My first ash tree

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Rebelduckman

Minister of Fire
Dec 14, 2013
1,105
Pulaski, Mississippi
Well I finally got an ash. Beautiful wood. Was beginning to think I didn't have any. What surprises me as much or more than the ease of splitting is the moisture level. I checked a couple splits from the bottom and they were 25-28%! Wow
image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
 
Last edited:
I burn a lot of ash - like 90% due to the bug here in Michigan and no end in sight. Every forest here is polluted with dead standing and dead fallen ash just ripe for picking. Splits relatively well, burns relatively hot and seasons fast - great combination.
 
I've cut a few deteriorating ash, and what always surprises me is the way they gush water like an open garden hose, after you make the face cut and extract the cookie. For a wood that dries fast, they sure are wet when alive (or half alive)!

Ash is a medium-BTU wood. Better than soft maple, but no where near oak or hickory. I probably have 4-5 cords of ash in my stacks, right now. For what it lacks in potential energy, it makes up with easy splitting.
 
I've cut a few deteriorating ash, and what always surprises me is the way they gush water like an open garden hose, after you make the face cut and extract the cookie. For a wood that dries fast, they sure are wet when alive (or half alive)!

Ash is a medium-BTU wood. Better than soft maple, but no where near oak or hickory. I probably have 4-5 cords of ash in my stacks, right now. For what it lacks in potential energy, it makes up with easy splitting.

I didn't get that with this one. It was under 30% even at the bottom
 
I've cut a few deteriorating ash, and what always surprises me is the way they gush water like an open garden hose, after you make the face cut and extract the cookie. For a wood that dries fast, they sure are wet when alive (or half alive)!


I don't think you were cutting ash. No ash I have ever cut has had anything resembling water coming out. Now maple, that is another story. Water flows like a faucet from the face cut.
 
Lol... no mixing up live ash with maple, Bob! Will post a photo when I'm at my computer later. Both ash that have done this to me were over 40" DBH.
 
I have about 70 % ash in my pile. the bug is taking its toll on them. excellent wood gives off nice btus . easy to split, dries quick . good all around wood problem is that there is way to many dead ones to process . lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rebelduckman
I just dropped a 16" ash up in Northern NH this morning. Its on the northern boundary of where ashes typically grow, this one has a lot of curves for an ash but generally I hand split. Hard to beat for fast drying. The local loggers tell me that "ashes like to have wet feet" I generally see them near streams and wet areas in the woods.
 
Very nice, how's that Englander treating you?
 
I just dropped a 16" ash up in Northern NH this morning. Its on the northern boundary of where ashes typically grow, this one has a lot of curves for an ash but generally I hand split. Hard to beat for fast drying. The local loggers tell me that "ashes like to have wet feet" I generally see them near streams and wet areas in the woods.

This one was close to a branch that usually floods out during heavy rains
 
Lol... no mixing up live ash with maple, Bob! Will post a photo when I'm at my computer later. Both ash that have done this to me were over 40" DBH.
Here it is. I'm the one taking the photo, and my cutting buddy (who's much shorter than I) is standing by the tree. I cut this dying double-trunk ash in 2013, and there was some time after I cut the face and pulled the cookie, before I got to the back cut. When I went to do the back cut, we were surprised to see water running out of the open wound, like a garden hose left open. We thought it just unique to this one tree, because it was stressed, but have since seen the same in other similarly large ash.

IMG_0853.jpg

Found this photo with it. This is one day's cutting and skidding out of the woods. Mostly oak and ash, with one small sassafras in there.

20130309_wood.JPG
 
Here it is. I'm the one taking the photo, and my cutting buddy (who's much shorter than I) is standing by the tree. I cut this dying double-trunk ash in 2013, and there was some time after I cut the face and pulled the cookie, before I got to the back cut. When I went to do the back cut, we were surprised to see water running out of the open wound, like a garden hose left open. We thought it just unique to this one tree, because it was stressed, but have since seen the same in other similarly large ash.

View attachment 154304

Found this photo with it. This is one day's cutting and skidding out of the woods. Mostly oak and ash, with one small sassafras in there.

View attachment 154303


That's a good days work there!
 
Finished off the ash. Wow I'd heard it was easy to split but I didn't know this easy. Didn't break a sweat!
image.jpg
 
Very nice

bob
 
Ash doesn't hold a lot of moisture. Some people even burn it green. It dries really fast. If you split it now it will be more than dry enough by next season.
 
My hot summers help take time off the seasoning process. I think it may be ready. I've got some oak that'll be 2 years after this summer and it's already in the 20-25 range
 
Status
Not open for further replies.