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 This article originally appeared in the spring 2025 issue of  The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. 

 March 1, 2025

By Jordanna Feely and Rebecca Rundquist

Much like food banks, firewood banks are designed to meet a basic human need: in this case, it’s warmth during the cold season. Firewood banks can provide a safety net for people in Maine who rely on heating their homes with wood but find themselves suddenly unable to access a supply for a variety of reasons.

Maine is seeing a steady increase in volunteer-run wood banks that efficiently use local resources to make sure their communities are warm. The first Maine wood bank was established in Cumberland, Maine, in 2007 by Bruce Wildes and Rev. Diane Bennekamper. There are now 11 wood banks, which provided an average of 63 cords each in 2024. The difference between 5.5 cords delivered by one wood bank and 165 cords by another depends on a number of factors, including the volunteers splitting the wood and the number of months per year that a wood bank operates.

Wood banks operate on principles of community generosity, where wood is typically donated, harvested from fallen trees, or sourced through sustainable forestry practices. Wood bank volunteers will often pick up the donated wood and bring it back to a municipal, private, or residential wood lot for processing, and then the wood is either delivered to families or picked up by those in need. Some wood banks purchase their wood from donated funds. Read more...

WGME 13 staff stop by on a volunteering day! 1/15/25

Learn more about how Freeport Wood Bank and the Maine Woodbank Network can make a difference in our community. 11/20/24

Freeport Community Services partners with Freeport Wood Bank to bring increased fuel security to Freeport and Pownal. 11/1/24