Thanks everyone for the input. I'm sure I'm not alone in my situation, but perhaps not in the majority.
The
project (seemingly endless) is the rehab and upgrade of a camp my folks built 75 years ago on the coast. The old fireplace (with long defunct Heatilator insert) has been removed, a real foundation installed to replace the cedar posts on base pads, and most of the north facing walls have been insulated. This is only intended to be a three season abode, so airtight and energy efficient aren't on the top of the list. We really just want to be comfortable there - and to have doors and windows that open and close when we want!
Absolutely gorgeous spot (according to visitors, and I wholeheartedly agree), but perhaps 80% of the surrounding
trees are Red Spruce. Strong, flexible, great for timber, but a wide and shallow
root system. Especially when growing in 6 inches of dirt atop granite bedrock. And they have been there long
enough to approach 20 inch diameter and 80 feet tall. When the nor'easters howl, the entire peninsula loses a few (and sometime a few dozen). Then my (most gracious) neighbors ask - "would you like these trees?" Well yes, yes I would! So I get some monster logs to run through the band sawmill, and some pretty stout branches to use for firewood. A lot of these are 4 to 8 inch diameter - too small to mill, but I'm not about to leave them in the woods (or across the roads where most of them seem to start). So, many of them come home with me to the woodpile.
As such, I doubt I will ever run out of firewood, and although it doesn't compare to oak or maple (the only hardwoods in the immediate area), it will suffice for quick, hot fires in a batch box RMH.
Given my circumstances, I don't see a time when I would make the switch to pellets. So I better go get the blade sharp and the gas can full - winter's a'comin' and there's more "donations" on the way.
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