Just scrounged some dead standing wood that tests at 16% MC. Exception to the rule? Wood ID if pos

[WoodpileOCD]

I know from reading here that wood doesn't start to season until it is C/S/S but this would prove that wrong. On my way through the neighborhood last night I spied some rounds stacked neatly at the road and was out early this morning to check on it as it was only 2 min from my house. I asked about it and was told to help myself that the tree had fallen just this week and they had cut it up. My thought initially was that this was some easy pickings for next years stack. When I got it home I decided to test a couple of splits and you can see the results so I'm going to burn some tonight. Couple of punky spots but for the most part it's very solid. After I stripped the ivy off with a small axe it is a nice little pile that should last me a few days and only cost me about an hours work.

Anyone else run into this kind of thing with standing (or I actually should say fallen) dead wood.

Also if anyone can ID this wood for me that would be great. Thanks

 

[bogydave]

Maybe the vine was using the moisture from the tree. You may have discovered a new way of drying wood
I know it's "not" birch or spruce

 

[3fordasho]

Did some cutting today at a new woodlot, there was some red elm that had fallen but was held up off the ground by other trees, bark was completely gone, spilt a few pieces and measured 19% on the moisture meter. Used it to fire the stove back up after letting it go out on turkey day. A few steps away was a dead but still standing green ash, upper sections were also 19%, rounds near the notch and backcut measure 26%.

I know from reading here that wood doesn't start to season until it is C/S/S but this would prove that wrong. On my way through the neighborhood last night I spied some rounds stacked neatly at the road and was out early this morning to check on it as it was only 2 min from my house. I asked about it and was told to help myself that the tree had fallen just this week and they had cut it up. My thought initially was that this was some easy pickings for next years stack. When I got it home I decided to test a couple of splits and you can see the results so I'm going to burn some tonight. Couple of punky spots but for the most part it's very solid. After I stripped the ivy off with a small axe it is a nice little pile that should last me a few days and only cost me about an hours work.

Anyone else run into this kind of thing with standing (or I actually should say fallen) dead wood.

 

[amateur cutter]

Not 100%, but it looks like it maybe ash, if that's true the MC doesn't surprise me given all the insect damage. Burn it! A C

 

[basswidow]

I'd say something is wrong with the meter. You sure it's not upside down reading 91% (just kidding)

 

[oldspark]

This is where the MM's come in handy, and there are no hard and fast "rules" when it comes to wood drying.

 

[CTYank]

The wood looks like a mix of silver/red/norway maple.
As best I can determine from here.

 

[ecocavalier02]

I know from reading here that wood doesn't start to season until it is C/S/S but this would prove that wrong. On my way through the neighborhood last night I spied some rounds stacked neatly at the road and was out early this morning to check on it as it was only 2 min from my house. I asked about it and was told to help myself that the tree had fallen just this week and they had cut it up. My thought initially was that this was some easy pickings for next years stack. When I got it home I decided to test a couple of splits and you can see the results so I'm going to burn some tonight. Couple of punky spots but for the most part it's very solid. After I stripped the ivy off with a small axe it is a nice little pile that should last me a few days and only cost me about an hours work.

Anyone else run into this kind of thing with standing (or I actually should say fallen) dead wood.

Also if anyone can ID this wood for me that would be great. Thanks

hope the ivy wasn't poison ivy. %-P

 

[zipping_horse]

Hickory, like bitternut I'd say.

 

[Woody Stover]

Looks like White Ash. Standing dead can be ready to burn. All smaller branches and twigs gone is a good sign. I've cut five or six dead standing Red Elm lately and like 3fordasho's, it was dry. Some was at 14-16%. Wettest one was 22%.
Lots of folks who think they are sunk for dry wood this year could be sitting pretty if they could find some standing trees that have been dead a while.

 

[Captain Hornet]

Sir, You have hit the mother lode--It's pin oak. We have lots of it here and it's super wood to burn but can be tough to split. Water oak is similar but usually has smoother bark on the big trunk area. You're going to like that pin oak. David

 

[PA. Woodsman]

The wood looks like a mix of silver/red/norway maple.
As best I can determine from here.

I agree-looks like all Maple to me too.

 

[Larry in OK]

Worked up some long dead Red Elm this afternoon. It had fallen 4-5 years ago and had hung up off the ground. My MM showed 15% when I split it.
Also took down another Elm that had died 5-6 years ago it also showed 15-16% till I got into the butt end where it was running 18%.
Out of both of them I got about a 1/3 of a cord.

 

[The Beagler]

Looks like it could be Norway maple. Good burning wood.

 

[burnt03]

Not 100%, but it looks like it maybe ash, if that's true the MC doesn't surprise me given all the insect damage. Burn it! A C

Does insect damaged wood usually end up dryer off the hop than natural dead stands?

