Into sucky wood

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jatoxico

jatoxico

Minister of Fire
Aug 8, 2011
4,369
Long Island NY
So it's official, most of what I have left is on the sucky side. Mostly smooth maple and standing dead oak that's been split for about a year and half.

I can make it work but it's a bit of a PITA on cold starts. Once the coal bed is going I'm good. I have another cord plus that may be better than what I'm burning but was hoping not to dip into that stuff till next year.

Oh well goin' south for a week and then another couple weeks to go hopefully before we start to get some breaks in the weather.

How's everyone else's wood holding up?
 
I've got plenty of seasoned wood on hand, so not worried there luckily. However, what I'm working with isn't locust this year. Man I miss getting to use that last winter.

Finished moving some wood last night that made the void in my wood storage a perfect rectangle, so it was a good time to do some math and found that I've burned just a hair over 3 cord so far this winter. Was optimistic I'd get through this winter on just 4 cord, but it's starting to look like more than that is going to be necessary if the polar air keeps dipping down.
 
Well we have had a good long stretch of cold here in the NE and it looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better. Seems to be getting colder later in the year and hanging on longer. Hopefully the weather starts to break a little and your pre-season estimate turns out to be close.

Just dropped one of the last splits of black birch that I've been using sparingly w/ other stuff I had more of. That birch is nice stuff too. Next year I'll have my pick of hickory, oak (white and red), locust but no shoulder season wood so far like pine or cedar. If that doesn't happen soon it ain't gonna happen at all.
 
I'm really debating whether or not I want to go to a different piece of property this year where it's almost exclusively oak, and get putting that in the stacks.

Only ever burned ash, maple, beech, cherry, until last year when I had almost a year's worth of locust. After that experience, I'm thinking more and more about heavy woods like oak and locust, even though the property with oak is a really steep hill to work on, thinking it might still be worth it.
 
I was going to be in the same boat as you. Then I found a few standing dead that the top halfs were ready to burn. I split them and put on one side of my burn pile. Now I mix some punky not so good stuff with the dry and should have plenty to get through now.
 
I scrounge so I get what I get. Currently I have about 7 cords CSS and another 2-2.5 in the round that I'm waiting to split until I build a new shed to save moving it twice. Consequently I'm not in super-scrounge mode. If I had access to ash I might leave everything else alone but the locust and oak is good stuff when it's ready.

If I end up dipping into next years wood I will but was hoping to avoid doing that. I have other stacks around for the chiminea that have some wood that could be used in the stove. Problem is they're all covered in snow.
 
I'm actually fortunate with our situation. We currently have 30+ cords c/s/s with another ~5-7 waiting to be split/stacked. Mostly all red/white oak and Black Locust. I then have another, I bet, 10 cords which I will be working on cutting up and hauling over the next month or so. There is four 25"-27" dia red oaks which uprooted which then took out numerous other smaller oaks on the way down. I'm guessing there is at least 10 cord in total there all in the same general area.
 
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I am about a week ahead of where I would like to be in my stacks.... which was planned to get me to mid march before bringing in the outside stored stuff. Of course, the outside stuff is now buried under 3-4 feet of snow.... and my rounds pile (couple cord in it) is just a lump in the snow, as is my splitter under its cover.

when this all melts.... its gonna suck.
 
JRHAWK9 said:
I'm actually fortunate with our situation. We currently have 30+ cords c/s/s with another ~5-7 waiting to be split/stacked. Mostly all red/white oak and Black Locust. I then have another, I bet, 10 cords which I will be working on cutting up and hauling over the next month or so. There is four 25"-27" dia red oaks which uprooted which then took out numerous other smaller oaks on the way down. I'm guessing there is at least 10 cord in total there all in the same general area.
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I can't even think of getting into the woods... there's so much powder... unless you've got an Alpine, or similar dual tracked sled.. you're not getting in there... never mind getting the tractor... or even walking around in the waist deep snow.
 
