Hubby and I have been building a life together for over 16 years and in that time we have learned a thing or two about investing.  We were able to make great choices, at a tricky time in our life that led us to a comfortable place, with a range of options.

Of course, we took those options, changed our life and ended up on a little island, living rurally in a VERY old house that uses wood for heat.

And thus our investment strategy changed.

But everything we learned about having a varied and balanced investment portfolio has prepared us for our new investment needs.

Wood.

Lots and lots of firewood.

With three fireplaces, and a cold winter ahead, wood is one of our biggest priorities. But it isn’t as easy as it seems. One does not just go out and chop down a tree and start burning it. One needs to plan.

Your woodshed should be as varied as your investment portfolio.  You need quick turn around, fast burning wood that will start delivering right away (like your cedar, which will snap and spark if you use too much) and then you need to start building your longer term strategy.

1. Wood takes time to mature. Trees you cut today won’t be ready for burning for at least a year, in the right conditions.  Now, greener wood will cost you less, but also needs to be stored somewhere dry for it to mature.  A cord of this a year, in fir is a good bet! Save it, dry it and be ready to rotate the shed!

2. Not all wood is worth the same.   A fire should be started with a quick burn like cedar to build up the coals, and then strengthened with fir. Once it is hot and stable, an arbutus log will keep it going.  But, with each of these woods, their value changes.  A cord of Arbutus will be as much as 2 cords of cedar. So be prepared to invest a lot, and make that wood last.

3. You will need TWICE as much kindling as you think.  The little stuff goes fast.  It is cheap, and burns quickly, so be sure to by DOUBLE what you think. Or collect or chop if you are like us!  Just remember, you can never have enough kindling.

We plan our woodshed out with precisions these days.  Stored arbutus logs, drying in the wind, ready to be rotated into use next year.  Patches of stacked logs all around our property, covered and drying.

Little nest eggs ready to be used when they mature.

When I see our portfolio of wood, I feel as secure as I do with our investments.  After running out of wood last year, right before our big “lock down” snow storm, we have learned our lesson and will NEVER run out of wood again.

I even suggested to hubby that we actually lock up the Arbutus wood. . . with something that valuable you can’t be too safe.