Cutting Older down trees

[Applesister]

Applesister, do you split your own firewood?

Yes I do.
Out of necessity not sport.

 

[Applesister]

The second group of pics look even more like White Oak. That's more than a score...that's a touch down.
Good work.
That wood will burn beautiful and probably by next Christmas.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the pictures show White Oak. Definitely some type of oak.

If wood will split I usually keep it. If it breaks or shatters when I try to split it, I consider it too far gone to be worth saving.

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

These are he pics of the wood I mentioned ...

 

[1750]

I got some really nice advice about dealing with "leaners" a few weeks ago. Here's the link in case it's useful to you.
Have fun and be careful! https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...forest-advice-on-leaners.136225/#post-1829119

 

[billb3]

This was a question that I was about to pose myself. I just came in from splitting some shagbark hickory I had taken down, and some maple which was essentially standing dead. When splitting the maple, it just looks awful, and you can split it with a butter knife. It has mold and mushroom on the outside and ends, yet inside it looks better although still not firm and fresh, but I don't know if it is worth seasoning. Will it dry or just continue decaying and not be worth my while? It is already cut to length, laying in my yard, and easy to split (some of it just shatters into pieces). What would you do?

I have swamp maple on my lot and once mushrooms/fungi are feeding off the decaying wood it is pretty much useless.
Same with beech.
Both are nice wood otherwise though.

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

I have swamp maple on my lot and once mushrooms/fungi are feeding off the decaying wood it is pretty much useless.
Same with beech.
Both are nice wood otherwise though.

So from the pics I posted, is it pretty much past its usefulness?

 

[Applesister]

I would just stack it...you've made it this far. It all burns.
Whether its solid is a weight thing.

 

[Thislilfishy]

We've got a huge beech freshly down in the woods not far from my place. It was right beside my tree stand, and I kept looking at it instead of watching for deer. It'll be a bugger to get out, as it's deep in a valley, but I can't stop thinking about it. Can't decide if it's worth the bother. Figure my truck/trailer and my ATV with a small trailer should be able to get it out in a day, but then I'd need a helper as I can only drive one vehicle at a time....so hard to decide. 'Free' wood is never free...but beats the $400 a cord we pay for 'seasoned' wood around here anymore.


Ian

 

[billb3]

So from the pics I posted, is it pretty much past its usefulness?

You got time into cutting and splitting it.
It's likely not green.
Keep it dry as you can it'll be better than nothing.
It'll just burn kinda quick.


You gotta get ahead somehow.

When you get ahead you can afford to start getting picky and leave the stuff you can stick a screwdriver into to finish turning into dirt.

 

[Woody Stover]

Just got back from cutting

White Oak. That's more than a score...that's a touch down.

That stuff looks great!

I've been fooled bigtime by Hickory TWICE now.

It's a shame, but Hickory does not hold up well if it's been lying around.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Here's some I cut. Just by looking at the log you'd just pass by and I did several times before I cut it just for giggles and grins. The laugh was on me as it turned out to be solid, burnable hard wood.

 

[lindnova]

I passed by 2 down bur oaks that looked like that for a couple years before cutting into one this fall. Turned out to be a solid score. Elm, no, but oak lasts quite a while.

 

[Minnesota Marty]

I have been cutting only dead, standing and fallen for over 20 years. I agree with most of the sentiment that you just have to put a saw to it to be able to judge. And if it is elm most likely bad after about two years but that's ok because in about 5 years you can come back in the spring and find some really good morel mushrooms where the elm rotted.

 

[Birch Coulee]

Red Elm can be down for years, 10+ and still be solid. Have lots on our 80. Often the same with white oak. Grey Elm not so...I try to cut it standing once the bark is off. We burn mostly elm, wouldn't even think of sacrificing one live oak for "better wood". Down and dead standing have kept us warm here more years than I can count.

 

[Minnesota Marty]

Birch,
I must have Grey elm. I will need to do a little research on Red Elm to see if I have any. I don't think I do.