Did I get an okay deal?

[my4fireflies]

We need 6 locusts cleared from the yard. 4 we will use for heat. The other 2 are dead, leaning over the corner of our house and COVERED in poison Ivy so we are just gonna let 'em fall into the wooded area behind our house. My husband's friend said he would fell, limb, and buck 4 and fell the other 2 for $650. These are sizable locusts, but not the biggest ones we have on the property. I'm going to hazard a guess of 50 feet high and 24" in diameter. Can anyone figure out approximately how many cords the 4 will bring and did I get an ok price on the 6 trees? Just looking for a very rough estimate on the cordage. We need 5-7 cords/year.

 

[BCC_Burner]

I would think you'll get a cord or so out of the 4 trees total.

 

[my4fireflies]

I guess my measurements are way off....what the heck do I know? The guy said 4-5 cords....I do think that is a bit optimistic tho. Also--I have read that you can burn locust right away. Is that true? If so, I will have him take down 4 more in a few months and we should be all set for this year and probably next.

 

[lindnova]

It is hard to guess at how much wood you will get. Large trees usually yield 1/2 and up to 1 cord if very large so you might be in the range. As far as cost, this is work at your house and a tree guy likely would be at least that much or more depending on the difficulty of falling your trees close to the house. I think that sounds like a cheap price to me not seeing your yard.

 

[Charles1981]

With him doing all the work it sounds reasonable. I wouldn't expect more than 2 (likely) 3 (if your lucky and these are monster trees) cords of wood though, unless you included the other 2 trees.

You could get a tyvek suit and some nice gloves and pull all the ivy off but that might be more work than you want to...But for locust I would want it all...But I am not particularly sensitive to poison ivy though so it is a lot easier for me to say that.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Spray the ivy with weed killer, then when dead for some time, move that locust to an open spot, next year it will be ready to split, don't just throw it away....send us some pics, guesstimate is 1-5 cords

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Could you do all that work for under $650, if not, it's a good deal.......don't let those 2 with ivy go to waste.... Figure something out.....

 

[my4fireflies]

I'm deathly allergic to poison ivy. I was bedridden with it for 2 weeks in '92 and my skin took over a month to heal, left scars that lasted for years. Worst summer of my life. No amount of cord wood is EVER worth that again. Even my lungs had fluid in them. I have MANY more locusts on the property so losing 2 that are covered in my arch nemesis is okay by me. Sorry if that sounds snobby. LOL!

 

[blades]

To me that is not snobby as I too am highly susceptible to PI, PS, PO. Got hit by it in my mid teens due to some dweeb burning it some where in the vicinity, middle of winter. Took the docs awhile to figure out what was up. Not an enjoyable year at all. I do not get the big blisters more like a bad heat rash , head to toe. Gets in my blood stream. As suggested soak it down with PI killer. Those vines hold the bad oil a couple years at least ,about the only thing that really breaks it down is UV light and time. You can save those trees for firewood just get them moved to an open spot and put them up on something so they are off ground. Strip the vines off before anything else is done.. Do not burn or chip them as this puts the oil in the air ,likely why you had a lung problem with it. Even cutting with vines on the tree will vaporize some of it. Locust is extremely dense, even dead standing is going to be a couple years of drying after cut and split to really get its full potential. Black locust at or very near top of charts Honey Locust down a couple notches still equal to or better than White Oak btu wise. As far as burning those locust after they are down awhile you can strip the bark, that will remove the last vestiges of the ivy and it will be safe to handle and burn.

 

[Gboutdoors]

http://ucanr.edu/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/files/76320.pdf

Take a look at this chart for your answer. I have found it to be close.

