The Ohio Department of Agriculture is also offering tips for purchasing firewood.
The following firewood rules and regulations are helpful to review before making purchases:
- Non-packaged firewood must be sold by the cord or by fractions of a cord.
- If sold in bulk, firewood must be purchased by the weight in ton measurements and weighed on a certified scale.
- It is illegal to sell firewood by any other unit of measurement such as a rick, rack, face cord or truckload.
- If non-packaged firewood is purchased, the seller must present the consumer with a delivery ticket or sales invoice that includes contact information and terms and conditions of the sale.
- If firewood is advertised and sold as "seasoned," it must have a moisture content of less than 50 percent. "Unseasoned" wood will only produce two-thirds of the heat of "seasoned" wood.
- If the firewood is advertised and sold as a certain type of wood, the load must contain at least 90 percent of that species.
“Many Ohioans rely on firewood to heat their homes during the cold winter months. That’s why it’s important to know the laws about how firewood must be sold in order to make sure you, the consumer, are getting what you pay for,” said Ohio Agriculture Director David T. Daniels in a release.
Karon Brunner, of Riverside, said she’s never had a bad experience purchasing firewood.
“But I’m sure there is (sic) people who are trying to take advantage of you especially if you are new to having a fireplace,” Brunner said.
NewsCenter 7’s consumer reporter Rachel Murray will have more on this starting at 5 p.m. on WHIO.
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