Firewood supplies down despite high number of downed trees, limbs

By Teresa McMinn

For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Sign tells customers 'Sold out of Seasoned Firewood' at Diehl's Landscaping and Lawn Care in York Township Tuesday. Demand for firewood has been up this winter and puts a drain on local supplies. (Paul Kuehnel Daily Record/Sunday News)

Recent ice and snowstorms have broken plenty of tree limbs across York County.

But the resulting wood supply, for now anyway, won't help those who'd prefer to burn firewood as an economical means for home heat, local experts say.

Ryan Shank, 24, of Manchester Township, and his stepfather, Wayne Diehl of Seven Valleys, operate Diehl's Landscaping and Lawn Care. In addition to selling firewood, the York Township-based business provides lawn mowing, snow plowing and storm cleanup services across York County.

Diehl primarily handles the mowing and plowing side of the business while Shank a Millersville University student who studies meteorology and works part-time at Jim and Nena's Pizzeria in Springettsbury Township splits firewood to sell.

In the fall, the company had roughly 150 cords of burnable firewood, Shank said. But that supply sold quickly as brutally cold temperatures and rising natural gas and electric prices made wood a popular alternative for home heating.

"The whole pile is gone," Shank said and added the business now only has firewood that needs to "season" for many months until it is suitable to burn.

Shank said he uses his passion for studying the weather to help predict what kind of work the business will encounter.

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Firewood supplies down despite high number of downed trees, limbs