More Beech

[thewoodlands]

Coming back from the wood dump in the rhino I noticed some small beech down on the hill, depending on the weather I might start this week.

zap

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Looks like some excellent firewood zap.

 

[tfdchief]

Beautiful timber!

 

[thewoodlands]

It's a haul up the hill but the beech is to nice not to get, I want to have it off the hill by the end of April or the 1st week of May. Have that itch for milling.

zap

 

[Realstone]

Must be nice, Zap. what are the other two fallen trees, the one further and the one closer to the beech?

 

[NH_Wood]

Lots of nice, off the ground wood there Zap - how far of a haul up the hill? Cheers!

 

[thewoodlands]

Realstone, the one up the hill from the longest beech might be hemlock, the other tree I see down is another beech unless I'm not seeing another tree that is down.

NH_ Wood, about 80-90 yards. It still will be easier cutting than the last beech I worked on, just up the hill from the biggest beech is a hung up hemlock which I have to watch out for.

With some clearing I can get the rhino closer ( have an area which is flat just down past the tops of the smaller beech) so I could winch the beech down so it would be safer working.

zap

 

[gyrfalcon]

Realstone, the one up the hill from the longest beech might be hemlock, the other tree I see down is another beech unless I'm not seeing another tree that is down.

NH_ Wood, about 80-90 yards. It still will be easier cutting than the last beech I worked on, just up the hill from the biggest beech is a hung up hemlock which I have to watch out for.

With some clearing I can get the rhino closer ( have an area which is flat just down past the tops of the smaller beech) so I could winch the beech down so it would be safer working.

zap

Beech is well worth the effort, IMO.

 

[thewoodlands]

gyrfalcon, I agree with you. The thing I learned quick about the downed Beech is you should get it right away, Cherry will last longer down than a Beech will.

zap

 

[gyrfalcon]

gyrfalcon, I agree with you. The thing I learned quick about the downed Beech is you should get it right away, Cherry will last longer down than a Beech will.

zap

Oh, you bet. Rots like a son of a b***** in no time flat. But what great firewood it is.

 

[NH_Wood]

Oh, you bet. Rots like a son of a b***** in no time flat. But what great firewood it is.

I've heard this, but also heard beech will rot quick in the stacks. I have a decent amount of beech that is about 2 years in the stack, and some that is 3 years - seems real solid. Anyone have issues with beech going bad in the stacks? I top cover. Cheers!

 

[gyrfalcon]

I've heard this, but also heard beech will rot quick in the stacks. I have a decent amount of beech that is about 2 years in the stack, and some that is 3 years - seems real solid. Anyone have issues with beech going bad in the stacks? I top cover. Cheers!

In my experience, it does fine in stacks-- at least well ventilated, fairly loosely built ones. Personally, I'm a non-coverer. It's not clear to me that keeping the rain off the top is outweighed by partially trapping the moisture that's already in there or that gets blown in from the sides. But beech also dries fairly rapidly (at least compared to oak), so no need to let it sit for years and years before burning.

 

[thewoodlands]

We have Beech that was stacked two years ago, the only thing that has changed is the color. Have the Beech ready for 2013-14 heating season.

zap

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I've heard this, but also heard beech will rot quick in the stacks. I have a decent amount of beech that is about 2 years in the stack, and some that is 3 years - seems real solid. Anyone have issues with beech going bad in the stacks? I top cover. Cheers!

None here. Never had a problem with beech going bad in the stack.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Ive never burned any beech, where does it fit in the BTU chart?

 

[gyrfalcon]

Ive never burned any beech, where does it fit in the BTU chart?

Above hard maple and the oaks. It's the highest that's widely available in quantity in much of the East. Black birch is also up there, and you might have more of that around the So. Shore, but I don't know. Definitely worth asking your supplier about. A good one will cut the species you want. (Both beech and black birch are relatively fast drying, so a couple years in well ventilated stacks is all they need.)

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Above hard maple and the oaks. It's the highest that's widely available in quantity in much of the East. Black birch is also up there, and you might have more of that around the So. Shore, but I don't know. Definitely worth asking your supplier about. A good one will cut the species you want. (Both beech and black birch are relatively fast drying, so a couple years in well ventilated stacks is all they need.)

funny, I get a grapple load every two years and I have yet to get any beech on a load, I get 90% oak mostly.

 

[gyrfalcon]

funny, I get a grapple load every two years and I have yet to get any beech on a load, I get 90% oak mostly.

Lots of folks would kill for that! It just takes an extra year or two to be ready.

But what you get depends on where your supplier is cutting. I can get rock maple here from anybody, beech from most, and black birch only from a couple guys who cut in a particular town that happens to have the right kind of forest for it (red maple and black birch both grow in wetter areas than beech and rock maple). Helps to know what the major forest types are in your area. Beech/sugar maple is the predominant type around my neck of the woods.

 

[thewoodlands]

Because Beech can be ready in one year I would take it over Oak.

zap

 

[Locust Post]

I too like beech really well. Burns excellent and not much mess. Most of the beech trees I get into around here are really big ones and a lot of the time the base is hollow. A few years ago I burnt the better part of 2 winters on 1 beech tree. It was a monster that blew over.

 

[thewoodlands]

Locust Post, a couple winters back I dropped a couple of Beech,both were hollow at the base. Sure did make the snow fly when it hit the ground.

zap

 

[gyrfalcon]

Because Beech can be ready in one year I would take it over Oak.

zap

It does dry fast, which is kinda counterintuitive since it's such a dense wood.

 

[thewoodlands]

gyrfalcon, this fall I will test some beech I cut three weeks ago (mother nature put it down) with the moisture meter. Depending on how the summer goes weather wise my guess is it will be ready.

zap

 

[timusp40]

Zap,
My brother loves burning Beech. He is in the UP of Michigan where it is plentiful. Will get punky pretty quick if left on the ground, but we know better.
Tim

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Tim, he'd best be burning a lot of it as most of the beech are dead or dieing now. Just one more tree species gone.