The market this year forced loggers to harvest soft building woods and other high demand woods, causing fuelwood sources to fall short. With winter weather predicted to be more extreme than the last several years, Michiganders should stock up on supplies. Many fuelwood sources have waitlists. If your local source for hard fuelwood has a long waitlist, know there are other options. These options include: Firewood Scout, state forests, or national forests, like Hiawatha National Forest, Huron-Manistee National Forest or Ottawa National Forest.
When possible, use wood sources close to you to avoid transporting firewood over long distances, which can spread damaging forest pests and diseases, further damaging wood supply chains.
If you or someone you know encounters a hardship in heating costs this winter, relief is available through resources from the Michigan Energy Assistance Program.