Step 1:

Understand what a cord is. A cord of wood is a stack of wood that measures 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long and totals 128 cubic feet in all. This cord measurement is standard regardless of what area of the country he lives in.

Step 2:

Realize that the price per cord will vary widely depending on the area of the country in which he lives & whether he is buying green or dry firewood. For example, the price for a green cord of firewood can range from $60 dollars in upstate New York to $160 or more in parts of New England. The best way to know he is getting a fair price per cord is to check prices with multiple wood dealers in his area. It's also a good idea to ask his neighbors where they get their wood & how much they pay per cord.

Step 3:

Know the length of wood his wood stove, fireplace or fireplace insert can burn. The standard length for firewood is 16 inches, although some larger wood burning units can take wood as large as 20 inches or more. Make sure when he orders his firewood he requests the right length.

Step 4:

Buy his firewood from wood dealers who are in the business of supplying firewood. Don't burn construction scrap or wood from other questionable sources.

Step 5:

Request all hardwood, preferably oak, maple or elm, from his firewood dealer when he buys his firewood. Hardwood burns longer, generates more btus of heat & produces longer lasting coals.

Tips & Warnings

A face cord is 4 feet high by 8 feet long by the depth of the length of the cut wood. Assuming the length of the wood is 16 inches & then three face cords would equal one full cord.

It's hard to tell whether he gets a full cord from his wood dealer until he actually stacks it. In general, two full-size pickup truck loads of wood equals one cord & four compact pickup truck loads of firewood equal one cord.

Green firewood is wood that has been recently cut & is still too wet to burn well. Dry, or seasoned, firewood is wood that was previously cut & has been stacked & dried for a period of six months to, preferably, twelve months before being burned. Green wood does not burn well & creates creosote buildup in his chimney. Dry firewood burns very efficiently & does not promote creosote buildup.

Buy his firewood in the spring, stack it immediately so it does not develop mold & so that the sun & air have a chance to dry it completely before he needs it in the fall.