It's easy to forget the chill of winter as summer nears. But preparing for Maine’s coldest weather is year-round work for the Woodchucks, a group of Boothbay-area volunteers who meet twice a week, all year, to help keep area households warm.   

The Woodchucks are focused. Their mission: to supply firewood at low or no cost to people who rely on it as a heat source. However, unlike most wood banks, the Woodchucks also deliver. That can make a big difference for those with disabilities or the elderly if they can't make it out as easily,   

Like the bark on their lumber, the Woodchucks are a hearty bunch. And, like their namesake, some are a little long in the tooth. But that just makes them more impressive. At 99 this June, Barclay Shepard is the oldest. In fact, he holds the Boston Post Cane for Boothbay, as the town's eldest resident. 

Shepard has been helping with the Woodchucks since almost the beginning, in a lot off River Road over 15 years ago. He recalled the couple who wanted trees cut to make space for a log cabin. “So, we thought rather than just burn these trees, let's see if we can donate them to people around town who needed help heating their houses in the wintertime. So, that's how it started."  

Shepard, unofficial captain William 'Billy' Smith and other early members eventually wrote memorandums, spoke to the selectboard, and negotiated a lease to use land in the public works lot for one dollar. They drove a hard bargain, and the town also agreed to fuel their equipment, much of it donated by community members and fellow Woodchucks.  

Now almost 100, Shepard has slowed down, but he still helps with the splitter when the weather is "tolerable." The others are younger, but the 30-some volunteers are mostly retired. But that’s not to say they take it easy. In 2024, the volunteers put in over 1,700 hours.  

“I love the program,” said volunteer Harry Dudley, a retired educator who has been involved for around 10 years. “It's useful, very useful, for a cold winter like this. And keeps me moving.”  

Through rain or shine (mostly) they gather in their lot behind Boothbay Public Works to cut, chop, split and haul firewood. Those who aren't prepping wood are building Quonset huts to store it or fixing equipment to process it. And if they aren't preparing firewood, they're delivering it. Organizers said they delivered 75 cords to 45 households this past season.

According to Hannah Corkum with the Community Resource Council, which now hosts the program, the Woodchucks have increased donations over the past two years. She said it could be because households are trying to stretch out the rising cost of heating oil, or because of a reduction in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds. However, Corkum and other Woodchucks couldn’t recall a time the program denied anyone firewood.  

“You should all give yourselves a pat on the back. It was a really long winter, as you know, and it was a really, really tough heating season for a lot of families,” Corkum told the group during a season review this year. “That they have this as an option to help them out, you really can't put words to it ..."

The program wouldn’t be possible without the community. The Woodchucks put in the work, but the wood is donated. “We've never spent a penny to buy wood. It's all been donated from the very outset,” Shepard said. 

Corkum said it's a win-win for people who want downed trees off their property, and it saves the Woodchucks from going out searching for lumber. However, they only take hardwood in good condition. “... Everybody tells me, ‘It's the best. It's perfectly seasoned, and it's perfectly cut,'" she said.   

And, like seasoned wood, the Woodchucks don’t take long to warm up. During their daily coffee break, often paired with homemade baked goods, the lot resonates with stories and smiles. “Well, we're all good workers. We get along fine. And we try not to talk too much politics,” Smith said, as volunteers chuckled around him.   

The fellowship brings them back year after year; the friends they’ve made, and the good they've done for their community.   

“The biggest change is seeing how many other wonderful people have come to join us,” said longtime member Lloyd ‘Ole’ Olson. “And the camaraderie that exists in this group is really something else.”  

More information on the Woodchucks, including how to contribute or apply for assistance, can be found at www.crcboothbay.org/woodchucks or by calling (207) 633-6272.