So, we bought our house a little over a year ago. In the woods along my driveway, the previous owner had cut down a large tree. It is about 60 feet long and three feet in diameter at the base. My guess is that it was dropped about three to five years ago. It appears to be solid - all the bark is still on it tightly. My question is, would this be ready to burn if I cut it up and split it? Or, will it need to stacked and seasoned further?
Down Tree
- Thread starter Tom NJ
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Thistle
Minister of Fire
Cut,split & stacked preferably in a sunny,windy location for a year minimum.Up to 3 yrs depending on what species it is.Wood dont dry very fast outdoors this time of year but will speed up quite a bit by April-May.Just dont cover it,let it get air from all sides & you should be fine.
Wood Duck
Minister of Fire
I don't think it will be ready to burn. Maybe a few of the branches might be fairly dry, but most of the wood will be pretty wet. Cut it and stack it for a year or two and it will be great.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Answer: Depends . . . sometimes with some wood you might be able to buck it up and split it and use it . . . but generally I find that trees left in log form generally do not season well, if at all, when not processed. I think you're wise to buck it up, split and stack as you mentioned.
Rule of thumb that won't let you down:
Start the seasoning clock when the wood gets split.
Some start sooner (dead standing), some don't. This rule of thumb won't let you down.
Start the seasoning clock when the wood gets split.
Some start sooner (dead standing), some don't. This rule of thumb won't let you down.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Tom NJ said:
Tom, it is not enough to know there is wood or a tree; you need to know what kind of tree this is.
By the size you give, it is a big tree for sure. Possibly oak. Possibly cottonwood. I don't know how big your tulip trees get out there but it could be that. It is just hard to tell.
Probably the limbs will be okay, at least the ones that are not on the ground. Get it cut and split and then you can make a better determination.
Backwoods Savage said:
By the bark it appears to be oak, of which there is a lot around here.
I have another oak along the drive that needs to be dropped. It only has one branch still alive on it and is easily four feet in diameter at the base. The bark is starting to come off that one. It's too big for me to drop and it is right by my power lines and the bridge (my house sits across a stream). Unfortunately, I don't have the cash at the moment to have it taken down. I just hope I get to it before it gets to itself.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Tom, if it is indeed oak then you'll want to give it plenty of time after you cut and split all of the bottom part of the tree. That stuff can hold moisture a long time. Good luck.
On the one that is dieing, that can be a tough one indeed. With those obstacles, you very well might pay a lot of dollars to get that down.
On the one that is dieing, that can be a tough one indeed. With those obstacles, you very well might pay a lot of dollars to get that down.
man, if its been laying on the ground for 3-5 years, you should check to see if the woods gotten punky. if its up off the ground it might not be too bad if its white oak - but red oak tends to rot pretty quick - after a year the red oaks are usually covered in fungi.
itsanaddiction
Member
Recently a friend called me to cut up a 24" diameter red oak that had been laying on the hill in his yard for 4 years. After splitting, I tried to burn some, sizzled like a t-bone on a hot BBQ. I learned you still have to season wood that's been on the ground for years...
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
Tom NJ said:
That's a huge tree. It depends on what kind of tree, amongst other things. Big tree- dries slower if not split. I bet it will dry in a year if you split it, and it's quite possible that the limbs are burnable dry now. If it was ash- may be ready to rock. Oak- maybe a bit longer than a year.
Kenster
Minister of Fire
Tom NJ said:
Don't just cut and stack it. You have to split it, too. If it's not split it's not going to dry much faster than just leaving it as is. The smaller the splits, the quicker it will dry.
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