AUGUSTA (AP) – As the price of heating oil goes up, so is the demand for firewood.

Firewood dealers in Maine say they’re seeing more people turn to wood as heating oil prices creep toward $5 a gallon.

Annie Manley of J&M Logging in Augusta says people who usually order two or three cords are now ordering five or six. Others are buying wood stoves for the first time.

Bill Howard of B.H.D. Enterprises in New Vineyard says firewood demand is way up, and he’s hearing from people who are converting from oil to wood heat.

He says he’s even gotten calls from Portland, a two-hour drive away, wanting to know if he’ll deliver.

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Information from: Morning Sentinel, http://www.onlinesentinel.com/

AP-ES-06-02-08 0815EDT