About three years ago, a Woodstock resident began delivering free firewood to households in need, collaborating with librarians in Woodstock and Phoenicia to get the word—and the wood—to those in need. In these inflationary times, the need has only increased, but the Woodsman, who much prefers to remain anonymous, was keeping up—even after a January 10 article in the Guardian boosted his visibility. A lot has happened since the story broke, much of it positive—but his progress ground to a halt when his 27-year-old Ford F-250 gave up the ghost three weeks ago.
“Three years of doing this just wore it out,” he says. “Everything was starting to go at once, and it’s hard to even find parts for a truck that old.” A Gofundme effort is underway to get a serviceable replacement, but it has slowed to a trickle despite a considerable signal boost from author and Woodstock resident Neil Gaiman.
For the moment, the Woodsman and his allies are frustrated—and the people he’s been helping are, unfortunately, left in the cold as previous deliveries run out. “A lot of people have offered gas money and oil since the Guardian story,” says Hollie Ferrara, a Woodstock Library staffer who organized the fundraiser, “and a group he’s connected to, Comedy Resistance, has a widget on their website where people can chip in for gas. But they don’t really have the capacity for this level of fundraising; a truck, even a used one, costs a lot these days.”
One person has offered 50 acres to be logged, and the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper has wood to give too. Outdoor equipment company Husqvarna, on learning that he preferred their products, sent two brand-new saws and a case of oil for the cause, and locals continue slipping gas cards under a strategically placed rock where Elizabeth Potter, the Phoenicia librarian, collects them to pass along to the Woodsman. But until a truck is obtained, the project is on hold.
"Quite a few older residents are struggling to survive on Social Security, and wood is their fuel of last resort." —Elizabeth Potter, Phoenicia librarian
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The Woodsman, a lifelong activist who’s worked with Comedy Resistance to get fresh water to polluted East Palestine, Ohio, following the February 2023 train derailment of hazardous materials there and facemasks to the unhoused during the pandemic, executes his labor-intensive effort with care and grace. “It has to be good, clean, seasoned hardwood, and you can’t just dump a load of wood in a heap in the yard of someone who’s physically unable to handle that,” he says. His deliveries are appropriately sized and properly stacked, and he checks in to see who’s running low.
“They won’t tell me,” he says. “There’s such a stigma attached to asking for anything. But after three years, I’ve learned what to expect. And Liz and Hollie, they know everyone. They’re wonderful with this.”
“This is the poor part of the county,” says Phoenicia librarian Potter. “Demographics have changed some, but we still have quite a few older residents struggling to survive on Social Security, and wood is their fuel of last resort. And they’re the last people to ask for help. You have to talk them into taking it; they always say somebody else might need it more.”
A cord of firewood—enough fuel to last a month or two—costs between $250 and $350 in Ulster County.
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The Woodsman is itching to get back on the job, and concerned about the people he knows are in need. “The major wood donations are huge, because I’ll be able to do the processing on-site and that works much better than hauling the massive logs around,” he says. “The generosity that’s been shown is amazing—from Husqvarna, from various other people. But none of us can manage the truck piece of it on our own.”
A dump truck, he says, would be ideal, failing that, a pickup with an eight-foot bed would work. The truck wouldn’t need to be pretty, just mechanically sound, with four-wheel-drive for handling the Catskills hills and preferably with a manual transmission. Currently, used dump trucks are averaging between $30,000 and $40,000; a used pickup, according to Cars.com, averages $43,000 this year, a nine-percent increase over last year.
Ferrara is casting about for ideas and reaching out to used-car dealerships, hoping someone can offer a good deal. The Gofundme, meanwhile, with a stated goal of $29,000, was hovering just over $7,000 at press time. “I’m fine with the cold,” says the Woodsman. “I grew up in the Midwest, which is worse than here—I know how to dress for it. And it’s motivational—if I feel a nip of cold, it reminds me of the people who are cold inside their houses. I’m so appreciative of the people who’ve stepped up to help this happen—those librarians are just so wonderful. It would be great if I could get back on the road and keep it all going."
