Shivering Americans Snap Up Firewood as Winter Grinds On

Weeks of freezing temperatures and a run of winter storms across parts of the United States have driven up demand for firewood and manufactured fire logs. In Nashville, Bradley Hite said deliveries were booked up to two weeks out; in New York, Richard Heby’s business set sales records and filled a tractor-trailer; and in North Carolina, Jason Loflin recruited friends from his gym to help deliver orders.

Suppliers, sawmills and retailers have struggled to keep pace. Loflin said he was getting about 150 calls a day, up from his usual 10 to 15, and that customers sounded "very desperate." Many buyers were preparing for power outages, seeking supplemental heat or trying to keep houses and pipes from freezing.

Business has been intense in affected communities. Hite, who runs a second-generation firewood company, said he had to turn customers away and was "two weeks out on delivery," selling as many as 25 ricks a day during an ice storm after a typical winter day would move four to 10 ricks.

United States, Nashville, New York, North Carolina

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