Ash myth?

[Ctwoodtick]

for all the hype I hear about ash starting off as a low moisture content wood, my experience again and again is that the moisture content is similar to other types of wood. I’m in the northeast, FWIW.

 

[gzecc]

for all the hype I hear about ash starting off as a low moisture content wood, my experience again and again is that the moisture content is similar to other types of wood. I’m in the northeast, FWIW.

Do you agree it starts out fresh cut at about 30% moisture content?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I’ve found higher, in the 45+ range.

 

[SeanBB]

In my experience:
Ash felled near the end of winter has a lower moisture content than most other woods.
It is NOT ready to burn green.
Even though it starts off with a low moister content it seems to take ages to get below 20%.
Once it is below 20% it is a good wood to burn.

 

[Ashful]

I’ve cut several very large ash (all 40” to 48” diameter at breast height), and I find that most of them piss water like a garden hose, if I let them stand for any amount of time after I make the face cut and pull out the cookie. I’m not exaggerating when I say, “like a garden hose”.

So, I see these claims on here that ash is lower MC% than other woods, and I just ignore them. I don’t believe it. I will agree that it tends to dry much faster than some other woods in my stacks (eg. oak), but it’s always heavy and wet when I bring it home.

If you check the cord weight of Ash (eg. Illinois State Extension), you’ll find it’s rated at 4184 lb green and 2880 lb “dry”. Now they don’t define whether that dry weight is a calculated zero moisture point, or the equilibrium moisture content at some location in Illinois, but we can do the simple math, here:

If 2880 lb is a theoretical 0% MC point, then 4184 lb. would be 45% MC.

If the 2880 lb. number is equillibrium MC at around 15%, then 4184 lb. would be over 60% MC.

Either way, that’s not particularly “dry”, or ready to burn.

 

[Tar12]

2 years ago I tried burning some CSS 1.5 year old Ash...wasnt impressed...let it set another year and it burned well...it will season a little faster than oak but it is in no way a "quick" seasoning wood in my experience.....Ashful I had the same experience with 3 big ash trees I cut in a wood lot...water ran from the those fresh cuts....the only other time i have seen this is from what i call a water oak...and it took for ever to dry.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

A few years ago I decided that I would test this theory about you can burn Ash green or close to it, gave some to some people to use for camping and it darn near smoked them out! It has to dry just like any other wood, and when it does it is great fuelwood even utility wood as you can use it for kindling, quarter splits or big pieces.

 

[TreePointer]

A few years ago I decided that I would test this theory about you can burn Ash green or close to it, gave some to some people to use for camping and it darn near smoked them out! It has to dry just like any other wood, and when it does it is great fuelwood even utility wood as you can use it for kindling, quarter splits or big pieces.

I did that test, too. Will it stay aflame? Yes. Will it smoke and be undesirable? Also yes. I'd rather burned properly seasoned softwoods than freshly cut living ash.

 

[weatherguy]

I've cut two cords in April and by November it was all under 20%, I measured about ten splits and they were all 18 or 19%. Burned it that year.

 

[tadmaz]

I wonder if freshly cut (green) ash is wetter than freshly cut (white) ash. Very hard to search anywhere for green ash, since you don't know if it was freshly cut or if it was actually green ash.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/fresh-cut-white-ash.60509/

 

[Ashful]

I wonder if freshly cut (green) ash is wetter than freshly cut (white) ash. Very hard to search anywhere for green ash, since you don't know if it was freshly cut or if it was actually green ash.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/fresh-cut-white-ash.60509/

The weight numbers and MC% I calculated from those weights in my post above, were Green Ash.

 

[Slocum]

I have cut ash that has been standing dead for 2 years and it test over 30%. In my experience it’s best to let it dry for 2 summers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zig]

Ash is as wet as any other but it drys quicker than other hardwoods. Green ash split and stacked in a sunny and windy spot will be ready next year while others will take 2 or more.

 

[Pertzbro]

It's all I burn and with the borer now in our area will be cutting down alot in the next few years. I'm 5-6 years out on supply so i never really worry about MC. I dont even check it anymore.

 

[Beer Belly]

I have a friend who sez "Split and burn"....not me

 

[Woody5506]

During my first burning season I burned a lot of it green. It works, but not very well...I don't recommend it unless you really had nothing else to burn.

 

[Medic21]

I have cut ash that has been standing dead for 2 years and it test over 30%. In my experience it’s best to let it dry for 2 summers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here. Great wood but even the “dead” ones, everyone here, have to season.

 

[Jay106n]

for all the hype I hear about ash starting off as a low moisture content wood, my experience again and again is that the moisture content is similar to other types of wood. I’m in the northeast, FWIW.

I agree with you. We are in the same area and I need 2 summers CSS on ash or it will sizzle.

However, there is probably a difference between a healthy ash cut down and an EAB ash that has been standing dead for a few years.

 

[Medic21]

I agree with you. We are in the same area and I need 2 summers CSS on ash or it will sizzle.

However, there is probably a difference between a healthy ash cut down and an EAB ash that has been standing dead for a few years.

I have not seen a live ash tree for 5-6 years here and have seen the 30% moisture in standing dead trees.

 

[Ashful]

I agree with you. We are in the same area and I need 2 summers CSS on ash or it will sizzle.

However, there is probably a difference between a healthy ash cut down and an EAB ash that has been standing dead for a few years.

Sure, but be careful cutting into old dead ash. Several of the folks (Michigan, Ohio) who have had EAB ash standing dead more than a year or three have reported dangerous unpredictable behavior, cutting into ash that’s been standing dead for more than a year. A few frightening stories, which conjure up bad images of what could happen, when we go to put a saw into a standing dead tree.

 

[Montanalocal]

Yes Ashful, I cut exclusively dead trees (Pine) and when they have been dead long enough, the rotten wood at the base does not give a good bite to your wedges, or provide good hinge wood. I have had several come over sideways. I try to cut as high as possible, because they seem to rot from the base up.

 

[Jay106n]

In the northeast we still have lots of live ash. A lot of the young ones are still healthy. Just the older ones are beginning to die off.

 

[Montanalocal]

Rotting off at the base of Ponderosa Pine dead 5 or 6 years from Pine Bark beetle.

 

[Ashful]

Rotting off at the base of Ponderosa Pine dead 5 or 6 years from Pine Bark beetle.

Wow... depressing.

 

[kennyp2339]

but be careful cutting into old dead ash

I am in the process of trying to explain this to some of my neighbors, I'm starting to take out ash tree's that are on my property because they are looking thinned out lately with there leaves, go 20 miles south of here and there's dead ash all over (morris co.)
I'm telling the neighbors that its already to late for these tree's, it takes about 3 years for this borer to kill the tree, all these tree's up here that have thinned out canopies are already compromised, but that its much safer to take a live tree down then a dead tree.
Tree's are a very sensitive subject for many people, so for me its best to explain what im doing a head of time and my reasoning, just to make sure we are all on the same page and do not develop bad feelings. FYI I can wrangle estimated of course between 75 -100 tree's between 15" & 30" diameter.