Cutting Older down trees

[HarvestMan]

I have access to an abundance of older downed wood that I can cut up. Some of it has obviously gone too far and I just don't bother with it. There seems to be quite a bit that is on the border line and was wondering how others decide when to take it and when to leave it. Here are a few pictures.

Also, for the leaning tree, do you mess with these and if so, how to you go about cutting it safely.

Thanks.

 

[JA600L]

I guess it depends how bad you need the wood. It all burns but if you have access to better go for better. This looks like great shoulder season wood.

 

[Applesister]

That woodlot looks like a gold mine to me!! Yum..yum..
The pics of the cut rounds looks like White Oak. From personal experience this stuff dries well within a year and burns SO much better than say..fresh cut poplar or birch.
Ive gone to alot of woodlot management seminars and seen well managed properties. Where absolutely nothing was laying on the ground.
My woodlot unfortunately looks just like your posts. Its an embarrassment to have White Oak laying on the ground with the sapwood gone. Its blasphemy.
Cut the trees with your saw, oak stays solid and so does black cherry and locust.
Maple rots thruout....you dont really need to know the species just be able to judge with your saw the resistance when you are cutting. Lol...if it cuts like butter its probably not gonna put out much heat.
You can go for the snags but they are usually more aggrevation. Bring an extra bar with you and extra chains and wedges. Chains and come-a-longs and wire slings and nylon slings snatch blocks and a 100hp tractor...lol. haha...just kidding.
Snags will pinch the saw but they arent impossible.

 

[Applesister]

Here's some dead standing Black Cherry, it looked awful from the outside but the heartwood was solid. You dont know till you cut.

 

[2PistolPacker]

I took down an oak that had been standing dead for 15 years or more, it has a layer of decay about 2 inches thick around the outside, but the other 24 inches of the trunk were as solid and rock hard as it gets. You just don't know until you put a saw into it.

 

[northwinds]

You never know until you start bucking it up. The exposed rounds in your pics look like keepers. When the wood starts getting crumbly or has lost significant weight, then I toss it aside. Even the crumbly stuff burns well in the firepit, so I err on the side of taking it home if I've gone to the trouble of
bucking it up.

 

[Fred Wright]

Yep, I wouldn't bother with the real punky stuff. It's more work than it's worth. You may have to cut some of it if it's in your road but that's all I'd cut. Just enough to get access to what you want.

The leaner looks easy from here but I'd suggest caution. Ensure there's no tension from jammed limbs or spring poles that could push the log back atcha when it's cut. With tension relieved, start a few feet from the base. Make a partial cut from the top and finish from beneath.

The log's gonna drop so make sure your feet are clear.

 

[midwestcoast]

Along with what others said I basically go by "if it'll split, I'll burn it".
Once stuff gets too punky it'll break & crumble when you try to split, and a twisted, knotty tree becomes much harder to split once it gets even a bit punky.
Any wood with punky parts, even just around the outside should be top covered because the punky bits will absorb rainwater & never dry out.

 

[husky345 vermont resolute]

I don't even bother with punky wood. There so much dead ash now u can be fussy

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

This was a question that I was about to pose myself. I just came in from splitting some shagbark hickory I had taken down, and some maple which was essentially standing dead. When splitting the maple, it just looks awful, and you can split it with a butter knife. It has mold and mushroom on the outside and ends, yet inside it looks better although still not firm and fresh, but I don't know if it is worth seasoning. Will it dry or just continue decaying and not be worth my while? It is already cut to length, laying in my yard, and easy to split (some of it just shatters into pieces). What would you do?

 

[Applesister]

If you have room to store the lesser BTUs, they need to be covered by something, like Midwestcoast said. It is more critical if you cut dead stuff. Live, fresh cut green trees can withstand the elements better. (For a while anyway)
I would keep sugar maple in hopes that it gives off some heat at the end of the drying period. But you have to remember that decomposition has taken place and the wood burns quicker than solid wood. Red maple...IDK it may be okay(after some work)
Its hard to judge what is solid, you need to cut it with something. A gouge or spoke shave or even a pocket knife. I use my fingernail to judge punk levels. When its full of water its hard to feel if its solid and can be misleading.
I cut out the solid stuff with the splitter and dispose of the spongy parts.
Im cleaning up areas where downed trees are so I process alot of punk. I like leaving the healthy trees.
I pretty much go after oak though. I love dead oak.

