DALLAS — Though staying warm is a top priority during the weather months, high energy bills and ERCOT warnings about the power grid give people something to think about before kicking up their thermostats.
A good old-fashioned hearth would seem to be a great solution but even firewood has come with its share of controversy over the decades.
In a 1974 story archived in SMU’s Jones Film Library, WFAA examined how a price increase led to a rebellion of sorts against the firewood industry. As the energy crisis of the 1970s unfolded, a firewood shortage was expected across the country leading to the rise in price.
However, a mild winter gave frustrated consumers the opportunity to fight back by withstanding the cold without packing their fireplaces. Left with more supply than demand, the firewood industry had no other option than to bring prices back down.
The measurements one could buy presented another possible pitfall for those buying firewood.
Reporter Byron Harris investigated fraudulent methods of firewood wholesales in 1976 including the very unit used. The proper unit of sale for firewood, both then and now, is by the cord. Harris warned buyers to beware of sellers who sold wood by the rick.
A cord of wood is equal to 128 cubic feet. The Texas Department of Agriculture conducts inspections for businesses selling firewood for whole or retail.