What to do with wildfire scorched wood?

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NBABUCKS1

Member
May 9, 2013
52
Wasatch Front, UT
I am buying 10 acres in WY that recently had a wildfire in 2018. There is still tons of good wood for burning but its all scorched and will be an absolute pain in the ass to work with while also trying to keep any surface clean (especially when it comes into the house).

Is there any tips or tricks in dealing with this or is it all a loss?

Here is a video.

 
Would assume the bark would flake off during splitting up. If still good burn it like normal. Or use for Firepit outside. Bringing in Wood always involves bringing in Bugs and Debri. Part of the Fun of Wood vs Pellets or Propane.
 
Would a year of rain make the char less dusty? Just get dirty and get the processing job done. Wash up after. When loading the stove, wear dedicated gloves.

I would try to avoid rolling around in your firewood while wearing your good clothes.
 
I bought some fire killed spruce a few years ago, two cords of it as 16" splits. The good news is it was pretty dry to start with and was pretty much ready to burn a month or two after stacking. The bad news is it took another year to clean most of the charcoal out of the living room carpet.

I would probably build a wood shed near my outdoor firepit, maybe 2-3 cord size, fill it, clean up and leave the rest standing until the shed by the outdoor firepit needed filling again. Or donate it, an organization like LOVE Inc might take it off your hands, but they might ask you to deliver it.
 
The wood will burn fine, its just messy at every stage (cutting, splitting, stacking, carrying into the house).
 
Cut it, split it, stack it
sell it as tested
 
Let it stand for a year or two yet, between the wind and the rain nature will take care of a lot of the char.

As a kid I lived in Slave Lake where some parts of the forest had been ravaged by wildfire, the burnt standing trees made the best firewood. After about 5 years the char on the outside of the standing wood was essentially gone and was actually cleaner than most as the bark had all fallen off.