A team of wood bank volunteers is stockpiling firewood to help residents heat their homes next winter in the event home heating oil costs remain high.

The fledgling Buxton Wood Bank is a nonprofit and works in collaboration with Maine Wood Bank.

“We (Buxton) started volunteer days two weeks ago,” organizer Ray Salmon, a retired construction worker and a local portable saw mill owner, said Tuesday.

Wood banks are springing up around the state in recent years. Firewood banks are community-based organizations that offer free emergency and seasonal wood for home heating assistance. They are run by volunteers who help split, stack and store wood for pickup or delivery.

Salmon was looking to be involved in a volunteer program and said the Buxton Select Board welcomed his idea to launch a wood bank.

The Buxton Wood Bank is a separate entity from the town, said Donna Marie Buckley, Select Board assistant. It will operate similar to the town’s Keep the Heat On program, which for several years has helped residents on fixed incomes heat their homes.

“It will be administered on an as-needed basis with referrals and qualification guidelines,” Buckley said. “Emergency wood supplies are requested throughout the winter heating months.”

According to Efficiency Maine, firewood costs an average $355 per cord. Seasoned firewood, which has been allowed to dry so it is ready to burn, can cost $400-$500. The price depends on several variables such as the types of wood, how it’s dried and whether it’s delivered.

“I do expect prices to rise,” Salmon said.

The Maine Department of Energy Resources reported on March 23 the average cost of home heating oil in the greater Portland area was $5.41 a gallon, compared to $3.71 on March 31 last year — a 46% jump.

“Hopefully, oil prices will stabilize soon,” said Chad Poitras, a member of the Buxton Select Board.

Salmon said the need for emergency wood supplies could rise given the current upward trend of oil prices. So, Buxton volunteers will roll up their sleeves to help.

Salmon said the work hours are set for 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday, weather permitting, at the transfer station adjacent to town hall at 185 Portland Road. But on March 28 only one volunteer showed up, according to the Buxton Wood Bank page on Facebook.

Poitras believes the organization will have the number of volunteers it needs. “It’s a good opportunity to help,” Poitras said.

Buxton Wood Bank seeks workers along with equipment to do the job. “We are in need of wheelbarrows, chainsaw, dump trailer, hearing protection, gloves and a tractor,” Salmon said in an email.

“Our wood all comes from donations,” Salmon said, “as do all the tools we use.”

As a nonprofit, all donations are tax deductible.

The Maine Wood Bank Network has a safety coordinator who will train volunteers to safely utilize equipment such as chainsaws and log splitters. Salmon said company logos will be added to items that businesses donate.

Those who want to help out should visit the Buxton Wood Bank Facebook page or buxton.me.us/news/looking-for-volunteers or contact Salmon at 747-2868.