Posted by Lucy,
Most people who have not heated with wood before are surprised by how much firewood it takes to heat an entire house for the winter. Of course, this all depends on where you live and how well insulated your house is.
My own son was about 12 years old when he spent his first wood heated winter, here in Vermont. We found an old rotten wood pile in the woods behind the house and he asked me if it would be enough for the winter! Maybe for one week, at best.
Now that he has cut, split, loaded and stacked many cords of wood he knows what it takes to heat the house. He also tends the fire regularly and appreciates the warmth much more than if he only had to turn the thermostat up on a gas heater.
So, on average, the typical house in Vermont uses about 5 cords of firewood per year. This is primarily oak, maple, beech and some birch.
Randy Hough has a website that talks about cords of firewood and much more.