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Wood-Burning Stove Demand Also Rises
The surge in firewood is also a boon to the wood-burning stove industry. “Orders are up 500 percent through the first 25 weeks of the year,” said Alan Trusler, vice president of home and hearth sales for stove and fireplace maker HNI Corp. Robert Dischner, director of marketing at rival Lennox Hearth Products, reported a 200 percent increase.
“In March, this was not forecast – no one foresaw this,” Dischner said. Shares in both HNI and Lennox’s parent company, Lennox International , have been beaten lower this year because less home construction has reduced demand for manufactured fireplaces.Kurt Rumens, president of privately held rival Travis Industries, has also been scrambling to keep up.
“We have added 100 workers and we need another 100,” he said.
The renewed interest in wood heat is allowing the company to bring employment back to a former Boeing plant in Mukilteo, Wash., after its jobs were moved overseas in 2003.
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