At long last,

I finally got to add a little Hedge-apple to the stacks.
I missed out on a huge score from this guy a couple of years ago when a storm took out four trees. Cutting it up was going to be tricky and it was near the road, so he called a tree service. A storm recently took out another one behind his house and I saw the logs in his yard. I got in touch with him and he said "Have at it." This stuff is pretty fresh (wet) so I'll stack it and wait. Talk about some heavy rounds...
I saved a chunk for my brother, who is a woodworker. He said he didn't think there was any in WI, but a couple of southern counties have some.
I figure 1/4 cord or a little more. Enough to melt my stove, at least.



The pics don't really do the color justice. Here's the ugly side of the pile, but the sun is on it. It is a neon yellow with a green tint.

Nice Pictures. Maybe you should try photography as a sideline priofession. Nice score! When it's ready mix it with a couple of pieces of ash to get it going and sit back on a -20 degree day and enjoy the heat!

Yes, I agree 100% with this statement! Also, I now agree 100% with how hot it burns....I ran out of my soft stuff and have only about 3 cord of Hedge and 2 of Oak. I mix them to help get the Hedge started. But don't turn your back on it like cherry or just oak. I scared my self pretty good last night with new smells and all! I started on a very small bed of coals with stove temp at 150 and used my last bit of 2x4 pieces with 3 nice splits of Hedge. I wait for maybe 10 mins and nothing major with air wide open. Went up stairs for maybe, maybe 10 mins and came back to a 500+ temp! Slammed air just and the secondaries were raging. It climbed up to 600+ in minutes and just stayed there.... I've had the stove hotter but never so quickly from really nothing. The wife mans the fire when I am not home so I let her see the situation so she can see for herself how quickly things can get out of control....

I think I may dip into my next years wood to mix with. I don't want to burn all the Hedge up!

Nice score. I hear it's great fire wood
Great pictures.
None in Alaska either.

It's just a point-and-shoot, and I don't even know how to use the limited adjustments that are possible. One of these days... It's on full-auto so I'm not taking good pics, the camera is.
I remember the -20 days from my time in WI, but hopefully down here we won't see that any time soon...

Frankly, this stuff freaks me out a little with the stories I hear about it burning like coal. Heck, I haven't even burned a full load of BL yet, just a few splits mixed in. Even that was enough to jack up the stove top temp 50*. I don't have enough Hedge to burn on a regular basis so I'll probably just toss in a split here and there for a longer or hotter burn...

I wouldn't know...never burned any. But I hear tell...

I'm glad you didn't hedge on asking that gentleman for the rounds

I got some hedge last month along with a good load of mulberry. Can't wait to start burning it (even though it's going to be a while). It's fairly common down here, but I rarely find it on a scrounge.

I haven't filled my stove completely with it..... And I don't think I would be afraid to but when it gets cooking it gets cooking! The best part is how long it last... Great stuff!

Oh and something else to keep in mind is the sparks or light show. It is not so bad with the door closed. But when you open the door and the air hits it it's like bottle rocket coming at ya, many bottle rockets! That to me is more of a concern than the heat. I should never have left the stove wide open for any time period.

I didn't want to bug him since I had already asked him previously about the first four trees. But I'm a wood nerd...I had to ask again.

Same here (we live in the same general area.) I see quite a few around but not many being cut down.

Burned two cords of hedge last year. Have about 1/2 cord left that is three years seasoned. Absolutely the best wood hands down. Hard for me to find it around Ohio.

Yeah, I've been burning some Mulberry and it's kinda bad, but I believe Hedge is worse. I'll try not to open the door until the load is burnt way down. Hopefully it doesn't spark as bad when it has coaled down pretty far...

Nice haul.I've got 1.5 cords 2 years old seasoned will not burn it till it hits 0* here burned a few splits experimenting with it it burns fabulous. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I couldn't figure out what you were talking about ............HEDGE APPLE................never heard of it around here. So I looked it up, you mean Maclura pomifera, commonly called Osage-orange. Now Osage-orange I've herd of............... great hard stuff. I found some interesting info on it I did not know so I added a reference to it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera

Loved the bit about being used to repel spiders under your bed............... have to get me some of that stuff!

How much longer does it burn in the BK than say maple or ash? I have some nice black locust Im saving for those below 0 nights, although Ive been tempted to try it a few cold nights, I think its better served to be burned on frigid nights.

A beautiful sight. Jackpot!

Great stuff.You cant beat that 'yellow coal' for heat.Sparks quite a bit,Mulberry a bit less.Definitely worth the light show.

The Indy crew call it just 'Hedge.' What do the locals in OH call it? You are so close to us, I would think it would be the same.
Maclura pomifera sounds like something you'd find in an English flower garden. I think the name 'Bodark' conveys the proper sense of sinister foreboding befitting this potentially dangerous wood. And the tree itself is spooky. Seeing one after the leaves have fallen on a moonlit night close to Halloween with its gnarly, twisted arms almost reaching out to grab you...well, it's enough to make your skin crawl.

I/we call it Hedge here.

Too funny Woody! I don't know what locals call it here, I've never heard of Hedge, hedge apple, or Maclura pomifera before now. I have heard the term Osage-orange though. I'm originally from up around Buffalo, and never heard the term up there either.

Love your name of Bodark, that would be a better one. Whips up the mental images of the things you eluded too.

Reminds me of a contest they ran up in Buffalo back in the 70's (after the blizzard of "77" I think) to name the "stuff" made of snow, ice, salt, dirt, etc. that sticks to the bottom of your cars behind the wheels during the winter. The winning entry was called "Snard", always remembered that! Everybody up around there calls it snard now.

Wow!! Woody keep going with that story! That's very well said, You should maybe think about writing short stories.

Not my name. That's what they call it down south. It's a corruption of Bois d'Arc...'Bow wood.'

Same here in central,southern Iowa & NW Missouri.Tons of it on my cousin's farm in Nodaway county,both granddads,several uncles & my Dad grew up cutting/splitting/burning the stuff in addition to wrestling with those very heavy & sometimes crooked fenceposts made from the trees.

Great score! I've got lots and lots of black and honey locust, and even some really dense lilac in my stacks, but no hedge........