4 free cords from neighbor's tree

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iron

Minister of Fire
Sep 23, 2015
638
southeast kootenays
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.
 

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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.
 
Thanks not split and stacked?
 
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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!
 
Nice score for sure!
 
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!
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 

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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 :)