The living white ash I've been cutting has an MC of 30% when freshly cut and will be about right with 6 months of spring/summer seasoning.
Joe
Joe
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RAY_PA
Feeling the Heat
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
About 1/2 of my wood for this season is Ash. Some cut and split October '09, the rest January '10. From what I am reading here, I should be in good shape. I am still working my way through a mix of (soft?) Maple and Cherry right now. If this cold and wind keeps up, I may skip ahead to the Ash and save the Cherry/Maple for spring shoulder season. What do you all think about that plan?
cptoneleg said:
Absolutely not, if you can wait.
I was simply pointing out the RELATIVE fuel-wood value of ash & oak, and how they flip-flop with seasoning & drying.
When green, ash is much the better of the two; when both are air-dried, oak is.
Ash's low moisture content on the stump make it like fuel in the tank, if your prepared supply runs out.
polaris said:
30%? Wow, that's very low. I never actually measured any of mine, just going by tables I have at my disposal. No wonder it burns so well green. I'm supposed to be getting some fresh cut next week some time. I'll be sure to re-split several pieces and take MM readings right away for comparison.
Flatbedford said:
Because I'm a tightwad when it comes to wood, I'd continue to burn the worst stuff I had right now. Despite the fact we've all been clamoring about this 'cold snap', it really ain't that bad. Speaking only for myself, we have been keeping warm quite easily here.
And don't get me wrong, I'd trade any Ash for an equal volume of Oak. The oak is that much better. But when it comes to nearly immediatly going VSF (visually smoke free) though having only been severed from the stump within the past 6 weeks, this Ash can't be beaten.
I would take white ash over red oak any day for the simple reason that is dries so much faster. Look at your BTU charts boys, the BTU content on White Ash is not much lower then red oak... If memory serves me correctly (have not looked at a chart in a long time) red oak is around 26 million btu per cord and ash is 23.... For that matter I prefer beech and hard maple over red oak also... oak is a royal pain in the arse. Needs to be seasoned at least 2 years imo...
White Ash is at least 35% on the stump and does not burn that well green unless you are comparing it to other wetter green woods, and it is much closer to the Oaks than some of you are giving it credit for. I have some White Ash trees that need to be cut down and I will bet dollars to dog turds the wood will not burn worth a crap in an EPA stove.
I'll take that bet. It does not burn the best going from living to the stove in a week(think near wide open primary air for the 1st. 20-40 min.) but will still burn better than red oak only seasoned 1 year. When dealing with an illness a few years back I heated all season with 3 month old white ash. I had 4 cords of 10 month old red oak that was unburnable. MC content in living ash can fluctuate according to what time of year it is cut.
Joe
Joe
Well I can go cut some right now and try it but my stove likes dry wood, might be fun trying it though, red oak sucks if not dry, I did say unless you are comparing it to greener woods with more moisture. Do you have an EPA stove? Green Ash is going to burn a lot better than the White Ash because it is a less dense wood.polaris said:
I burn an Oslo and a Castine and while far from ideal(unseasoned white ash) it will suffice in a pinch, better than any other hardwood I know of and better than most unseasoned soft woods.
Joe
Joe
I burn an Oslo and a Castine and while far from ideal(unseasoned white ash) it will suffice in a pinch, better than any other hardwood I know of and better than most unseasoned soft woods.
Joe
Joe
I think we are saying the same thing just looking at it from different views, best green wood out there is ash by far.polaris said:
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
Easy on the Oak, who cares about the green wood, I want the best 'DRY' wood as possible, if I have to stack up years ahead well then so be it.
Anyone notice a difference in white vs red Oak? I have both seasoning, but will be some time before I'll be able to experiment.
Anyone notice a difference in white vs red Oak? I have both seasoning, but will be some time before I'll be able to experiment.
Stump_Branch said:
Save tyhe White for the -15 °F Nights.
Oh! Sheetz!! Yer from MD? You don't need any White. I'll trade you some Aspen for that white. 'Cause I'm helpful like that :cheese:
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
hahaha, this place has some of the greatest hardwoods. And MD is the worst place to be a forecaster, we have down right balmy summers, loads of humidity. Winter time you could swear you are located many degrees latitude north. (I am originally from western PA) They have a saying here, if you dont like that weather, wait a minute, it changes that fast.
And I would trade anything for seasoned wood right now. I have maybe a half a face cord left, of poplar and oak 'bits'.
Stump_Branch said:
Reminds me of 'Blues Brothers' movie . . . "How mucha for ya wife?"
J/K
We were just outside OC for two days this past summer during that 'heat wave'. I would die or kill someone if I lived in that heat every day :long:
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
Check out baltimore's murder rate....youll know why I live an hour outside of the city, of course I work in the heart of it so the drive sucks
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