Dead trees? Usable?

[acritzer]

I suspect the answer is I have to drop the tree to know...but generally speaking are dead trees usable for firewood? How long does it take for them to begin decomposing and turn into softer pulp like wood (which I assume is no good?).

We have a huge tree in the back hillside that is tempting me to fell it. We also had a similar one, that pulled out on it's own, but I don't think I can use it. Too far gone.

Any words of wisdom?

 

[jetsam]

I take dead trees almost exclusively. Standing dead almost always has good wood in it. Softwood with bark on often has some spongy bug eaten stuff at the bottom and then gets good above that. Even rotten soggy barkless softwood usually has some good stuff higher up in the tree where it gets smaller. Standing dead hardwood is almost always a win- you can (rarely) get mostly dry oak that is ready to go in a year or less.

Wood with a punky outside may seem like a waste of time at first glance but the punky layer dries very fast if it's wet, and there will usually be solid wood inside. I usually just check it with a hatchet before dropping to see how deep the punky layer is. These trees can be dangerous to drop as the bottom is usually the worst bug eaten part, but I drop a lot of them.

Down trees: If you find softwood on the ground it's not likely to be great, but buck a round out of the middle and see how it looks. You can always keep going if you don't like it.

Downed hardwood is likely to be good but need almost as much dry time as green wood if it's been in contact with the ground along the whole length. (Often it's not; the terrain isn't even or some branches are propping it up a little.)

In short, yes you can burn it, whatever it is.

Dead trees are dangerous to drop because they are much less predictable than live trees. You never know if you'll get a solid hinge on a rotten/bugeaten tree. You can often mitigate somewhat by making the stump as tall as you can comfortably cut.

Have multiple escape routes planned, remember the tree may not fall the way you think it will, and keep an eye on it while you run. If you get bad wood in the hinge area it may twist as it falls and change direction. When possible I like to have a "shelter" route or two that is both out of the planned direction of the fall, and which features a bigger tree that I could get behind in a pinch.

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

Dead standing trees is a good source of firewood, however once bucked and split some of this may still take from a few months to even 2-3 years for oak itself. Once cut do not leave it laying on the ground unprotected as many species tend to rot there fairly quickly.
Cut, buck, split, stack on 4x4's or pallets in sunny windy area and cover the top of the face cords only enabling the wood to dry/season.

 

[acritzer]

I take dead trees almost exclusively. Standing dead almost always has good wood in it. Softwood with bark on often has some spongy bug eaten stuff at the bottom and then gets good above that. Even rotten soggy barkless softwood usually has some good stuff higher up in the tree where it gets smaller. Standing dead hardwood is almost always a win- you can get mostly dry oak that is ready to go in a year or less.

Wood with a punky outside may seem like a waste of time at first glance but the punky layer dries very fast if it's wet, and there will usually be solid wood inside. I usually just check it with a hatchet before dropping to see how deep the punky layer is. These trees can be dangerous to drop as the bottom is usually the worst bug eaten part, but I drop a lot of them.

Down trees: If you find softwood on the ground it's not likely to be great, but buck a round out of the middle and see how it looks. You can always keep going if you don't like it.

Downed hardwood is likely to be good but need almost as much dry time as green wood if it's been in contact with the ground along the whole length. (Often it's not; the terrain isn't even or some branches are propping it up a little.)

Ok, thanks for the reply. I'll go look at the one that fell on it's own again. I really only poked around near the bottom and gave up on it. I'll cut some into the middle and see what it's like. Then I'll come up with a plan to drop this other one. If most of it is OK it'll likely be enough for several seasons.

 

[stoveliker]

Also, please be aware of falling branches; dead trees may drop a few on your noggin when you cut them...

 

[MTASH]

On public lands, dead or downfall is all we're allowed to harvest. In most cases there is nothing wrong with the wood as long as it's not in contact with the ground.

 

[bikedennis]

Also beware, snags can bounce when hitting the ground. Can be deadly.