As Economy Cools, Firewood Sales Thrive

Nov. 30, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regonal News delivered by Newstex) -- James Bullard picks up a load of wood and tosses it into the back of his van.

Bullard, who is 66, has been a regular customer at the S&S Tree Service haul-your-own firewood business in Hoke County for about 20 years.

It's not only good exercise, he said, but it's also a cheap way to heat his house.

Bullard thinks the economic downturn is going to bring more people back to the old way of doing things -- and that means using firewood as the primary fuel to heat their homes.

"People are getting back to the old ways," Bullard said. "Everything's going back to the old ways, and to me, it's better."

Richard Hooker, owner of B&R Tree and Stump Removal, said his firewood sales have doubled over last year. He sells wood for about $75 a half-cord, roughly 400 pieces.

"This year has been really, really good," he said. "As soon as I dropped the ad in the paper, my phone started ringing."

Hooker, who has sold firewood for about 10 years, said he's seen several first-time buyers complaining about the cost of natural gas.

"A lot of people tell me they're using firewood now as their only source of heat," he said.

But Hooker said people are also commenting on the weather.

"They think this winter could be bad, considering we've already had snow this year," he said.

Bill Schultz, owner of S&S Tree Service, where Bullard gets his wood, said it may be too early to tell if people are heading back to the old ways.

So far, he said, he hasn't seen a big upswing in business, and sales are about the same as last year.

Schultz has been selling firewood for more than 20 years off his lot at the corner of Rockfish and Walter Roads, near Hope Mills. But he's been in the business for more than 40 years.

Bullard said he's been coming to the lot since 1988 to pick his own firewood. He loves getting out in the cold and hauling a load, he said.

"For $40, I can load up my van," he said. "It takes the place of the (natural gas) heat in my house."

Bullard, who lives in Parkton, said it costs about $380 to fill up his 60-some gallon (propane) gas tank, which lasts two or three months. But his favorite oak firewood lasts longer and comes a heck of a lot cheaper, he said.

On Saturday, he was loading up green wood, he said. It doesn't burn as quickly, but he believes it lasts longer and holds the heat better.

In the last two weeks, Bullard has been been to Schultz's lot three times, he said. He has other plans for saving money on heat, as well, he said.

"I'm going to put a tin roof on my house," he said. "The tin helps hold in the heat."

He said he's heard about other people doing it as a way to save money on heating costs.

"That's what we had when I was coming up," he said, tossing another stack of wood into his van. "I'm going back to the old ways, too."

Staff writer Jennifer Calhoun can be reached at calhounj@fayobserver.com or 486-3595.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0072-29998694