10 Reasons to Buy Your Firewood from Firewood Manitoba

We sell a cord of firewood when we advertise / talk about a cord of firewood. A cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet (usually 4’ x 4’ x 8’) of stacked firewood. Not 128 cubic feet of logs that are then cut and split into firewood, not 128 cubic feet of split firewood that is thrown loose into a trailer but 128 cubic feet of stacked firewood. Do we stack our firewood on our delivery vehicles? No, that would take additional time and labour that we would have to charge for. What we do is fill a container (trailer, truck or otherwise) with 180 cubic feet of loose firewood off our conveyor or loader. As firewood takes up more space when loose vs. stacked this 180 cubic feet will equal at least 128 cubic feet of stacked firewood. If you are shopping around please ask how much firewood is being delivered and how it is loaded in the delivery vehicle. If it is stacked then the delivery vehicle should measure at least 128 cubic feet of volume. If the firewood is loose in the vehicle it should measure at least 180 cubic feet of volume. Don’t be afraid to measure the delivery vehicle before the firewood is unloaded. You’re paying for it so you have the right to know how much firewood you are getting. If the volume is less than anticipated it is much easier to discuss before the wood is unloaded.
For more information the government of Canada has an informative website that goes into more detail here: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/mc-mc.nsf/eng/lm03963.html

We screen our firewood before delivery. With our new Rapido Loco firewood processor the small pieces of kindling and wood debris are removed near the splitter head via our two stage conveyor. The first conveyor has a 3” gap between it and the next conveyor allowing any “little bits” to fall through.Kindling is still included with each load of firewood to help with starting your firewood. Firewood Manitoba clients prior to June 2014 received a substantial amount of small wood mixed in with their firewood, that is one of the main reasons we decided to go with our new Rapido Loco firewood processor to improve the quality of our finished product (your firewood).

Firewood Manitoba is a registered Manitoba business. This may not seem like a big deal but when you purchase a product or service do you want to do business with a company that stands behind their product, provides receipts (with an address and contact information) and has been in the firewood business over 10 years or someone that shows up and throws their wood off the back of the truck, only accepts cash and may or may not call you back if you have questions or concerns? Don’t get me wrong, we started off throwing firewood out of the back of our half ton but there are lots of stories out there about unseasoned (wet) firewood being delivered or less than a cord when stacked and then the customer tries to get in touch with the firewood producer with little or no success…buyer beware. Cash is great but we also accept cheques and major credit cards.

We have a timber dealer’s license. It is 42270. This means we are accountable to Manitoba Conservation to track the amount of timber products we distribute in order to accurately gauge the health and productiveness of Manitoba’s forests.

We only process firewood that is sustainably harvested. All our firewood (cut and split, slabs etc.) is harvested from timber stands that have been damaged by insects (larch beetle in regards to tamarack) or fire (jack pine from the Sandiland Park fire) or from salvage (lot clearing, shelterbelt removal etc.). This firewood is all high quality and burns just as well as any firewood out there but has the added benefit of providing heat, enjoyment and comfort to you vs. rotting in the forest or going into a landfill. Trees are carbon neutral which they absorb CO2 throughout their life and release that stored CO2 when they die and decompose. By burning firewood from trees that were already dead or dying you are doing your part to utilize the renewable energy they stored throughout their life vs. non-renewable sources (natural gas, propane, heating oil etc.)

We provide consistent lengths and species of firewood. When you order oak firewood from us all you get is oak, when you order pine firewood from us all you get is pine, when you order pine and oak…well you get the idea. We provide cut and split loads of firewood that are all the same species. This allows you to have consistent burn times, BTU’s and ash content. No mixes of poplar, ash, maple, spruce, 2×4’s from Uncle Dan’s deck…just the firewood you ordered. Our firewood processor cuts to consistent lengths (size matters) so you have a good looking firewood stack that wasn’t a puzzle to stack due to random lengths.

We have oak. I’m a bit of a firewood snob, I admit it. Lots of people ask for birch because it has pretty white bark and is easy to start, poplar grows everywhere on the prairies (great for shelterbelts), tamarack burns hot with little ash but if I have a choice oak is my preferred firewood. Lots of heat, easy to split, fairly easy to start (we include kindling) and a very complete burn with very little leftover ash so you don’t have to haul out ash as often vs. other types of firewood. Once you go oak, you’ll never go back.

Our slogan is Good Wood (or Gud Wud if you’re Norwegian) and as such we ensure our firewood is dry. How do we do that? We cut and split our logs to ensure they have sufficient time for the sun and wind to reduce the internal moisture content to less than 20%. What does that mean? It means you get firewood that is easy to start, burns consistently, doesn’t shoot sparks or sizzle, throws off a steady heat and most importantly does not contribute to creosote buildup in your chimney. Wet firewood = steam = condensation = creosote. We’re so confident that our firewood is dry is that if it’s not your order is on us and we’ll pay for your next chimney cleaning. Please ask other firewood suppliers if they will do the same.

Our firewood is dry. Seasoned or dry firewood is any wood that is below 20% moisture. Lots of wood is advertised as dry out there but how do you know when it’s delivered? We have a wood moisture meter and you’re welcome to use it to test the firewood we deliver. Or use your own, they are available from Princess Auto, Canadian Tire, Home Depot etc. If you are looking at buying firewood from other sources ask them if you can test their firewood for moisture before they unload it. Wet wood (over 20% moisture) causes creosote when you burn it and creosote can cause chimney fires. We guarantee our firewood is dry…or it’s free.

Firewood is all we do and we do it full time. We’ve been in the firewood supply business since 2006 and in that time we’d like to think we know what we’ve learned a thing or two. If you would like a reference just ask, we’d be happy to out you in touch with one or more of our clients.