Bret Chase said:
I can't even think of getting into the woods... there's so much powder... unless you've got an Alpine, or similar dual tracked sled.. you're not getting in there... never mind getting the tractor... or even walking around in the waist deep snow.
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that's nutz! We hardly have any snow here. In fact the snowmobile trails have yet to even open yet for the winter! We got 4" last weekend and that's pretty much it. We've maybe had a couple 1-2"er's and some dustings but it's been a pretty bad winter in terms of snowfall. I actually like snow, it gives a purpose for the cold weather :)
 
JRHAWK9 said:
that's nutz! We hardly have any snow here. In fact the snowmobile trails have yet to even open yet for the winter! We got 4" last weekend and that's pretty much it. We've maybe had a couple 1-2"er's and some dustings but it's been a pretty bad winter in terms of snowfall. I actually like snow, it gives a purpose for the cold weather :)
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we've had somewhere around 5 feet fall in the last 2-3 weeks
 
Bret Chase said:
we've had somewhere around 5 feet fall in the last 2-3 weeks
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You guys are getting hammered. Since we got that 22" inch storm several weeks ago we've been predicted to get much more but somehow we just keep getting missed. Had some ice and another 8" or so. Of course everything that fell is still here since its been dang cold.
 
Yes, this is a full size 3/4 ton truck....

Photo02121125.jpg

but anyways, back to the topic... I've had some sizzlers, but all in all not too bad so far.

I miss last year's locust stash too... still have a few yellow splits that show up from time to time though
 
I still have a cord of oak , elm, cherry , soft maple mixed . Been burning soft maple with the heavier stuff so I don't run out. Started with 5 cord in oct. But still had the buck stove , which ate the wood . Since the summit has been installed in dec. I saw a serious decrease in wood burnt.
 
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I try to start every year with at least 5-7 cord split and ready just in case. I still have 3 1/2 cord of soft maple , 1 1/2 cord of ash and then if I had to a rack 4x5 1/2 tall x16 full of oak, hard maple and persimmon. Always try to be ahead at least 2 years that can be used if needed, that is ready to burn.
 
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Burned through a bunch of maple in recent warm spells, guarding my last 1/2 cord of dry locust like Gollum. Single digits on the way, so precious or not, its coming in. Have some pine for shoulder ready to go and about 1/2 cord of oak if needed. Mild year, so usage down about 30% and house is always up to temp.
 
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I've been burning mostly cherry, soft maple and ash but I have dipped into my hickory and some mulberry with the few cold snaps. I brought some up to the rack on the deck for this a-hole cold weekend coming up. I'm probably close to 3 cord at this point
 
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I brought a wheel barrow full of oak / cherry in tonite . Artic front is just a- hangin in there( crap!)
 
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WC is supposed to be -5 to -15 by Monday. Brrrrr good thing I have lots-o-wood. ==c I even bumped the t-stat on the oil burner to 63. Took the skid tank and got 60 gallon the other day for 2.39 if I pick it up
 
Bret Chase said:
Yes, this is a full size 3/4 ton truck....

View attachment 153356

but anyways, back to the topic... I've had some sizzlers, but all in all not too bad so far.

I miss last year's locust stash too... still have a few yellow splits that show up from time to time though
Click to expand...
Brother I feel bad for you guys up north. I bet you can't wait for Spring huh?
 
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I have maybe half a cord of four-year old oak, which burns great. After that I have about 1.5 cord of one year old maple that is OK. I won't use all of the oak and maple this year. I will have plenty of seasoned wood next year.
 
Plenty of wood . . . if anything I am doing better on my wood supply this year than in past years.
 
Going to go raid my scrub stacks tomorrow for any decent dead standing wood that I cut and stacked. They're snowed in but there's some locust and other hardwoods in them. This winter has taxed my supply for sure and really trying to stick to my plan.

Next year (and the foreseeable future) is going to be a cake walk but it ain't next year yet.
 
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After last winter I got 8 cords CSS (soft maple, ash, cherry and a little osage and hickory) starting in March 2014. I'm well below burn rates for last winter. Basement stove is now burning ash that was top-covered down at my fence line (after I burned two cords from under the carport), and it's nowhere near as dry as the same stuff that was under the carport or woodshed. Still, this will be the first year in 12 years that I haven't run out. Pretty happy about that.

I'm working up a 3-4 cord score of white oak and hickory that I started around Thanksgiving. Might have .5-1 cord of ash I got from a driveby that'll be good 15/16, and a previous scrounge location let me know they're taking down several ash trees this year, and I'm welcome to them. Split small and miracles can happen.

I'll take dry, sucky wood any day of the week over wet or unseasoned wood!! Jatoxico, at least you know all the particulars of the wood you're burning. It might be a PITA, but it's manageable. I know we all wince when we read somebody got "seasoned" wood delivered but for some reason it won't light...
 
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