Old Town native Russ Willey Jr. often wakes up to the sound of his grandfather’s chainsaw running outside. That means it’s time to get to work in the woodyard and start recording videos.
Willey, his grandfather Richard Cote Sr. and longtime friend Kevin Violette bring almost 3,000 YouTube spectators along with them to work at Willey’s Firewood. Clips often begin with Willey explaining the day’s plans to the camera, followed by straightforward, real-time footage as they cut and stack wood, make deliveries, solve problems and review equipment.
In southern Maine, Phil and Karen Allen film humorous, down-to-earth educational videos about their firewood business, delivery strategies, equipment and the occasional dangers, such as safety episodes after a homemade wood splitter severed Phil’s thumb at the base. In two years, they’ve gained 153,000 subscribers.
The two families are part of a small handful of Mainers making a mark in the community of firewood online companies, whose members call themselves “woodhounds,” around the country.
Their channels share their personalities and teach viewers about the industry; the platform is also a way to respond to changes in how Mainers buy firewood and heat their homes. It’s an example of new ways people are sharing practical knowledge through social media.
Willey started making videos about a year ago, inspired by his fondness for YouTube channels like the Allens’ and outdoor reality television shows such as “Swamp Loggers” and “Ax Men.” He wanted to document progress working on 40 acres he’d just bought, but the channel took off and is growing.
It’s satisfying work, he said, which is one reason why people watch.
Viewers are also fans of Violette, who Willey met 25 years ago at his first job washing dishes at Governor’s Restaurant, and “Gramps,” who taught his grandson about hunting, fishing, forestry and hard work between shifts at the town’s paper mill.
Their appreciation for each other is clear in the videos, and subscribers often comment on it, along with Gramps’ work ethic.
YouTube data also tells Willey that most viewers are older than 65, including retired loggers and foresters who miss their careers. Seeing Cote work in his late 70s has inspired a few to get back into it with their own roadside stands, according to Willey.
Other channels pushed him to try new things, preparing his business for the future of firewood. He’s expanded into roadside stands, does processed and bagged wood and will deliver half cords to customers now instead of the full ones most ordered when he left a career at LaBree’s bakery to focus on firewood almost a decade ago. Now, about three-quarters of his customers heat mainly with wood.
Willey thinks it’s a generational change, with younger people using wood as a backup option instead of a main heat source. About 1 in 11 Mainers heated primarily with wood in 2023, census data shows, more than in any other state except Vermont. It remains the cheapest option for home heat here, according to state figures from late November.
Still, the number of homes heating mainly with wood dropped from 2.5 million nationally in 2014 to about 1.7 million in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Administration.
Wood fires are also becoming an experience for people, not just a necessity, Willey said.
The Allens agree. Phil Allen, who previously ran a tree service, has been involved with firewood for years; the couple started their own business a few years ago and tried making videos at their son’s suggestion.
Most of their customers in southern Maine get wood for fun, not heating, they said. But overall, they’ve seen, and discussed on camera, that people are buying smaller quantities of hardwood at a time.
The family has adjusted their business in response. An expanding number of roadside stands provide income during the summer, while bulk sales carry them through winter.
Then there are the business opportunities unique to social media. Manufacturers have offered both families equipment to use on their channels, such as the Eastonmade log splitter in the Allen yard that’s worth $30,000.
The couple said they are deliberate about what products they demonstrate, not wanting to be an “infomercial” channel, and Willey won’t accept equipment for free, meaning he can give an honest review.
Both channels are also monetized, earning money from YouTube, though they said it’s a modest amount that doesn’t motivate their content.
“As a rule, we could probably make more money collecting bottles and cans along the roadside,” Phil Allen said.
But they enjoy the connections and camaraderie between channels and with their viewers, which keeps them at it.
“i think it’s just the satisfaction of a good hard day’s work,” Willey said of their channels’ appeal.
Both families will visit Bangor in May for the Northeast Loggers’ Association annual expo, which is also a rare opportunity for Gramps’ fans to meet him in person.
