As hot as it's been here this summer, it's hard to get in the mood to cut wood, but I need to get things in order because I have some extra work to do now. I wasn't really planning on cutting a lot this fall because I'm going to be extremely busy with other things and I already have about 18 cord c/s/s...but plans have changed.
A couple years ago I was talking with my (then) new neighbor. During the course of conversation I mentioned cutting wood and how I was driving about 45 minutes round-trip to my parent's property. He graciously offered to let me cut on his 100 acres just 1/4 mile up the road and I took him up on it. I offered to cut him a few loads in return. He declined saying he wanted to keep cutting as long as he was able.
His land is literally the promised land for firewood. Probably 10 years ago he went out and girdled hundreds of black locust and hedge trees...a lot of which are still standing, dry as a bone, and hard as a rock. There's more standing dead back there than 10 men could burn in a lifetime.
Fast forward two years to last week. I'm out working in the yard and he stops by to say hi and tell me a "big" hedge fell and is blocking a trail and asked if I would add it to the top of the list for this fall. A couple days later I went back and looked and this thing is MASSIVE. The tree has 3 main trunks, each are about 20" - 30" diameter and 80' tall...and about as straight and brush-free as can be for hedge. There's got to be 4+ cord in the one tree. I might try to salvage a couple straight sections and mill them into something if they aren't too heavy to move.
He also finally took me up on my offer to cut him a couple loads in return. He's getting on in years and apparently can't get out there and do it any longer. I'd rather spend a couple hours cutting wood than sitting in the truck so its a good deal for both of us.
Before I get out there and start cutting on this thing, I need to figure out where to put it back home. My wood stack locations aren't very well thought out and I need to come up with a better solution. I hate moving wood twice.
A couple years ago I was talking with my (then) new neighbor. During the course of conversation I mentioned cutting wood and how I was driving about 45 minutes round-trip to my parent's property. He graciously offered to let me cut on his 100 acres just 1/4 mile up the road and I took him up on it. I offered to cut him a few loads in return. He declined saying he wanted to keep cutting as long as he was able.
His land is literally the promised land for firewood. Probably 10 years ago he went out and girdled hundreds of black locust and hedge trees...a lot of which are still standing, dry as a bone, and hard as a rock. There's more standing dead back there than 10 men could burn in a lifetime.
Fast forward two years to last week. I'm out working in the yard and he stops by to say hi and tell me a "big" hedge fell and is blocking a trail and asked if I would add it to the top of the list for this fall. A couple days later I went back and looked and this thing is MASSIVE. The tree has 3 main trunks, each are about 20" - 30" diameter and 80' tall...and about as straight and brush-free as can be for hedge. There's got to be 4+ cord in the one tree. I might try to salvage a couple straight sections and mill them into something if they aren't too heavy to move.
He also finally took me up on my offer to cut him a couple loads in return. He's getting on in years and apparently can't get out there and do it any longer. I'd rather spend a couple hours cutting wood than sitting in the truck so its a good deal for both of us.
Before I get out there and start cutting on this thing, I need to figure out where to put it back home. My wood stack locations aren't very well thought out and I need to come up with a better solution. I hate moving wood twice.
