A practical guide to cutting your own firewood
An economic analysis of a firewood guide: labour paid in kind, tool depreciation and the energy balance. Is the effort really worth it?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The real economics of firewood: what does it cost (and save) to be your own lumberjack?
In a world where gas and electricity set the pace, some people prefer a more ancestral method: firewood. A detailed guide, as blunt as it is realistic, breaks down the whole process from 5 a.m. to the final stack of 10 metres of logs. But the interesting part is not just the sweat — it's the economic balance that emerges between the lines.
Human capital: the Portuguese worker as currency
The labour isn't paid in euros, but in tobacco, coffee and double beers. The Portuguese lad, a key figure in rural Galicia, represents a form of payment in kind that hardly ever shows up in the statistics. If that exchange were monetised, the price of firewood would skyrocket. But in the real economy, trust and camaraderie are currencies that aren't traded on any stock exchange.
Logistics and tools: writing off a 1995 Hilux
The 1995 single-cab Hilux pickup is the workhorse. Nearly 30 years old, its book value is zero, but its usefulness remains high. The same goes for the 80 cm and 45 cm chainsaws: the purchase cost is already written off, and only petrol, oil and maintenance are incurred. In a life-cycle analysis, self-produced firewood competes favourably with any fossil fuel — as long as time isn't counted as a cost.
Energy balance: from eggs to firewood
The lumberjack's breakfast includes a dozen eggs with bacon, plus coffee and bread. That's roughly 1,200 kilocalories. A day of intense work can burn 4,000 kcal, so the caloric balance is negative unless it's replenished at dinner. However, firewood produces thermal energy for months. If the work is converted into energy equivalents, the return is positive: for every calorie invested, several dozen come back in the form of heat.
The city dweller's paradox: when time is worth more than firewood
For those living in the city, the calculation is different. The opportunity cost of a day's work, plus van hire and the purchase of already seasoned firewood, makes pellets or gas cheaper. The guide only makes sense if your time isn't valued at urban labour-market rates, or if self-sufficiency is an end in itself.
The debate isn't settled. The economics of firewood is a microcosm where two worlds collide: the rural one, which measures value in effort and community, and the urban one, which measures it in euros and hours. Both are right — but in different universes.
Related discussions in the forum
In a world where gas and electricity set the pace, some people prefer a more ancestral method: firewood. A detailed guide, as blunt as it is realistic, breaks down the whole process from 5 a.m. to the final stack of 10 metres of logs. But the interesting part is not just the sweat — it's the economic balance that emerges between the lines.
Human capital: the Portuguese worker as currency
The labour isn't paid in euros, but in tobacco, coffee and double beers. The Portuguese lad, a key figure in rural Galicia, represents a form of payment in kind that hardly ever shows up in the statistics. If that exchange were monetised, the price of firewood would skyrocket. But in the real economy, trust and camaraderie are currencies that aren't traded on any stock exchange.
Logistics and tools: writing off a 1995 Hilux
The 1995 single-cab Hilux pickup is the workhorse. Nearly 30 years old, its book value is zero, but its usefulness remains high. The same goes for the 80 cm and 45 cm chainsaws: the purchase cost is already written off, and only petrol, oil and maintenance are incurred. In a life-cycle analysis, self-produced firewood competes favourably with any fossil fuel — as long as time isn't counted as a cost.
Energy balance: from eggs to firewood
The lumberjack's breakfast includes a dozen eggs with bacon, plus coffee and bread. That's roughly 1,200 kilocalories. A day of intense work can burn 4,000 kcal, so the caloric balance is negative unless it's replenished at dinner. However, firewood produces thermal energy for months. If the work is converted into energy equivalents, the return is positive: for every calorie invested, several dozen come back in the form of heat.
The city dweller's paradox: when time is worth more than firewood
For those living in the city, the calculation is different. The opportunity cost of a day's work, plus van hire and the purchase of already seasoned firewood, makes pellets or gas cheaper. The guide only makes sense if your time isn't valued at urban labour-market rates, or if self-sufficiency is an end in itself.
The debate isn't settled. The economics of firewood is a microcosm where two worlds collide: the rural one, which measures value in effort and community, and the urban one, which measures it in euros and hours. Both are right — but in different universes.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (9 replies).
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