Make work project

For decades now, I've cut down standing dead Poplars that either threaten to fall into my yard or that are snapped off or leaning. Basically, if I can drop them back into the bush without doing too much damage to the other trees, then I just make sure they lay flat so as to rot. If and only if I cannot do that, do I buck them up, split them, and give them to my neighbor. I won't burn them in my stove.

For some reason this year, the wife has taken to object to the clutter on the forest floor. Part of it is that we just got a little bit of snow and the downed trees really stand out as straight lines. Where they are close to the edge, I will buck them up to random lengths and scatter them around a bit so as not to form those straight lines. I usually drag the tops over to my burn pile as it is less work to burn them than it is cut them up short enough to make them lay flat. I usually burn the pile down when there is enough snow cover on the forest floor.

Anyway... this year my burn pile got too large, too soon so I had to leave a bunch of small stuff in the bush and do it in two burns. So, I burned down the first pile and started in on the second. The wife then decided that I should also burn the big stuff that I intended to just let rot. In fact some of it was already punky wet and would not burn if I tried. Much of it is between 6" and 12" in diameter.

I don't know what to do short of pray for a foot of snow. The neighbor doesn't want to work for the wood, only wants it if I haul it out of the bush and cut, split, season it, and leave it close to the road.

I'm all for the natural reclamation with the least effort and the least impact to CO2 emissions. In fact, the CO2 emissions bother me enough to consider a wood chipper but these Poplars have such gnarly twisted branches that one would need a big $$$ Vermeer chipper. Cutting them up to lay flat on the forest floor is less of an impact on the environment. What I need to do is to open up a trail far enough back to be out of sight where I can dump this stuff.

As for being a wood snob, I tried burning Poplar and the wife got on my case about all the fine talcum powder-like ashes. It is all her fault... she flings the stove door open so fast that it sucks the ashes out into the room. I have tried to instill upon the wife, the advice that Backwoods Savage conveys, namely to open the stove slowly as if there is a dangerous animal inside it. We also don't like the smell of it. It would seem when they sucumb to disease they have a putrid sour smell.

Jags said:

Or replacing the wife.

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Not sure which would cost me more, following your advice or Applesister's. The half rotten stuff I may dump into a nearby ravine and going forward, the sound stuff I will buck, split and stack next to the road with a "Free Firewood" sign.

wahoowad said:

post a free firewood craiglist ad and tell whoever yu want to come get it that they need a atv or tractor to pull it out.

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Forest is too dense for a tractor or ATV and wetlands too sensitive for tires that would rut it up. Pretty much need to pack it out over the shoulder.

Wood Duck said:

Rotting wood provides habitat for various animals, nutrients back to the forest soil...

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I tried telling the wife that. She says there is plenty more habitat on the 18 acres we have.