When we moved onto our property over 17 years ago, I cut down, cut up, and stacked 3 standing dead oak trees. This was long before I ever knew I'd have a stove in which to burn it, so I'd periodically use it in my grill. It's just been sitting there stacked out in the woods directly on the ground, rotting. I got a new 8 lb splitting maul, and I was itching to bust some wood, so I thought I'd look for some dense stuff in the pile to get a feel for it. I never really expected to find any viable wood in this pile, but I was quite surprised to find that probably 90% of it is dense. 17 years old! The top and bottom layers of the pile have pieces with what I'd call a rotten outer layer resembling cork. The core of which is dense, light-weight wood with a pink hue to it. Looks like smoked brisket!
So, I assume the dense stuff is safe to burn, but what about the pieces with the rotten outer layer? Should I go to the trouble of trying to strip it off with my axe, or just let it be and burn it?
I've attached some pics. The pink hue wasn't really picked-up by my camera.
So, I assume the dense stuff is safe to burn, but what about the pieces with the rotten outer layer? Should I go to the trouble of trying to strip it off with my axe, or just let it be and burn it?
I've attached some pics. The pink hue wasn't really picked-up by my camera.