Major Wood Score. Should last me a few years. (Pics)

[Kenster]

I've got a good buddy who manages a 500 or so acre ranch about ten miles from my house. He has always told me to help myself to any of the down or standing dead wood out there. Virtually alll various oaks. High percentage of Water Oak - my favorite tree. Today I drove out there just to check it out. He takes his big tractor and pushes all downed trees into a dry creek bed. Below are pics of what I have to work with. All mine for the taking. Easy access, too. I pull my truck and trailer across a pasture and right up to the wood. Much of this wood has been down for two or three years. No signs of rot, and the limbs are ready to burn now, which will help since I'm running low for this winter's burning. The rest should keep me in good shape for a few years at my burn rate of maybe 1.5 cords per year.

He also has about 30 standing dead oaks on his own ranch nearby. All these oaks are big and have died off recently due to some disease. I can have all of those trees that I want... if I ever have time to go get them.

Today's find:

 

[oldspark]

Wow, does not get much better than that, after looking at your pictures I think I hate snow.

 

[Bspring]

What a great find! If you get the ones that he has not pushed into the ditch first you will save him the trouble of moving them.

 

[Kenster]

What a great find! If you get the ones that he has not pushed into the ditch first you will save him the trouble of moving them.

+1 on that! I'll be taking my 25 foot chain out there with me so I can drag logs up to higher, level ground to buck. I am free to cherry pick, too. No expectations to take all or none. No obligation to clean up after myself. Anything I don't want to take I can just leave right there in the dry creek bed. Good habitat for the little critters. I just need to get my wood before it warms up enough for the snakes to be active.

 

[Wood Duck]

That ranch is nothing but driveable pasture, nice shade, and dead trees. Wood scroungers paradise!

 

[Kenster]

That ranch is nothing but driveable pasture, nice shade, and dead trees. Wood scroungers paradise!

The place has been in that family for about 150 years. Now absentee owners. Lots of deer, some wild pigs. There is a large lake on the back side full of bass and catfish. Has a nice little fishing shack and deck out there. My buddy, who manages the place, plus has is own place of about 300 acres, doesn't burn wood. So he is happy to let me have all I want from this place or his own place. Our other buddy is a hunter/fisherman and is out there frequently hunting deer with rifle or bow. He also puts his canoe out in the lake for fishing. And hunts ducks at the lake. That buddy doesn't burn either except for trash wood in his fire pit. He DOES like to get out with his chain saw and help ME collect wood.

It's nice to have friends.

 

[FireAnt]

Ahhhhh Texas and Oaks. I used to live in Huntsville TX, for a few years while I went to school. I remember all the big Oaks in the yards. I miss TX. Nice score BTW!!

 

[Gary_602z]

Wow, does not get much better than that, after looking at your pictures I think I hate snow.

I like snow better than snakes!

Gary

 

[Thistle]

Wow, does not get much better than that, after looking at your pictures I think I hate snow.

I like snow better than snakes!

Gary

You got that right brother! :lol:

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ken, that looks like cutting wood in a park! I should invite you to come up and cut amongst all the prickly ash! Our ground is also a bit different color than yours.

 

[Woody Stover]

Ken, that looks like cutting wood in a park! I should invite you to come up and cut amongst all the prickly ash!

If you enjoy that, Kenster, feel free to come here and enjoy hauling wood through the wild blackberry sticker bushes. :shut:

 

[Thistle]

Ken, that looks like cutting wood in a park! I should invite you to come up and cut amongst all the prickly ash!

If you enjoy that, Kenster, feel free to come here and enjoy hauling wood through the wild blackberry sticker bushes. :shut:

And the Multiflora Rose,wild gooseberry,black raspberry bushes (makes good pies & jam though),plus the occasional Honey Locust with massive thorn clusters on trunk & branches... :-S

 

[firefighterjake]

Looks like good wood, easy access and comfortable weather to process the wood . . . right now I'm a bit envious.

 

[oldspark]

Wow, does not get much better than that, after looking at your pictures I think I hate snow.

I like snow better than snakes!

Gary

You got that right brother! :lol:

Good point, every thing in Texas either stings, bites, or pricks ya. :lol:

 

[Kenster]

Looks like good wood, easy access and comfortable weather to process the wood . . . right now I'm a bit envious.

Jake, it gets even better! My buddy wants to bring his saw...and trailer.... and come out and help me. I'll supply all the gas and buy him lunch.
We'll cut until we run out of gas or get too tired to operate safely. As we cut, we'll toss the wood up on the creek bank, then load as much as we can that day. I can go back any time, for as many trips as necessary, and keep reloading the trailer and hauling it home. I'll throw everything into a big pile and then split and stack it.

I can load, split and stack it in my own time but having two saws at work will be great. I've got two more months at home before my work season begins again. Lots of time to do this before it starts getting hot.

 

[firefighterjake]

Looks like good wood, easy access and comfortable weather to process the wood . . . right now I'm a bit envious.

Jake, it gets even better! My buddy wants to bring his saw...and trailer.... and come out and help me. I'll supply all the gas and buy him lunch.
We'll cut until we run out of gas or get too tired to operate safely. As we cut, we'll toss the wood up on the creek bank, then load as much as we can that day. I can go back any time, for as many trips as necessary, and keep reloading the trailer and hauling it home. I'll throw everything into a big pile and then split and stack it.

I can load, split and stack it in my own time but having two saws at work will be great. I've got two more months at home before my work season begins again. Lots of time to do this before it starts getting hot.

Time to play Powerball. Great deal . . . and it's always nice to have another person working with you . . . for the efficiency, comraderie and safety.

 

[cptoneleg]

Ahhhhh Texas and Oaks. I used to live in Huntsville TX, for a few years while I went to school. I remember all the big Oaks in the yards. I miss TX. Nice score BTW!!

Lots of us lived in Huntsville for a few yrs. It's where the prison is. :sick:

 

[Jutt77]

Its like Disney World for wood whores!

 

[ChillyGator]

Great score! Water Oak is my favorite too...drys relatively quick and when debarked leaves few ashes.
The manager of the plantation where I deer hunt called ME this morning asking if I planned on cutting some firewood this year (cut closer to home last year). He said they have quite a bit downed wood and told me to cut anywhere on the place I wanted to. I already had my eye on some small White Oaks that are down but laying just off the ground. Time to get cutting this weekend .....70* temps Sat & Sun :coolsmile:

 

[snowleopard]

Its like Disney World for wood whores!

This is the weirdest mixed metaphor I've ever run across--and the mental image that it triggered is downright scary--the Hearth.com crew wearing ruffled satin petticoats, mesh stockings, black leather woods boots, full makeup and bouncy curls running amok amongst fleeing children while chasing down Mickey Mouse and Goofy w/chain saws . . .

sad thing is that I know what you mean . . .

congrats on the wood score--you must have done something right somewhere along the way--have fun and stay safe (and go armed just in case the wild pigs decide you're annoying them).