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How to avoid getting burned when buying fuel woodNew Mexico With cold weather approaching, there has been increasing consumer interest in purchasing fuel wood and the legal methods for its sale. The New Mexico Department of Agriculture Standards and Consumer Services Division is responsible for administering the weights and measures laws and ensuring that commercial transactions based on weight or measure are fair and accurate. Under the New Mexico Weights and Measures Law, fuel wood must be advertised and sold by the cord or fractional part of a cord. If the wood is sold by weight, the seller must declare the price per unit of weight and the equivalent price per cord. This does not apply to fuel wood sold in packaged bundles of less than one hundred pounds. The legal definition of a cord is 128 cubic feet (commonly stacked as 4- by 4- by 8 feet) which can be determined by multiplying the height times width times depth of a neatly stacked cord. It is illegal to sell fuel wood in unspecified quantities such as "load," "truckload," "face cord," "rack," "pile," or "Albuquerque cord." These are not legal measurements. Each delivery of fuel wood must be accompanied by a receipt or invoice containing the name and address of the buyer and seller, the date of delivery, the quantity delivered, the identity of the commodity, and the total selling price. If possible, the buyer should write down the seller's telephone number and license plate of the delivery vehicle. Upon delivery of the wood, the buyer should have it stacked and measured while the seller is present. Bundles of kindling wood or similar packages must be labeled with a statement of net content in terms of weight or measure. The label must also include the name and place of business of the packager or distributor and a word or phrase identifying the product. If a consumer discovers any fuel wood dealer offering wood for sale by an illegal method, he or she should contact NMDA Consumer Services Bureau at 575-646-1616 or visit the website at http://nmdaweb.nmsu.edu As officials of weights and measures, our job is to help maintain a level playing field and a fair marketplace and also protect both the consumers and the businesses. We want to ensure that you get what you pay for. Please visit http://nmdaweb.nmsu.edu or call 575-646-1616 if you have any questions or concerns. 12/22/08 Date: 12/18/08
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