7th Load of Aumsville, Oregon Tornado Scrounge

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Oregon Bigfoot

Feeling the Heat
May 21, 2011
271
Northwest Oregon
We had an EF2 tornado come through Western Oregon on December 14, 2010 last year. Do a Google search "Aumsville Oregon Tornado" and you can read all about it. My wife was in a school building when the tornado brushed by, just missing it, phew! The tornado did destroy several houses and buildings. The mobile home adjacent the church property got destroyed and roof taken off (see pics). Now another mobile home is in its place. Tornadoes in Oregon are very rare. Who would have thought I would be getting many loads of wood from a tornado in Oregon.

Today, we had a big storm with 90+ mile/hour wind gusts at the coast that took down many trees about 50 miles from here and closed Highway 18 to the coast. That's more of the norm here, wind and rain storms, but not tornadoes.

Anyway, this tornado took down about 30 cords of Oregon White Oak nearby on our church property, just on the other side of the road from the destroyed mobile home, but in the same grove of trees. I've been scrounging when I have time, and some others have too. The pastor said any member willing to come help clean it up, can keep the wood. I have cut, split, and removed 7 truck loads of the oak this past year. I got a load on Veteran's Day a week or so ago, and another load last Saturday. There's about 2 cord left, but heard of some other guys in the church that need wood, so I told them I had most of it cut up, so bring your maul, wedge, log splitter, and boys and have at it, because the biggest rounds are available. The last load started my 2013-2014 wood. I figure I can fit about 2/3 of a cord on my truck.

I have scrounged another 4 truck loads this year elsewhere, two in Jefferson, OR, and one in Salem, OR. I've gotten a total of 9 loads of oak, 1 load, a mix of Oregon Ash and Hawthorne, and 1 load of Douglas Fir. If I had my choice of one wood to burn, it would be Douglas Fir. Fir is lighter, seasons in one summer, and burns about as well as Oregon Oak. Oak is so much heavier, and takes twice as long to season, just for a little bit more heat value. And oak is so much harder to split. Fir is a breeze to split, compared to the oak. My back is still killing me from Saturday!

I'm burning my first 4 loads of the tornado oak and 1 load of fir, as I had it cut and split by President's Day last February, and it's seasoned fairly well. I was OUT of seasoned wood at the end of this spring, so this is all I have to burn. The smaller splits of oak burn fine, the larger ones smolder a little, but overall I'm happy. The fir is completely seasoned and burns great.

Thanks to this forum, I've got my butt in gear, and have next year's wood cut and split, and a start on 2013-2014. Next year, the oak will be seasoned for two full summers, except for the last two loads I got this month. I know of another place having their fir and maple trees logged off at a friend's house. Most will be sold to the mill, but there will be enough to scrounge another load or three in a month or two.

Here's a pic of my last load, and the cut up pile before loading two truck loads. I still need to split this load down some more into smaller splits, but will do it later, because I wanted to finish my load and get home in time to watch the Oregon Duck game. That game was a fiasco, they lost to USC, and blew any chance at the national championship game, oh well. There's still more I cut up, but like I said, I'll leave it for some other guys that want some.

Oregon Bigfoot
 

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Great pictures. WOW, Some serious damage.
I bet that load made you truck ride a little, nose up :)
Sounds like you have enough wood stacked up for a few years & good high quality BTU wood at that.
Staying ahead is a good thing.
Yea, I hear how long it takes oak to dry, but may never find out for myself.
How much wood you burn per year? & what stove?

Watched the Ducks play poor defense & poor use of time outs with seconds to go. Sometimes you can't "hurry up" & win. Coach should've called timeout, (IMO) lots of pressure on those boys
1 Daughter was a Duck other Daughter went to Willamette.
Lived in K Falls for 5 years.

Welcome to the forum :)
 
bogydave said:
Great pictures. WOW, Some serious damage.
I bet that load made you truck ride a little, nose up :)
Sounds like you have enough wood stacked up for a few years & good high quality BTU wood at that.
Staying ahead is a good thing.
Yea, I hear how long it takes oak to dry, but may never find out for myself.
How much wood you burn per year? & what stove?

Watched the Ducks play poor defense & poor use of time outs with seconds to go. Sometimes you can't "hurry up" & win. Coach should've called timeout, (IMO) lots of pressure on those boys
1 Daughter was a Duck other Daughter went to Willamette.
Lived in K Falls for 5 years.

Welcome to the forum :)

Yeah, the truck was a little "nose up", that oak is heavy stuff. I burn about 3 cord a year give or take, and have an Avelon stove, I think it was the Rainier model. It's been 18 years since I bought it new. Willamette is only 4 miles from my house. Years and years ago, I used to work across the street from Willamette, at Salem Hospital.

This week, I'll fire up the chainsaw again, but for a Christmas tree. Our friends own a Christmas tree farm.

Oregon Bigfoot
 
A tornado in December.... wow... that's def. pretty crazy... looks like it caused a fair amt. of damage... but at least it provided a good source of firewood for you!

As for the game... I didn't see that Duck game... was too busy watching the Cat/Griz game going on the same day...
 
Oregon Bigfoot said:
Oak is so much heavier, and takes twice as long to season, just for a little bit more heat value.

I understand all the reasons one might prefer Doug Fir over Oak, but Oak has a lot more than a little bit more heat value.
 
Good for you Bigfoot for getting that oak and then still allowing others to share in the bounty. Looks like it was a small tornado that did some big damage.
 
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