cut a load of alder today

[4fire]

My dad and I took both our trucks up to get more wood today. Lots of alder piled up. Alder dries fast and this stuff's been piled up for a long time.

No need to abuse my truck. A sensible load.

But there were some BIG ones burried in that load!

 

[ecocavalier02]

looks like a fun day for cutting.

 

[Wood Duck]

Here in PA we have a couple species of alder but ours never get anywhere near the size of that stuff. A six inch diameter alder here would be a champion.

 

[firefighterjake]

Here in PA we have a couple species of alder but ours never get anywhere near the size of that stuff. A six inch diameter alder here would be a champion.

Ditto . . . alders here seem to be more like an overgrown bush . . . usually they're about the same size of staghorn sumac.

As a kid I used to cut a cord of alders for an elderly hermit lady (we called her the "Goat Lady" since she had a herd of goats that she used for their milk and meat). She heated her shack (and it was a shack) with a single cord of alder wood each year.

I look back now and am actually amazed since I know she could not have had that shack super-insulated . . . of course as a kid I just remember that was the toughest $50 I ever earned . . . well maybe not tough (that would be raking blueberries) . . . more like time consuming . . . it took forever to cut up a cord of alders when most were no more than 3 inches in diameter and all I was using was a bow saw and ax.

 

[Jags]

Holy old growth stump in the first pic. Is that a single stump? Dang thing is huge.

 

[maplewood]

I didn't know alder grew so big! It is just a nuisance bush here.
Is it a decent hard wood?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I think it is two types of alder. What we usually see on this side of the country is usually referred to as tag alder. Not good for much.

 

[4fire]

I'm pretty sure this stuff is red alder. Those big rounds I cut may be some of the biggest alder I've seen.

I didn't know alder grew so big! It is just a nuisance bush here.
Is it a decent hard wood?

Lots of people burn it because it's so available but it's very light. My friend's grandpa calls it "running man's wood".....because you're always running to the stove to reload! It's not that bad and I don't mind burning it at all. It splits real easy, it's plentiful, and it dries fast. The red colors in the grain are kind of pretty when split too.
It does kinda grow like a weed here and is one of the first things that grows in a disturbed area.
I'm on my way outside to split and stack now.

 

[4fire]

And the weather is so nice that I can open the windows and crank the music while I'm outside splitting!

 

[Pat53]

Here in PA we have a couple species of alder but ours never get anywhere near the size of that stuff. A six inch diameter alder here would be a champion.

Same here. The only alder we have here they call "tag alder" Biggest I've even seen is about 4" diameter and about 20' high. Lots of it, around, but not worth the time to cut it.

 

[WellSeasoned]

Thats a good day, and some big rounds too

 

[thewoodlands]

Nice days work Blacktail.


zap

 

[4fire]

I'm wiped out from splitting and stacking today. I think my property is at maximum wood capacity. I even made a small holzhaufen in the woods out back as a temporary storage spot. I split everything from yesterday and all the stuff my dad dropped off last week. I only left the few big alder rounds.
It's interesting to see the variety of color in alder.

 

[quercus_kelloggii]

I like easy to split firewood. I like doug-fir for that reason, and it's 'xmas' tree smell.

Cuts easy and is relatively light too.

Don't have a ton of alder here save for along waterways.

Pretty wood in your pics.

Nice saw too.

 

[Oregon Bigfoot]

Nice alder for sure! It burns hot and fast. It's great shoulder season wood and easy to light. And alder for smoked salmon, is bonus! You should save a few alder "planks" for the bbq. You have a nice fish sticker in your window. Fishing must be your other hobby, like it is mine.

 

[4fire]

Nice alder for sure! It burns hot and fast. It's great shoulder season wood and easy to light. And alder for smoked salmon, is bonus! You should save a few alder "planks" for the bbq. You have a nice fish sticker in your window. Fishing must be your other hobby, like it is mine.

Unfortunately, the rivers around here closed early for the winter due to low wild steelhead returns.
One of my other hobbies is riding my dual sport motorcycle. A couple of years ago I was riding an area where a brush cutter had cut a bunch of small alders along an overgrown road. They left alder chunks and chips everywhere so I made a couple of trips and loaded up. I have a few boxes of alder chunk in my garage for the smoker.
And I just put some blacktail steaks on the grill

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I didn't know alder grew so big! It is just a nuisance bush here.
Is it a decent hard wood?

It's not the best but there's lots of it around here.