Greetings Jamie,
Thank you for your question and yes, it is a very common but legitimate question concerning how expensive it is to have yard trees removed.
My suggestion to you is to contact a local Connecticut state forester to provide you with some guidance at your local level. I would also try to contact your city's urban forester if they have one on staff. Your urban forester may know of someone willing to barter with you for the useable wood, assuming the trees are not hollow.
Best of luck!