Soaring heating oil prices ignite firewood demand

By Associated Press Thursday, August 7, 2008 - Updated 3m ago DURHAM, Maine - On a recent scorching-hot summer day, workers at Reed’s Firewood used heavy equipment to cut and split logs into firewood until it was too dark to see. Despite its relentless pace, the family-run business is failing to keep up with demand as homeowners shellshocked by the price of heating oil look to old-fashioned firewood as a way to lower their bills this winter. The cost of seasoned firewood in Maine has jumped roughly 50 percent from a year ago, but it remains a relative bargain when compared with heating oil, which is nearly $2 per gallon more than last year. Many customers are doubling their usual orders and some firewood dealers are turning away customers. “We’ve really never seen anything like this before,” said Lloyd Irland, who teaches... [read full story]