Firewood prices vary from $50 to $150 or more per cord depending on the type of wood and labor involved. Oak and birch bring a premium price over ash and elm. U-split and U-load will be less expensive than delivered and stacked. Know the cord size or amount of wood you are purchasing!

There are three types of cord measurements that wood is sold:

Traditional Forester’s Cord—A stack of wood with dimensions 4 feet high x 4 feet wide x 8 feet long or 128 cubic feet

Face Cord or Fire Place Cord—A small stack of wood 4 feet high x any length (usually 12-18 inches) x 8 feet wide or 32 to 48 cubic feet.

Pickup Load Cord— The size of a full-size pickup’s box 4 feet x 2 feet x 6-8 feet or 48-64 cubic feet. The wood is usually randomly stack and will contain more air and less wood and one neatly stacked.

Don’t misunderstand me, these are not ways to take a customer. They are common measurements of wood and depending upon the seller’s price and cord size will determine how good a buy it is.

If you own native woodland it is not always a good idea to let people cut their own for a bulk fee rate. They may cut trees they shouldn’t, and you need to consider liability problems as well. The best practice is to go through the woods and mark the trees at the stump and at chest height to clearly mark out trees to be removed. The mark at the stump will tell you it any trees that shouldn’t be removed were removed. It is always good to call the North Dakota Forest Service to have a forester cruise the woodland and help determine which trees should be removed or left for future harvest. If your windbreak needs thinning, contact your local Soil Conservation District for recommendations. The closest NDFS office to Jamestown is at Lisbon, phone number (701) 683-4323.

Notice to buyers and sellers of firewood within the City Limits of Jamestown as well as most communities. It is illegal to have elmwood with the bark intact. American elm and any other elm firewood are major factor to the spread of Dutch elm disease. If you think you may have elmwood you can remove the bark or if you would like to have your woodpile checked, call the City Forester’s office at 252-5900.


Below is a chart with some of the wood characteristics of native trees. More characteristics can be found at the University of Nebraska site at www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/forestry/g881.htm. this extension publication is titled Heating With Wood 1. Species Characteristics and Volumes.



WOOD TYPE HEAT/CORD (BTUs) EASE OF SPLITTING FRAGRANCE SMOKE
American elm 20,000,000 Difficult Good Medium
Bur oak 26,200,000 Easy Good Low
Green ash 20,000,000 Easy Slight Low
Paper birch 20,800,000 Medium Slight Medium
Cottonwood 15,800,000 Easy Slight Medium

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