Today's scrounge is several trailer loads of recently-felled BL. If I C/S/S it immediately, think I could burn it this coming winter safely?
BL drying time?
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I've found it on the ground, no bark, and it was already <18%. No experience with live-cut trees, though. I do have a couple of live storm-damaged ones in the BL stack that have two summers' drying on them. I'm hoping they will be ready this winter.
I think all dense woods i.e. sugar maple, black locust, black birch, beech, oak, hedge, and hickory all benefit from a minimum of 2 years.
Ram 1500 with an axe...
Minister of Fire
I say probably not, unless you split some very thin, stack it in sun and wind so that you can test it out this winter....
ailanthus
Feeling the Heat
Jon1270
Minister of Fire
I don't have decades of burning experience, but one of the first scrounges I ever brought home was a large quantity of black locust, acquired in late 2012 and early 2013. My avatar is a pic of that haul. That wood was not worth burning this past winter. I expect it will be fine by this fall. So, I'd say at least 2 summers, if not 2 full years.
Bret Chase
Minister of Fire
was it dead standing or live? in my experience.... once the bark starts to fall off, it's ready to go. I have cut down, bucked, split and stacked dead locust that would light with a single wooden match laid on it.... within 2 days of being cut down.
cut down live(and healthy)... yeah, give it a couple years...
cut down live(and healthy)... yeah, give it a couple years...
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
I burn a lot of BL. Logs that are down for years show no rot but still really do well with 2 year seasoning. Green is three years for me. Locust burns so much better with some other kind of hardwood mixed with it.
Bret Chase
Minister of Fire
Was your splitter leaking gas on it?
lol, no... these trees were dead for over a decade.... no bark on them what so ever...
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
When you put locust in your woodstove and it's not seasoned enough, you'll know it. It puts the fire out or smokes the whole area up. Experienced BL burner.
I know time is better... my last stack of BL had 2 years drying on it and it was like burning uranium. I'm just trying to figure if I can get away with less to make up for work changes &*%#ing up my scrounging.
Bret Chase
Minister of Fire
I don't get the whole BL is hard to light thing. If I want I can burn straight loads with no problems at all. My stash is well seasoned however.
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
Pennsyltucky Chris
Minister of Fire
I've done fine on 10 months seasoning. I even burned BL that I placed next to the stove for 2 days after it was split within 2 weeks. Both were excellent.
3 years? No. I mean no offense to anyone here who disagrees, but I think we get a little elitist about our burning. I do have BL seasoning for next year (2015-16), but I'll dip into it without thinking twice if I run out this year.
3 years? No. I mean no offense to anyone here who disagrees, but I think we get a little elitist about our burning. I do have BL seasoning for next year (2015-16), but I'll dip into it without thinking twice if I run out this year.
I have burned one year BL and it sucks. Constantly fiddling with the air and stalling the cat. It is so trouble free after two years.
What stove do you have PC? I hear comments that are all over the board regarding wood moisture, and cat vs. non-cat. Seems the general consensus is that non-cats handle wet wood better, but some who have both say they had less trouble with damp stuff in their cat stove...
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