Does ash dry as fast as some say?

[dreezon]

I'm in a bit of a crisis situation. I decided very recently to purchase a soapstone stove and would really like to be able to use it steadily this winter.

I already had almost half a cord of hickory that's been drying for over a year, but that won't last me long. I scored almost two cords of black locust, mulberry, osage orange and cherry, mostly of rather small diameter. This stuff had been cut down, de-branched and pilled up in a field a year ago, so I'm hoping some of the smaller stuff might be usable, but I know that cutting to length is what really matters when it comes to drying, and I just did that.

I also have access to two good sized ash trees. I've seen some say that ash can be burned right away, and I know that it does have an exceptionally low moisture content when green, but I've also read that it's still at 40+ percent moisture.

So... can I get away with burning ash cut in August this winter?

I'm not so concerned about sacrifice in heat output. (I have access to about 30 trees for the coming years and don't mind the work.) I'm more concerned about creosote buildup and possible issues with the catalytic combuster on the stove.

What about locust and osage orange? I've heard similar claims about being able to burn these woods very quickly, and the stuff I have was at least cut down and in the sun (and rain, I know) for a year before I cut it up.

I've also considered asking a firewood dealer if he would trade me a load or two of green wood for a load of seasoned stuff. Seems they usually have an ample supply anyway.

 

[rdust]

I have about a cord of white ash that was a living tree, not one of the many standing dead here in Michigan. I split and stacked it the first week of May and it's reading anywhere from 20%-25% already. Get it done now and it'll probably burn pretty nice by Nov./Dec.

I've heard black locust seasons similar to white ash due to the lower m/c to start, I have not experience with it though.

 

[burntime]

It will burn much better then other wood cut in August but not great.... I know our white birch and what we call choke cherry dries very fast. The chokecherry is at 25 percent after a month...

 

[dreezon]

Thanks for the responses so far.

What about the creosote issue—is that still a concern with these woods when not fully seasoned?

Any recommendations on moisture meters and where to get them?

 

[burntime]

Anytime you burn less then optimal seasoned wood there is creosote. In general the wetter the wood the more moisture to carry out the chimney and the cooler the gasses get...thats what forms the creosote.

 

[rdust]

Any recommendations on moisture meters and where to get them?

I bought a cheap one off amazon, it was about 20 bucks and seems to work good enough for my needs.

 

[ManiacPD]

If you can leave the trees down, just drop them now. Leave the limbs and leaves on them. The leaves will continue to suck water out of the trunk but since the truck is disconnected from the stump no more water goes into the tree. When the leaves turn brown and are dry (about 3 weeks or so) limb it and saw it up. Get it split. Split even the smaller rounds you'd normally leave round. Stack it up in rows with a foot or so between the rows of split wood and it will dry. It should burn fine by the time cold weather hits.

Growing up we drop our trees in June after mud season and left the limbs on them. There were trees down everywhere! In September we'd work them up and get it done by October and we'd be burning them in November. Never had a creosote problem. This was my grandfather's method from back in the days on the farm in the 1930s and 1940s. Drop the trees after planting and work them up after the harvest.

Good luck!

 

[dreezon]

Thank you for those suggestions. I think I'll do that (if the property owner doesn't mind).

I know 20% is a target moister level, but what is considered passable?

 

[ManiacPD]

I don't own a moisture meter. I work at a wood processing facility and I've used the one we have and I can't find a method that gives me a reliable, repeatable number so I won't buy one. I think there is too much variability in the way you use it. On one piece alone I got readings from under 12% to over 30%.

When the wood ends are checked from the center to the outside edges, the bark starts to fall off, and it makes a nice "tunk" sound when you hit two pieces together it is dry enough to burn. My firewood was cut with a processor in late March and, even with this wet summer, I would burn it now if I needed to.

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

I did it the first year. Bucked a bit short (14"), loose stack in wind and sun, and split on the small side. The ash burned fine and there was no creosote issue. I did run a bit more open on the draft and went though a bit more wood the first winter.

Get cutting. I had Ash, and Cherry on the top of my list. I reluctantly passed on some Oak and maple as I needed wood right away. Some of it was 8-10 weeks off the stump.
ATB,
Mike

 

[dreezon]

Thanks again for all the replies. Yeah, the first tree I took after deciding to get the stove was a red oak, and I knew I wouldn't be able to use that this year. I'm hoping this ash will save me. Also I have access to a couple of small, very dead apple trees. Any thoughts on those?

 

[gzecc]

Stack the ash and black locust with plenty of air flow in the sun if you can. They both start around 30%mc. They could be acceptable by November. Split them small

 

[dreezon]

Thanks for the additional points. Most of the locust is already getting a good amount of sun and air flow, and the ash will end up in the sunniest part of my yard. Do you happen to know what moisture level osage orange starts out at?

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Thanks for the additional points. Most of the locust is already getting a good amount of sun and air flow, and the ash will end up in the sunniest part of my yard. Do you happen to know what moisture level osage orange starts out at?

I always have the top only of my stacks covered with black plastic that you can buy at a hardware store (comes on a roll-or you can use garbage bags)-it seems to attract more sunlight and heat, but only cover the top, not the sides. I don't know about the moisture content of Osage Orange, but I know that it is related to Mulberry which is very wet when green. Best of luck to you!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

dreezon, you asked, "So… can I get away with burning ash cut in August this winter?"

The quick answer is yes. Just make sure you do not engage the cat until the fire is going really good. I'd say a minimum of 1/2 hour to be safe.

Ash will probably not test out at 40% when it is cut; it will be lower than that. The key is to cut it to length, get it split (small) and loosely stacked in the sun and where wind will hit the side of the pile. Or you can stack it cross hatch like BB likes to do. That takes a bit more room but does expose more wood to the air.

We've burned ash for many years and one year we had some bad things happen and ended up having to burn green ash (we even had to buy it) all winter. We stayed warm. Yes, it did take a little more wood and yes, we had to clean the chimney at least 3 times that winter, but we didn't freeze and we got through it okay. But again, you have a cat stove so need to be aware that moisture is the cats worst enemy. So once you load the stove, make certain you have a great fire going before engaging the cat. That does not mean just to char the wood either. Make sure it is burning really good before engaging the cat. Watch the chimney a few times for smoke after engaging the cat. If it smokes, you might have a problem. No smoke, no worries.

 

[dreezon]

Thank you, backwoods savage. As I asked in a private message, is the disadvantage of burning wood that's not fully seasoned so great that I should just leave the stove sitting this year? Would the situation be better with a non-catalytic stove?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

And my answer is to burn the stove; just leave the cat off longer.

Yes, a non-cat will take unseasoned wood better simply because there is no cat to ruin. However, it will not burn the wood any better. With a cat, you can ruin the cat with unseasoned wood unless you leave the cat disengaged longer to allow the moisture to evaporate before putting the smoke through the cat. I hope this made sense.

 

[ikessky]

I had a white ash that I just dropped on Thursday evening. The butt pieces were probably 20" or so and I could barely lift them into the pickup. I dumped them off at my wood pile, but didn't get them split because it was getting dark. I drop past the same pieces yesterday and they are already starting to check. We've been blessed with some great drying weather though. I don't think you'll have a problem with your white ash, but listen to what the others are saying about when to engage your cat.