For Cortes Islanders relying on local cutters to bring them enough firewood to warm their homes each winter, there has recently been a greater feeling of firewood scarcity. Everyone knows someone desperate for firewood, and there have been community notices on the local Tideline website asking if anyone is selling dry firewood.
Nick Gagnon delivered 60 to 70 cords of wood to Cortes households last year, and figures he barely made a dent in the need for firewood on Cortes. He says he is one of the few remaining firewood cutters still working to provide firewood to island residents.
The current shortage is due to a few factors, including that many cutters have "packed it in" - there are simply not as many people doing the work.
Nick believes that in order to get people to cut more firewood for the market, the answer is not necessarily in paying more per cord, though higher prices are probably coming with the recent hike in fuel prices. A more consistently available supply of wood to cut on the island would help. The Cortes Community Forest does provide a consistent supply by bringing logs to roadsides for those cutting firewood for sale, but that is available at around $100/cord.
Despite the uncertainty of supply and extra work to householders, such as stacking and splitting, wood is still the most economical compared to other heat options.