The past few days sure haven't felt like it, but winter is around the corner.

Following last winter's wood pellet shortage in the area, some customers are already stockpiling in advance of cold weather.Stoves 'n Stuff in Tamaqua and R.F. Ohl Fuel in Lehighton both reported having pellets in stock last week, but the story is not the same for Berger's Agway in Brodheadsville."My suppliers are telling me they're done for the year," Todd Berger, owner of Berger's Agway, said. "It's a first. I've never seen that at this point in the year."To Pete Carmean, Stoves 'n Stuff co-owner, the issue could have nothing to do with how cold temperatures dip this winter."We're seeing a little bit of unnecessary concern based on last year," said Pete Carmean, Stoves 'n Stuff co-owner."There has been increased demand all year starting at the dealer level."In the spring, Carmean talked to a supplier who hoped to have 1,000 tons of pellets on the lot by July 4. Last year, that supplier only sold 500 tons."You're basically saying you expect this winter to be twice as cold as last winter," Carmean said. "I don't know if that will be the case."Wood pellets are commonly made from compacted sawdust and typically burned in a wood-burning stove or fireplace.Steve Ohl, of R.F. Ohl, shared the sentiment that a lot of the demand in the previous year is driven from last year's availability."It's definitely reactionary," he said. "Right now, we're not seeing a backlog and we haven't heard anything from our dealers to indicate there will be any."Barefoot wood pellets are currently stocked at Stoves 'n Stuff. Carmean expects a second brand, Energex, to be delivered next week."We get three or four truckloads a month during the year and that may increase to five truckloads in the winter," Carmean said. "That is normally enough. Our supply is better than last year. The pellet mills have ratcheted things up to meet higher demand."Berger said when you combine panic, an increase in wood stoves and a decrease in lumbering, "you end up short."The Pellet Fuel Institute estimates around 1 million homes and businesses in the United States currently use wood pellets.It also reports that the typical homeowner uses three tons of pellets per heating season at a cost of about $825.The average cost for wood pellets is $10.40 per one million British thermal units compared with $11.65 per one million BTU for natural gas and $13.59 per one million BTU for fuel oil.Summer was the ideal time to stock up, Carmean said.Prices were lower and the supply is definitely greater than demand. That can change as winter gets closer."The more people that buy their stock in the summer, the more we have for people to buy in the winter," Carmean said."A lot of people get used to coming in when they have a bag or two of pellets left. If we have a lot of bad weather this winter, there could be delays getting the pellets in. That is when we would see a problem."