Standing dead ash at ~16% moisture content

I have heard of many who cut standing dead and burn it immediately. The question is whether it has a punky outer layer that could hold moisture. How is that? Maybe test the outside edge as well. With all the rain we've had it could be damp on the outside but dry inside.

Some dead wood is ready right away. It sounds like yours is. A neighbor's red maple fell in the street and our yard this year, and every part of that tree is as ready to burn as oak that's split and in my driveway 2 1/2 years.

I had a dead hickory fall in my yard last year, I cut and split it, ready to burn, hooray, I have two more dead standing that I'm saving for a rainy day. If it's under 20 burn it.

I find that when Hickory is left too long, it starts to degrade.
Especially when left out without cover, plus the ravages of the Powder Beetle.
In or outdoors.

weatherguy said:

I had a dead hickory fall in my yard last year, I cut and split it, ready to burn, hooray, I have two more dead standing that I'm saving for a rainy day. If it's under 20 burn it.

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jackatc1 said:

I find that when Hickory is left too long, it starts to degrade.
Especially when left out without cover, plus the ravages of the Powder Beetle.
In or outdoors.

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I've been lucky, no bugs, its pig nut hickory.

Hickory is funny. Usually considered a strong wood. Once it's cut or dies, if the bark is left one will be punk in a year. If bark is removed or otherwise out of the weather will give you a few more years before it tries to turn to punk. Kevin

I usually burn 4-5 cord of standing dead elm every year. I watch and mentally catalog them as they die. Once the bark is off they will generally come in at 13%-15% after 3-4 years, ring like bowling pins if you knock the pieces together. If the bark stays on, or where the bark stays on, they are mostly worthless punk after a couple of years.

I have been cutting and splitting dead standing or recently wind felled trees. Our house came with a few months of firewood, but that's not much. So far I've doubled the cord or so that came with the house with wood than can burn now. I throw the punky stuff out or carve the punky parts off of good, dry heart wood. We moved into a house on 24 unmanaged wooded acres about a month ago. The standing dead trees will allow us to get very far ahead on our fire wood in a short amount of time. Most of it is spruce with a bit of birch and ash, but so far it is splitting very nicely. Rarely have I had to use a splitting wedge. The 8# maul is usually enough.

jaoneill said:

I usually burn 4-5 cord of standing dead elm every year. I watch and mentally catalog them as they die. Once the bark is off they will generally come in at 13%-15% after 3-4 years, ring like bowling pins if you knock the pieces together. If the bark stays on, or where the bark stays on, they are mostly worthless punk after a couple of years.

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Yep, I've been through the dead Elm on the surrounding properties. Dutch Elm disease took them all out. Virtually none left in the area now unfortunately. I liked it as much is some oaks. Did work the splitter on knotty sections or crotches though. Kevin

Kevin Weis said:

Yep, I've been through the dead Elm on the surrounding properties. Dutch Elm disease took them all out. Virtually none left in the area now unfortunately. I liked it as much is some oaks. Did work the splitter on knotty sections or crotches though. Kevin

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We have just shy of 400 acres, about 150 tillable with all the hedgrows home to 3' to 4' elm until the 1960's. Dutch elm went through and pretty much wiped them out. We burned mostly dead elm until the early 80's. Semi-resistant elm seemed to be making a comeback and it was exciting to see 18"-24" elm around the meadows once again. Then about ten years ago they began another die-off. Doubt I'll be around to see them make another comeback, if they ever do.

jaoneill said:

We have just shy of 400 acres, about 150 tillable with all the hedgrows home to 3' to 4' elm until the 1960's. Dutch elm went through and pretty much wiped them out. We burned mostly dead elm until the early 80's. Semi-resistant elm seemed to be making a comeback and it was exciting to see 18"-24" elm around the meadows once again. Then about ten years ago they began another die-off. Doubt I'll be around to see them make another comeback, if they ever do.

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I'm relatively young (41) so I can't comment much on what we were burning in the 80's (mostly Maple from some bush we were clearing in those days I think) but much like you, our fences lines are full of Elm (and ash unfortunately now) that seemed to be dying at an ever increasing rate. I've noticed the same in my 5 acre bush at home. I'm taking down far more elm than are being replaced, yet most of them aren't that old to begin with (15-40 years).

Longknife said:

I'm relatively young (41) so I can't comment much on what we were burning in the 80's (mostly Maple from some bush we were clearing in those days I think) but much like you, our fences lines are full of Elm (and ash unfortunately now) that seemed to be dying at an ever increasing rate. I've noticed the same in my 5 acre bush at home. I'm taking down far more elm than are being replaced, yet most of them aren't that old to begin with (15-40 years).

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Sounds as though you are seeing the same pattern we are (we are about 80 kilometers due south of Ottawa). I mention the larger elm trees (18"-24") that were part of the recent die-off - they are probably 40-60 years old but the bulk of them are, like yours, smaller 8"-12", and younger. The last few years I have come to depend on the dead elm for shoulder wood and, much to my dismay, I find this fall that there is very little left.

The Ash (Green Ash here) are starting the die off with the Emerald Ash Borer. Logger took the saw log size that were infected last fall/winter on property next to me. The rest will likely bite the bullet within the next few years. There is one though on a neighbors property that is around 75 years plus and 100' tall that has not been infected for some reason though. Maybe with its size it can fight it successfully/hopefully. If not will be maybe 5 cords of ash for me. Kevin

Kevin Weis said:

The Ash (Green Ash here) are starting the die off with the Emerald Ash Borer. Logger took the saw log size that were infected last fall/winter on property next to me. The rest will likely bite the bullet within the next few years. There is one though on a neighbors property that is around 75 years plus and 100' tall that has not been infected for some reason though. Maybe with its size it can fight it successfully/hopefully. If not will be maybe 5 cords of ash for me. Kevin

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Have you checked into the "tops" next to you?

If it tested out I would toss a couple test splits in. If they sizzle, no go, otherwise your set.

Standing dead softwood is commonly really wet because water wicks up the whole tree. Sometimes it's good, but I've taken down dead trees that seemed like they'd have been drier if they were lying on the ground.

When I want something to burn today, I am looking for an oak that already fell and landed on something so that most of it is hanging in the air. That stuff is very often ready to go.