 

[my4fireflies]

Brilliant! I didn't think of stripping the bark. The bark FALLS off if the tree is down for awhile. THANK YOU!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

To me that is not snobby as I too am highly susceptible to PI, PS, PO. Got hit by it in my mid teens due to some dweeb burning it some where in the vicinity, middle of winter. Took the docs awhile to figure out what was up. Not an enjoyable year at all. I do not get the big blisters more like a bad heat rash , head to toe. Gets in my blood stream. As suggested soak it down with PI killer. Those vines hold the bad oil a couple years at least ,about the only thing that really breaks it down is UV light and time. You can save those trees for firewood just get them moved to an open spot and put them up on something so they are off ground. Strip the vines off before anything else is done.. Do not burn or chip them as this puts the oil in the air ,likely why you had a lung problem with it. Even cutting with vines on the tree will vaporize some of it. Locust is extremely dense, even dead standing is going to be a couple years of drying after cut and split to really get its full potential. Black locust at or very near top of charts Honey Locust down a couple notches still equal to or better than White Oak btu wise. As far as burning those locust after they are down awhile you can strip the bark, that will remove the last vestiges of the ivy and it will be safe to handle and burn.

Great advice, I'm allergic as well but my point was not to lose those 2 big trees, you could always have someone else destroy the ivy and then remove it, it will take time but like you said, BL needs time to dry out anyways......just don't lose that great wood.....drop those trees in a sunny area and spray away.....

 

[Jags]

Don't plan on those trees for burning this year. Locust is a low moisture wood, but they still ain't gonna be ready in the few months left that you have to season them.

 

[my4fireflies]

Anyone disagree with Jags? Please? LOL! I won't need it til early December--I have a cord and a half left over from last year for October-November. Will 6 months be long enough?

 

[Jags]

Anyone disagree with Jags?

Not if they know whats good for them.

What is your stove??

 

[my4fireflies]

Harman Oakwood

 

[my4fireflies]

Oh yeah, and a small VT castings that I picked up for free

 

[Jags]

The Harman is an EPA stove. EPA stoves like dry wood. "Dry" is an argument unto itself, but most manuals will state somewhere south of 25% MC. I would highly recommend getting your hands on a moisture meter (there are cheap versions that work just fine for firewood). I seriously doubt that 3-5 month seasoned locust will be anywhere near ready.

 

[my4fireflies]

will do! thanks! I have learned so much already!

 

[Soundchasm]

Concerning the value of dropping trees, the guys who risk life and limb to do complex drops safely are worth every penny. The guys who clean up well are worth the other half of what they're paid. It's the brush that I get tired of dealing with. Cut, slide, burn. It's quite a walk down my hill to my burn pit. Down's easy...

 

[blades]

If ya split real small perhaps but not likely for the main trunk portions, very dense wood , doesn't like to give up moisture quickly. Even when the bark is falling off by itself it is still plenty damp on the inside. Best just to wait it out and then be amazed.

 

[NRGarrott]

I'm not sure where you are located fireflies, but around here, 1 skilled laborer goes for $500-$1000 a day. So if you want a carpenter, roofer, electrician, or tree man that is about the going rate. If he can do that job in a day, that is a fair price. 2 days, a good deal, 3 days he is doing you a huge favor. I can't cover my costs for carpentry for $325 a day. I agree with everyone else, spray on poison ivy killer, jack the logs off the ground, and let them season unsplit until the bark comes off.

 

[Dix]

Not if they know whats good for them.

What is your stove??

Ha ha, hee hee !! Jagsy

Try to save that firewood, Girl friend, you won't be angry about it, in the end.

Nice Locust score !!

And welcome to the forums, always nice to see another Sistah here !!

 

[Jon1270]

I have read that you can burn locust right away. Is that true?

No, in this context it is not even remotely true. Based on my experience with black locust, there's no way you're going to be burning it this winter if the trees are still alive now. I guess if you had an outside wood burner and didn't mind wasting a lot of wood and/or smoking out your neighbors then it might be possible, but it ain't gonna happen with an EPA stove. Standing dead trees are another matter; a neighbor took down a long-dead locust this past December and I was burning some of it the next day. As Jags said, BL is low-MC when it's green but "low MC" is still twice as much water as your stove can handle and that water leaves the wood quite slowly. If you want to cut wood now for this winter, you should be looking for either standing dead or very fast-drying stuff like soft maple.

 

[my4fireflies]

Dang. That's what the tree guy said "stack it loosely and it will be ready by Sept." guess we will have to order some? grrr.