 

[scotvl]

I'd say it looks like the cord and a half of Norway maple that I have in my stacks. One cord I have was fresh cut back in march and a fresh split piece measured 26% last week. The other cord I got in august from storm damaged with an ant infested trunk measures 22% after only 3 months. So you hit the jackpot @16% , you will get alot of heat out of it just under sugar maple in btu. Enjoy

 

[WoodpileOCD]

zipping horse, I thought it was Hickory at first too but I've dealt with Hickory before and this just doesn't have the 'heft' of that wood. It splits easily and as someone mentioned, the insect damage may have helped it dry. Natures aeration. %-P

I can tell you that it is burning great. I loaded up the stove with a reload at about 6 tonight on 12 hour old coals with a few sticks of dry poplar underneath and it took right off. Sent the cat probe soaring to 1800 in no time without the fan going and I had to shut it down some and turn the fan on because that's getting into the danger zone for the health of the cat. It held steady at 1500-1600 for about 3 hours and I'm at the 5 hour mark and it's still cranking with a huge bed of coals. I expect when I get up tomorrow morning around 6 there will be plenty of fire left. All in all a good little find and a real bonus to bring it home and burn it right away.

The votes are in from the experts and it is definitely, probably, maybe Ash or silver/red/norway maple or Pin Oak or Hickory or 2 more votes for Norway maple. One thing for sure according to our resident spruce expert, bogydave, it ain't spruce ....

One thing about this place, we never lack for opinions on wood types. Thanks guys.

 

[scotvl]

The only maple that looks like that and burns that long( other than sugar) is Norway.

 

[Wood Duck]

That is either Ash (probably White Ash) or Norway Maple. The fact that it was in somebodys yard covered with english ivy makes me lean toward Norway Maple, which is a more common shade tree to plant than White Ash. I know when I cut dead trees standing or fallen some of the wood is nice and dry, while other wood on the same tree can be very wet.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Whatever it is, it isn't anything I've burned before I don't think. I'm 6 hours into the burn and have a HUGE bed of coals. I'm sure I'll have plenty left in the morning. With my normal burns I'll pull the splits forward when they have burned about halfway to the back of the firebox and there is still pretty good structure to them but these desintegrated into small chunks of charcoal which is burning hot but not gassing much which leave the cat a bit hungry.

 

[zipping_horse]

I was saying hickory based on the bark. Norway maple seems like a popular answer I have heard of it but never seen it because it is not a native species, I'll have to try and find some somewhere. It would be neat if you have pictures of the twigs with buds, its pretty easy to at least get down to genus on common woods with opposite or alternate structure of buds. For example if you look at the top of an ash tree the uppermost branching will look like pitchforks because of the prominent opposite branching whereas something like bitternut will not have that look because of alternate branching.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Anyone else run into this kind of thing with standing (or I actually should say fallen) dead wood.

Pretty much all I cut is standing dead (Lodgepole pine) that are ready to burn right away.
I don't think I would be heating with wood if I had to stockpile years worth of wood and wait for it to dry. Not where I currently live anyway, I just don't have the room for more than a season's worth of firewood in my yard.

 

[woodchip]

Best thing to do is burn it........ even without a mm, if it looked dry, I'd give it a try and see if it gave off secondaries.

Only thing I beware of is bringing it all indoors in one go as those holes might be occupied, and you'd have a house full of insects....... ;-)

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Best thing to do is burn it........ even without a mm, if it looked dry, I'd give it a try and see if it gave off secondaries.

Only thing I beware of is bringing it all indoors in one go as those holes might be occupied, and you'd have a house full of insects....... ;-)

Woodchip, that was my thought exactly. I built a rack this year for next to the stove and it will hold about 3-4 days worth of splits depending on the weather but I feel ok about that because all of the critters have had plenty of time to vacate with the drying time. Not so much here. In fact I saw a few when I was splitting so it stays outside until it goes in the fire.

8:00 this morning (slept in) and there were plenty of coals to restart with. Stove not throwing out any real heat to speak of but this type of burn time I could only dream of with my old smoke dragon Bart Stove.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

On cutting dead trees, the biggest problem is so many folks assume they are dry and ready to burn. That may or may not be the case.

On white ash, it very well can be ready to burn but we are cutting dead ash and have been for a while now. Some looks ready and others want more time.

On red or soft maple: this is one exception to the rule. I can cut a green maple and leave it in the woods uncut and within 2 years (sometimes 1 year), it is all dry and ready to burn.

Still, on most dead trees, you will find that the tops of the trees are ready to burn but as you get closer to the bottom you will find lots of moisture. We cut a decent amount of dead elm for example. We wait until the bark has fallen from the trees before cutting. When we do, about the top 1/3 or maybe the top 1/2 is good and dry and can be burned right away. Not so for the butt.

No moisture meter is needed for us to tell if the wood is ready to burn or not but I can understand why some folks use them.