What is the most wood from one tree?

Not sure about a single tree, but I got between seven and eight cords from the trunks of two red oaks. That was after my neighbor came over with his tractor and hauled a half dozen gnarly rounds back to the woods, that I really didn't feel like dealing with. Couple of big b!tches.

I did a HUGE ash tree three years ago, it was easily 50" across at the base, and every bit of 80 to 100 foot tall. I can't be sure on the exact measurements as I was not as ANAL about documenting such things back then (it was long before I joined Hearth.com). I can tell you I got almost 18 heaping truckloads of wood from that tree (it was all split on the spot and neatly stacked in the truck. So that probably works out to around 7-8 cord. I still have a bit of that ash in my stacks, it will be burned this coming winter.

Scotty Overkill said:

I did a HUGE ash tree three years ago, it was easily 50" across at the base, and every bit of 80 to 100 foot tall. I can't be sure on the exact measurements as I was not as ANAL about documenting such things back then (it was long before I joined Hearth.com). I can tell you I got almost 18 heaping truckloads of wood from that tree (it was all split on the spot and neatly stacked in the truck. So that probably works out to around 7-8 cord. I still have a bit of that ash in my stacks, it will be burned this coming winter.

Click to expand...

Never forget those kinda trees. I in the begaining was amazed at what a 460 can do. (Had a 290 from about 13 on) Wish I had pic,s of the crap I use to drag out of the woods right up to the back door. Start cutting stacking and burning all in the same day. I would have that farmall super M doing wheel stands on some of the bigger ones.

bogydave said:

First guy don't have a chance.
I got 10-1/2 cords from a big cottonwood. When it hit the ground it Recored 5.1 at the earth quake center & caused an avalanche 5 miles away.
Fell it with an axe up hill, carried it up hill, into 40 MPH wind & snow, then slide it down a glacier, floated it up river then used sled & dog team to the house. LOL
That was before I owned a camera of course.

An cord of birch here takes about 6 - 7 trees average.

Click to expand...

And you did it bare foot, wearing only a polar bear fur.

smokinj said:

View attachment 69296View attachment 69297View attachment 69298 View attachment 69295 View attachment 69292


More than I wanted to deal with!

Click to expand...

Should have known that pic was coming out. Everytime we start talking big Smokin comes along with that picture. LOL Just sayin. He da man

This one gave about 50 cord. Took a while to figure how to notch it. Made a racket when it fell....

Nice work dennis !

woodsmaster said:

Nice work dennis !

Click to expand...

He probably had it stacked that day too.

here is the wood from the oak. One cord worth on the end of the long row is cotten wood, the rest is from 1 tree. I burnt a cord a half of the oak allready from the ends of the branches and some punky stuff that was dry. there is 2 1/2 cord out back on the pallets ( the tall grass picture).

Backwoods Savage said:

This one gave about 50 cord. Took a while to figure how to notch it. Made a racket when it fell....

View attachment 69308

Click to expand...

Even I would go vertical to split this wood!

Backwoods Savage said:

This one gave about 50 cord. Took a while to figure how to notch it. Made a racket when it fell....

View attachment 69308

Click to expand...

I didn't want to be greedy so I only took about 20 cords from this tree so I didn't have to worry about notching it.

rdust said:

5 cord from a 48"+ DBH white ash,(yard bird) it had branches the size of 30 year old tree trunks.

Click to expand...

That gives me an idea of what I am going to be dealing with, my monster Ash trees are almost dead and I have one that has 4 trunks each about 48 inches in diameter. I will take a picture of it soon, what a shame and it is scarey to think about cutting something that big down. Does anyone know how long it takes for the dead ash trees to start falling on their own? I figure this one tree probably has at least 10 cords in it.

golfandwoodnut said
Does anyone know how long it takes for the dead ash trees to start falling on their own.[/quote]



Yes anytime after about 3 years. Mine died about 5 years ago and in the last storm a lot of them had limbs or whole tops snap off and a few snapped towards the bottom. sometimes the bark falls off first and sometimes it don't.

woodsmaster said:

golfandwoodnut said
Does anyone know how long it takes for the dead ash trees to start falling on their own.

Click to expand...

Yes anytime after about 3 years. Mine died about 5 years ago and in the last storm a lot of them had limbs or whole tops snap off and a few snapped towards the bottom. sometimes the bark falls off first and sometimes it don't.[/quote]

Thanks woodsmaster, that is pretty quick so I may wait. The dead Oaks seem to stand forever, I have some still standing from the gypsy moths that went through over 20 years ago and killed a bunch. It is a shame not to sell some of the Ash trees for lumber but around here they make it damn near impossible to sell trees in my township.

golfandwoodnut said:

That gives me an idea of what I am going to be dealing with, my monster Ash trees are almost dead and I have one that has 4 trunks each about 48 inches in diameter. I will take a picture of it soon, what a shame and it is scarey to think about cutting something that big down. Does anyone know how long it takes for the dead ash trees to start falling on their own? I figure this one tree probably has at least 10 cords in it.

Click to expand...

Our ash started dieing about 8 or 9 years ago. We are still cutting and have had only one fall on its own.

Backwoods Savage said:

Our ash started dieing about 8 or 9 years ago. We are still cutting and have had only one fall on its own.

Click to expand...

Dennis take a look at the Ash I posted under "what to do with a big Ash", have you ever seen one this big?

Holy smokes Golf! That's a lot of wood.