 

[2PistolPacker]

This was a question that I was about to pose myself. I just came in from splitting some shagbark hickory I had taken down, and some maple which was essentially standing dead. When splitting the maple, it just looks awful, and you can split it with a butter knife. It has mold and mushroom on the outside and ends, yet inside it looks better although still not firm and fresh, but I don't know if it is worth seasoning. Will it dry or just continue decaying and not be worth my while? It is already cut to length, laying in my yard, and easy to split (some of it just shatters into pieces). What would you do?

Personally I would throw it back out into the woods, sounds like it is past having much BTU value and not worth the effort.

 

[Applesister]

Emerald Ash Borer hasnt reached this area yet. It is another horrible tragedy of evolution. Ash was my fathers favorite wood for firewood.
He was a King and he did warm his slippers by it.

 

[Applesister]

If you dragged it out of the woods make use of it.

 

[2PistolPacker]

If you dragged it out of the woods make use of it.

Applesister, do you split your own firewood?

 

[HarvestMan]

Just got back from cutting, here are my results: tested 5 downed trees by cutting into them. Two cut like butter (red oak and black cherry); tested at top and bottom of tree; walked away from these. Three cut harder than a normal tree (pretty sure these are white oak). Based on the advice here, I will first be testing with the saw and if there is still some doubt, I will split it. If I can get small splits that hold up, I am taking it. Here are a few pictures of today's keepers. The rounds were quite light and I split one and it measured 24% MC. Since the root mass was still attached, assuming these died first before eventually falling over from wind.

 

[2PistolPacker]

It still looks solid in the middle, good find.

 

[CenterTree]

ALL looks good to me. Free HEAT!

 

[claydogg84]

Just got back from cutting, here are my results: tested 5 downed trees by cutting into them. Two cut like butter (red oak and black cherry); tested at top and bottom of tree; walked away from these. Three cut harder than a normal tree (pretty sure these are white oak). Based on the advice here, I will first be testing with the saw and if there is still some doubt, I will split it. If I can get small splits that hold up, I am taking it. Here are a few pictures of today's keepers. The rounds were quite light and I split one and it measured 24% MC. Since the root mass was still attached, assuming these died first before eventually View attachment 148122 View attachment 148125 View attachment 148126 View attachment 148127 View attachment 148129 falling over from wind.

I think that's oak, nice find.

 

[claydogg84]

This was a question that I was about to pose myself. I just came in from splitting some shagbark hickory I had taken down, and some maple which was essentially standing dead. When splitting the maple, it just looks awful, and you can split it with a butter knife. It has mold and mushroom on the outside and ends, yet inside it looks better although still not firm and fresh, but I don't know if it is worth seasoning. Will it dry or just continue decaying and not be worth my while? It is already cut to length, laying in my yard, and easy to split (some of it just shatters into pieces). What would you do?

Dead punky wood will dry out a bit if stacked and covered, but it will burn quickly. Post a picture so we have a better idea how bad it is.

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

Dead punky wood will dry out a bit if stacked and covered, but it will burn quickly. Post a picture so we have a better idea how bad it is.

I'll do it tomorrow in the day light.

 

[Grateful11]

I found a downed tree some years ago here on the farm that my late FIL obviously cut probably 20-30 years ago. It looked terrible on the outside like Applesister said but as soon as I stuck a saw it I knew it was rock solid and it only took a few seconds to know it was Cherry. It was almost too nice looking to burn. I did save a few pieces for my woodworking hobby, maybe for some turning.

 

[HarvestMan]

Here are the rounds I ended up with. Going for a walk with my better half in a few minutes ... going to show her my winter play ground and scout out the next bunch of downed trees to check with the saw.

 

[lindnova]

As others have said if it cuts fast leave it, if it is petrified oak by all means use it - it is great stuff even years later.

Other than oak any tree that has been dead for a few years and fallen like maple or elm is not on my list anymore.

 

[Soundchasm]

I've been fooled bigtime by Hickory TWICE now. The rounds held together and quartered nicely. Heavy as all get-out. Once I started to split the quarters some months later, entire sections of the quarter would break off and be weightless. Probably a 25% loss. Ugh.

I think it was Bitternut Hickory both times. Reminds me of the Gomer Pyle, "Fooled me once, shame on you. Fooled me twice, shame on me.".