First, you'll need to invest in a chain saw, and if you don't have experience in using one, it's very easy to give yourself a gash that will mean you won't have to wear a scary mask at Halloween any more. Third, after the wood has been cut, you have to get it onto the trailer. Finally, the wood must be split into fireplace-sized chunks. That means renting a hydraulic splitter and piling up a full cord or two in a weekend of backbreaking work, or using a maul and wedge and piling up half a face cord in a full day of backbreaking work. And even then, you can't use it right away.
Wood has to be seasoned before it's burned.
Wood that has been split for use in a fireplace will dry to the right moisture content in four to six months, but it can take longer if the year is unusually humid. Seasoned business Ed Allemon sells about 500 face cords of firewood a year from his Allemon's Garden Center at Mack and Cadieux in Detroit. We only carry ash and maple. The rest of our business has escalated in the last 15 years, but firewood sales have stayed the same. About 80 percent of our deliveries are to the Grosse Pointes, 10-15 percent to Detroit and 5 percent to St. Clair shores.