Page 14 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - First Quarter 2021

East Coast Firewood:
From Surplus Arises Sustainability
BY AMANDA MURPHY, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
What Sets Hunt Apart
East Coast Firewood completed a project in July that increased production from 3,500 cords of wood to 10,000 cords
of wood annually. The company ships nationwide, to locations including North Carolina, Texas, Florida, New York, Indiana, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Through increased production and the efficiencies of the capital project, Hunt and Hoyle have been able to maintain attractive consumer prices for big-box store business. They invested early on in dry- kilns, which set them apart in this high- risk, seasonal business. The benefits of kiln-dried firewood include wood that is:
• Readytoburnthedayyougetit
• Does not have to be stored outdoors because it is free of invasive pests and fungus
• Containslessbarkanddebrisfor indoor storage
• Produces less creosote, creating a cleaner burn, which means fewer chimney problems
• Produces less smoke when burning Lessons Learned on
Employee Engagement
Asked what they would do differently if they could, Hunt and Hoyle answered that they would value employees better. “Employees are the lifeblood of our business, and successful businesses are created by good people,” Hunt said.
Manufacturing firewood is an extremely labor-intensive process, with a high level of quality control required to meet retailer needs. The work environment has interesting challenges, where Hunt and Hoyle are both working to change the culture of the work environment to give employees a sense of pride and loyalty to the workplace. They have started catering team lunches on Fridays, where Hoyle
will cook lunch with firewood from
the company’s manufacturing facility. Hunt and Hoyle’s hope is to build strong relationships and comradery with their team of 45 employees.
It’s clear that Perry Hunt, President, and Jason Hoyle, VP of Operations, have laid out their 30-acre operation site seamlessly. Using an access road on one side of the property, logs are
delivered to Hunt Forest Resources for the company’s wood yard operations. Firewood manufacturing, including processing, kiln- drying, and packing, takes place on the opposite side of the property, under the East Coast Firewood brand.
“We try to build synergy in all businesses,” said Hunt. “Our wood yards are the major source of raw material for our firewood operation. From our trucks to our logging operation, to the wood dealership, everything works hand in hand. We are always trying to find what else we can do to be efficient and grow the business at the same time. I’m always thinking forward, and ask myself every day, what else can I do for this industry? My fear is complacency. For me, that would be failure.”
Hunt started Hunt Forest Resources, LLC 16 years ago, entering both the wood dealing and logging industries. Eight years later, he added his first wood yard to the business, and created two more shortly thereafter. In 2012, Hoyle joined Hunt’s team, and four years later, they started East Coast Firewood in Pittsboro. Hunt Forest Resources has created a well-oiled machine, with each of its five different business operations working hand in hand for synergy and sustainability.
Aiming for Greater Sustainability
When it comes to sustainability, Hunt makes full use of the resources at his disposal. Hunt and Hoyle had been operating wood yards for several years when they realized that cutting wood to length left a couple of feet of wood unused. When Hoyle purchased a simple wood splitter, these fallow chunks of wood at the end of the process became one of the catalysts for the inception of East Coast Firewood.
Hunt and Hoyle’s first upgrade was a log-length firewood processing machine. This investment was the initial test to consider how far to take this type of manufacturing process. They researched every firewood manufacturing operation they could find in the domestic United States, which included flying and driving thousands of miles. Hunt’s goal was to
do something that no other firewood manufacturer had done. Because of this goal, East Coast Firewood has taken firewood manufacturing to the next level.
Hunt and Hoyle recounted countless nights packaging and bundling their firewood, with both of them climbing around on the shop floor at 11:30 at
night, trying to find the most efficient
and productive way of packaging their materials for sale. They have since gotten
a handle on packaging and perfected their production, and have thus been able to capture most of the markets in this region.
12 ncforestry.org / FIRST QUARTER 2021
For more information, visit www.ecfirewood.com.