4 free cords from neighbor's tree

[iron]

neighbors had a doug fir cut down yesterday. i watched the guys limb off the branches and when they were at a pause, poked my head in to see if the wood was spoken for. it wasn't. i ended up with 7 trailer loads (normally 1/3-1/2 cord) and then one of their truckloads (maybe 3-4 trailers worth). they helped me load and i helped them move stuff. brought their crew of three 4 beers and 2 kombuchas; those guys were busting ass.

tree was 52 years old. maybe 4ft DBH. luckily, some of the huge rounds that i first moved over (3ft diameter, too heavy to lift by myself) split after a few good blows with the x27. this one score will load me up entirely, and then some, for 2022.

 

[begreen]

Good score. If you can split and stack some of it in a good location right away it will be ready to burn this winter.

 

[iron]

Good score. If you can split and stack some of it in a good location right away it will be ready to burn this winter.

2022 wood. shed, but not much airflow.

 

[kennyp2339]

Thanks not split and stacked?

 

[iron]

i'm thinking it will be split and stacked 4 cords. that's been my rough estimate using my trailer for a gauge of what the final haul actually amounts to.

unfortunately, i think my shed will fill before i get it all split (1st world problem), so i won't know the final answer until a year from now when i split and stack the 2nd half of the pile!

 

[Prof]

Nice score for sure!

 

[Simonkenton]

We don't have Doug Fir down here in Dixie. I just looked it up. 26.5 million BTU/cord. Good God that has to be some kind of nuclear powered pine tree I never heard of such a thing. What a haul!

 

[iron]

best thing about (most) doug fir is that it splits straight and easy. i can do single hit on 30" rounds and get them apart. pine, on the other hand, is about 30 hits.

 

[byQ]

At that size, you may only need one tree's worth of firewood per year. Doug fir is on my firewood to do list but I have to drive 100 miles for it here in Southern Idaho.

 

[Highbeam]

I just filled my shed with big Doug fir from a tree service guy too but I had to pay. You lucky dog! Same thing, will burn season after next to be sure it’s dry. They chip everything under 12”! Dbh into the 40s. I got logs but needed to cut from both sides with the 28” bar.

 

[iron]

all split. ended up a little over 3 cords, but i'm going to give away 1/2 a cord b/c i don't want to deal with all the knots.

 

[Simonkenton]

Douglas Fir. The pine tree that is very good firewood. I would like to try a truck load of it, but, I would have to drive 2,500 miles to get it.
That would not be cost-effective.

 

[begreen]

I just filled my shed with big Doug fir from a tree service guy too but I had to pay. You lucky dog! Same thing, will burn season after next to be sure it’s dry. They chip everything under 12”! Dbh into the 40s. I got logs but needed to cut from both sides with the 28” bar.

I always went with 2 year seasoning on doug fir, until I got a moisture meter. That showed me that 2 yr split doug fir in the shed was only 1-2% drier than the 9 month old splits! Apparently 2yr dried stabilizes around 17%, maybe as a result of our damp winters. Now, if it is under 20% I will burn it. Our flue is always very clean so I have stopped trying to store several seasons worth of wood. Hardwoods, like madrona, wild cherry, maple are another case. They get 2 yrs seasoning.

 

[Highbeam]

I always went with 2 year seasoning on doug fir, until I got a moisture meter. That showed me that 2 yr split doug fir in the shed was only 1-2% drier than the 9 month old splits! Apparently 2yr dried stabilizes around 17%, maybe as a result of our damp winters. Now, if it is under 20% I will burn it. Our flue is always very clean so I have stopped trying to store several seasons worth of wood. Hardwoods, like madrona, wild cherry, maple are another case. They get 2 yrs seasoning.

If I could guarantee always having one full summer split and stacked in the sun I would be fine with 1 year Doug fir but there are more reasons to keep several year’s supply of fuel on hand. I like knowing that I can take a year off for some reason and still be warm. I like knowing that if the winter is extra hard I can get into next year’s wood. Also, unlike other parts of the country we don’t work firewood in the muddy, dark, wet winter so even my 2 year old wood has been seasoned just two summers.

I’m also a little unsure about stacking green wood into a shed. A 10x10x 7 cube of wood. I hope it dries properly!

I can get 14% on my fir but anything under 20 is ready.

 

[iron]

my outdoor stacking used to occupy 1/2 of my yard and stacks would fall over and the plastic covering would shred. pretty sure i'll take covered cubes of wood for 2 years and call it good