how many pieces in a cord of wood?

There is no really accurate way to say how many pieces of wood are in a cord, since it depends entirely on how big the pieces are and how tightly they're stacked. However, unless the wood is your main source of heat, you'll probably get by with one cord, though how much you burn is going to depend on what you're burning it in, and how often you use the wood heat source. How much you use will also depend on what kind of wood, but in the Northwest we don't get much hardwood if any, and it's the hottest and longest-burning. But we're supposed to be having an El Nino winter, warm and wet. I used to heat with a wood stove, and the wood for one evening's burning would be about as much as you could cram into and stack on a milk crate, plus kindling. A fireplace might burn more, not being as efficient as a wood stove. Hope that helps. Watch for people selling wood who sell what's really a "face cord", 2x4x8, and watch for those who measure by how much they can toss into a pickup. Loaded loosely, that can give you a lot less wood than if it's loaded with care.