Fairbanks' Kiln-Dried Firewood Is Down to Its Last Loads. The State's Dry-Wood List Hasn't Caught Up.

The page updates every day and says very little. On October 19 it read "NEXT WOOD DROP: 9am Monday 10/19." Under that, the self-load status read "Sold Out (1pm 10/16)," and a line below said the sales office closes at 3 p.m. Lower on the Aurora Energy Solutions availability page, the company says all delivery spots are filled and it is no longer taking orders. Self-load drops at 1205 First Avenue "will continue as long as firewood remains available, concluding before the end of 2026."

Through the end of October and beyond, any remaining drops are among the last chances to buy kiln-dried birch from what KUAC called "the Interior's main dryer and supplier of firewood since 2020." For years, many wood-heating households in Fairbanks and North Pole could pay someone else to make sure their wood was dry. That option is ending, and for this winter there is no named replacement.

The state's list has one name on it

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation keeps a public directory called the Dry Wood-Moisture Disclosure Program. It lists "Recognized Dry Wood Sellers," described as businesses that "provide proof to DEC that wood they sell as 'dry' has a moisture content of 20% or lower."

Filter it for Fairbanks & North Pole and one seller appears: Aurora Energy Solutions, LLC, 1205 First Ave., pickup and delivery, phone 907-488-6055. The footer of the page reads "Revised: 10/5/2026."

So in October 2026, the only Fairbanks-area name on the state's list of recognized dry wood sellers belongs to a company that has said it is closing. Other sellers may still offer good wood. The state's disclosure program is voluntary, and DEC says registration is free. But for anyone who relied on that list, or on Aurora's kilns, to know their wood was dry, the job of checking now moves to the woodshed.

What the kiln was doing

Wood dries slowly in the Interior. KUAC noted that seasoning firewood properly can take up to two years. Aurora skipped that wait with industrial kilns, and its setup depended on local ties. Usibelli Coal Mine, Aurora's sister company, sold coal to a Fairbanks power plant. The plant sold steam to Aurora, and the steam dried the wood.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported the scale. The company produced an average of 3,000 to 4,000 cords of white paper birch a year, sold by the cord or in smaller cubic-foot units. Its price had risen gradually since 2020 to $650 a cord. Columnist Dermot Cole summed up the company's position: even at $650 a cord, the business was not profitable.

The costs explain why. Susan Shopper, the outgoing general manager, told the News-Miner that transportation and logistics were the biggest expense, followed by fuel. She said hauling ore for the Manh Choh project had made drivers hard to find, and much of the equipment runs on diesel. The kilns paid for steam from the Aurora Energy plant even though the two are sister companies. Each kiln also ran seven large fans nonstop, and the company maintained 19 miles of logging roads. She told KUAC, "the cost to make this isn't the cost of the logs."

According to the News-Miner, the company itself is not for sale, but its assets and the idea behind it could be. Shopper said she hoped someone could take over the operation. KUAC likewise reported that Aurora hoped to sell its assets to a business that could fill the gap. No buyer has been named publicly. Until there is one, the plan reported in July stands: the Phillips Field facility will be mothballed.

Who else burns that birch

The News-Miner listed business customers affected by the closure, including Hungry Robot Pizza, Taste of Aurora, East Ramp Pizza and coffee roasters.

Randy Bezdek, owner of The Hungry Robot, told KUAC that his wood-fired ovens burn up to 60 cords a year. "If we can't find alternative sources of wood, then we will have to modify the core of the business," he said. He told the News-Miner that Aurora was "the only place that consistently met our needs with dry and ready to use firewood."

Bezdek also told KUAC that each time he picked up an order, he saw a line of people buying Aurora's discounted bark and wood scraps to heat their homes. That lower-cost tier of dry fuel goes away with the kilns.

For many households, switching heating systems won't happen this winter. Jomo Stewart, president and CEO of the Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation, told KUAC that replacing a furnace used to cost about $10,000 to $15,000 and was closer to $20,000 last year. He said the borough's change-out subsidies no longer cover as much of that cost as they once did.

Where the wood comes from now

With the kiln output almost gone, the documented routes to firewood this winter look like this:

The two permit routes involve the same timing problem. They provide wood, not dry wood. Birch cut in late fall is not the same fuel as birch that has spent hours in a steam kiln, and seasoning can take up to two years. DNR's Fairbanks terms also prohibit cutting outside mapped areas and selling or bartering permit wood. The borough's Spinach Creek application limits the wood to personal use and lists the Natural Resources Development office at (907) 459-1241 and [email protected] for questions.

In other words, wood cut under a permit this fall mostly sets up a supply for future winters. For this one, most people will have to rely on wood they already have or wood bought from a seller.

Checking dryness yourself

Within the Fairbanks PM2.5 nonattainment area, a mandatory DEC rule allows only wood measured at 20% moisture or less to be advertised, marketed or sold as dry. DEC's dry wood requirements page explains how a buyer can check: make a fresh cut and measure unfrozen wood with a DEC-approved moisture meter. DEC's wood seller page tells sellers to cut open and measure three pieces of wood per cord. It also encourages buyers to consider buying their own meter.

Until now, a load of kiln-dried birch from First Avenue came with the seller's proof of dryness on file with the state. Without that, the fresh cut and the meter reading at home are how a household confirms its wood is dry.

Why it matters on a cold, still day

Damp wood burns dirtier, and in the Interior that shows up as burn alerts. On its Fairbanks air quality site, DEC lists three levels based on 24-hour PM2.5 readings:

1. Advisory at 15 µg/m³, which asks people to cut back voluntarily.
2. Stage 1 at 20 µg/m³, which restricts use of solid-fuel devices, subject to waivers and exceptions.
3. Stage 2 at 30 µg/m³, which also restricts solid-fuel devices. In both Stage 1 and Stage 2, devices that aren't exempt must stop burning within three hours.

Forecast curtailments are issued by 2 p.m. but may take effect later, and the same site offers text and email alert sign-ups.

This matters most in North Pole. In the News-Miner's coverage, Shopper said she was concerned about what kind of firewood would be burned in the future, especially around North Pole. The paper reported that Fairbanks air quality has improved over several years to reach attainment, while North Pole "still has a ways to go." It also reported that DEC may ask the EPA to split the nonattainment area in two. A winter with less certified-dry wood starts just as that question is still open.

The rules, fees and thresholds above come from the agencies linked in each section. This post is general information, not legal or financial advice, so check the current terms with DEC, DNR or the borough before you buy, cut or burn.

I grew up in Fairbanks and spent 20 years running heavy equipment here, so I know how much heating shapes daily life in a house. If you have questions about a wood-heated home, or want to talk through what a stove, woodshed or heating setup means for a property you own or are considering, Daniel Larranaga is glad to help. Schedule a free consultation and we'll go through it together.