So I see that my neighbor down the street has an oak tree on his curb...probably 18" through the middle, easily an 80 y.o. tree. Closer looks reveals that it is a red oak, green as grass, nothing punky on it that I could see. My recall is that it was a nice healthy tree until Sat., when it was felled, bucked and put out for the city to take to the dump. I naturally go interested. He said that it had a "great big dead limb" that overhung his street parking, so he paid a tree removal company to whack the whole thing. Would he like me to cut some to fireplace length for him? Nah, he'll just buy some wood this winter if he needs it. Big, young, healthy guy you understand. By nightfall it was in all in my pile. I suppose that I shouldn't be too upset, I mean, that is his business, and my gain. One many gathers what another man spills, after all. Irony is, he didn't even know he spilled it.
Praise be for neighbors such as these....
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woodchip
Minister of Fire
I'd probably give him a couple of beers as a thank you.
I never understand people who look gift horses in the mouth, but I suppose the saying would not exist if it didn't happen frequently ;-)
I never understand people who look gift horses in the mouth, but I suppose the saying would not exist if it didn't happen frequently ;-)
NH_Wood
Minister of Fire
I might have to give him that beer in front of a hot stove come December. He's really a great guy, his inability to see the value in a dead tree might be his only failing. He probably thinks I'm somewhat eccentric too. On second thought....that might be the last wood I get from him if he sees/feels that. Actually, I returned the favor by giving him some opinions on his chimney leak. He as a very wide rectangular chimney, set lengthwise to his ridge line, and the chimney meets the roof right at the eaves. He's got a very efficient rainwater capturing device/dam.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Great find ploughboy! Just because it has a few dead limbs does not make the tree dead. Oak and dead limbs go together like bread and butter. We have oaks lining our driveway and are constantly cleaning up dead limbs that fall, especially after a heavy rain or wind, or both. Split it and stack it then forget it for a few years; then burn it.
On the size, don't be too fooled. The last time our eldest son was home and we were looking at some old pictures we had one of him and his brother standing by a couple really small twigs that were actually brush. Well, we left that one. The picture was taken in 1980 and that tree is pretty big. I even cut one limb off that was about 12" in diameter and did that several years ago. So they can grow pretty fast, relatively speaking.
On the size, don't be too fooled. The last time our eldest son was home and we were looking at some old pictures we had one of him and his brother standing by a couple really small twigs that were actually brush. Well, we left that one. The picture was taken in 1980 and that tree is pretty big. I even cut one limb off that was about 12" in diameter and did that several years ago. So they can grow pretty fast, relatively speaking.
Backwoods Savage said:
Yep, 30 years can make a pretty nice tree. I have some friends that live in a city type area and they have an aerial view of their house when it was built in the 50's. They have some awesome oaks(40" DBH I'd guess) that were just saplings when the pictures were taken.
When we moved into our house there were a couple of water oaks that came up in an overgrown flowerbed. We pulled and hacked and tugged and hacked some more...finally gave up and left a tattered piece of wood sticking up. Now 18-19 years later we've got to nice water oaks growing about 14" DBH and way taller than a nearby light pole. About that same time we planted four white oaks seedlings back further in the yard...those white oaks are a touch smaller than the water oaks but still pretty good size for a transplant. I believe that if you can get an oak growing in position from an acorn it will be a fast growing, strong tree.
Ed
Ed
Yep, first rule of gardening (and forestry): Find what wants to grow there, and then let it. I'm figuring 80 years, just as a rough estimate and my experience with growth rates around here. Coming from the mid-atlantic states, my tree age estimation gauge need a recalibration when I first came to AL. We grow 'em fast here.
woodchip
Minister of Fire
Round here, fastest growing trees are silver birch and goat willow.
Neither make great firewood, but they do grow fast, and birch seasons quite quickly (willow is rather wet and takes a bit of seasoning).
I reckon a 20 year old silver birch round here will last 4 days on the stove once seasoned.
Do the maths for length of burning season, the number you need to have growing, and the number to replace those which you are seasoning, and you soon work out the value of a neighbour who gives wood away
Neither make great firewood, but they do grow fast, and birch seasons quite quickly (willow is rather wet and takes a bit of seasoning).
I reckon a 20 year old silver birch round here will last 4 days on the stove once seasoned.
Do the maths for length of burning season, the number you need to have growing, and the number to replace those which you are seasoning, and you soon work out the value of a neighbour who gives wood away
mayhem
Minister of Fire
My next door neighbors called and asked if I wanted any of the wood thay cut off after a windstorm knocked a small tree over onto their shed. Not deing an idiot I agreed, went over Sat AM and my 8 year old and I picked up a few days burning worth of yellow birch. While we there she ran off to play with their kids and the husband and I got to chatting. He said the rest of the tree was down and that was just the branch that his wife cut up to get it out of the way. Looked down next to the shed and there's the rest of the yellow birch and a couple other trees, all about 12-15 inches diameter, maybe 30 foot trucnks. He said he was going to cut it up and he'd let me know when it was done and help me load it all up. Like me, he's a white collat guy who doesn't get to use his guy-tools as often as he'd like...I was going to go over and cut it up with m new chainsaw but I saw in is eyes that he really wanted to do it himself. Fine by me.
My wife hates yellow birch...the bark catches fast and she always gets a puff of smoke back with it...so I jsut buck it and split it and use it for nice hot overnight burns. Got a few in my yard that ned to come down soon so I figure I'll have about a cord of yellow birch put up soon.
Love thy neighbor.
My wife hates yellow birch...the bark catches fast and she always gets a puff of smoke back with it...so I jsut buck it and split it and use it for nice hot overnight burns. Got a few in my yard that ned to come down soon so I figure I'll have about a cord of yellow birch put up soon.
Love thy neighbor.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
mayhem said:
Not me . . . I love yellow birch . . . bark catches quickly, but it's not bad BTU wise compared to white birch . . . and to me it has a pleasant smell when processing . . . not as nice as cherry or apple, but still nice.
certified106
Minister of Fire
fireview2788
Minister of Fire
My neighbor says to me the other day, "I'm taking down a huge dead tree from behind the garage. The wood is yours, we just need your log splitter to get it split for you." Yes, he was planning on splitting it without me there. Of course I'll be there to work on it with him. He also mentioned his neighbor has a dead black walnut, that's already down, plus two other trees he wants taken out. My friend says, "We'll cut it to 6' lengths and bring it to your house so you can cut it as you have time." I think there will be a meal of thanks in front of the woodstove this winter.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
fireview2788 said:
Don't do it . . . unless this neighbor also plans to stack the wood for you after he has the tree taken down and after he has split the wood it's not a good deal.
And now back to reality . . . sounds like you have good neighbors and are working hard to keep them as good neighbors -- always encouraging to read after reading some of the neighbor horror stories here at this site.- Status
