Breaking Down Large Log with Chainsaw

Autumn is here, and winter is close on its heels. Last year, we collected about one cord of wood from our property. We purchased another three cords from several different sellers. A standard cord is 4x4x8 feet, and a pickup truck holds about half a cord. Many opportunities to purchase firewood pop up online this time of year. Some sellers collect end cuts from local sawyers and coopers. Others collect large rounds from castoffs of harvesting operations that they split and deliver. Last year, we burned both, and the wood quality varied. Our purchase of wood saved us about $200 over using only electricity last winter. This winter, we want to supply most of our own wood. This hemlock won't burn hot, but it will provide heat at the cost of a small amount of fuel and a lot of sweat.

Breaking down this hemlock presents special challenges. Hemlock is relatively lightweight, but this is a big log. Securing the log on the hill requires careful attention.