .... yikes !!!!

[jfmorris]

I got my firewood (oak and hickory) from a local tree service. They take the trees they cut down to their lot, split the wood, and season it, and double as a firewood delivery service.

[JakeLester9]

Thank you all. Honestly I hadn't thought of calling a tree service. I called around and found a tree service place 20 minutes away that has all types of wood available for sale in packages as small as 50 lbs. So that is perfect.

Again, I appreciate the help.

[Jblume0721]

what's the name of place? I live in baltimore and am looking for a wood hookup. thanks

[kbremer]

Go to any BBQ restaurant and ask them where they get their wood. That is how I found my hook up...

[Beefchop]

Schwwwwing! I used CL and found a place that does firewood. Just ask how long it has been "seasoned" because they meant 3 months, and when I took delivery it was obvious that it needed additional drying before I could cook with it.

[Huskee]

Me too. "Seasoned" meant a couple months, or one summer [likely], and it certainly wasn't what I considered "seasoned" to my personal standards. But in my case, still very worth the price. A year's worth of oak firewood for $60 - I'd spend way more than that on charcoal or propane- ....I'll take it!