Dying ash

[mlappin]

So the ash borer has been hitting em hard here. Just how long can they stand before they are junk? I know something like elm doesn’t last long. The ash I have still has most if not all the bark on em yet, but I’ve been avoiding going into the woods on windy days as some are snapping off halfway up.

Last winter I dropped a hundred ash just out of a 4 acre woods, still have more to go.

I’m wondering if I’d be better off just dropping em, topping em out then dragging the logs out and stockpiling in the open somewhere?

 

[Sodbuster]

Ash has been almost exclusively what I burn due to the Emerald Ash Borer. In Michigan there are few if any mature Ash trees left. I have been cutting Ash that has been dead for at least 10 years, most it is still good. I'm starting to run into some punky stuff, so I think the trees are at their maximum age to be a premium burning wood. I would get all I can CSS asap, that is what I plan to do once we get a hard frost. You'll know the minute your saw hits it if its good wood. Many times near the base and up to 3-4 ft can be punky and the rest of the tree is fine. Trees that crack halfway up give me the heebies. Be careful with those. Hope this helps.

 

[dvscott]

here in western PA all the ash trees have been dead for at least 5 years. a good bit of trees are still standing and the wood is still good to burn

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[jwfirebird]

that stuff is kinda spongy like pine i think i would cover it and leave it out in the wind in the summer, stuff i do i splitstack right away and cover it with plastic but not the sides

 

[Sodbuster]

I keep the punky stuff, if it's not too ridiculous to use for shoulder season; not trying to get all night burns, just some quick heat.

 

[mlappin]

I’m gonna have years worth of firewood if I ever get caught up with em. Just had 72 trees logged mostly for furniture. Mostly red oak, hard maple and cherry with some walnut and white oak as well.

 

[Sodbuster]

My problem is I have 3-4 large oaks that have the wilt. I could cut them as I'm two years ahead, but I have nowhere to store it. I've resigned myself to not stacking wood twice.

 

[Wood Duck]

I have been cutting White Ash that have been dead only for a couple of years and some parts of the trees are already punky. If the tops are breaking off I'd say the trees should be cut ASAP, split, stacked, and covered. Some of my Ash is getting punky while uncovered.

 

[BenTN]

I have cut yard ash that has been dead for 3 years and still solid wood. In my woods ash doeesnt last 2 years before its all punk. I think it depends on the area of the tree. Trees with heavy woodpecker activity during infestation located in dense forest will obviously be exposed to more punk producing mycelium.

 

[beatlefan]

So the ash borer has been hitting em hard here. Just how long can they stand before they are junk? I know something like elm doesn’t last long. The ash I have still has most if not all the bark on em yet, but I’ve been avoiding going into the woods on windy days as some are snapping off halfway up.

Last winter I dropped a hundred ash just out of a 4 acre woods, still have more to go.

I’m wondering if I’d be better off just dropping em, topping em out then dragging the logs out and stockpiling in the open somewhere?

Back to the OP, it’s been my experience that a log lying on the ground will rot faster than a tree that’s standing dead. Logs on the ground always get a lot of moisture under the bark and then they fill up with carpenter ants.

 

[mlappin]

Back to the OP, it’s been my experience that a log lying on the ground will rot faster than a tree that’s standing dead. Logs on the ground always get a lot of moisture under the bark and then they fill up with carpenter ants.

Yah, I kinda was thinking drag em out then use pole trees for spacers between the layers to get a little air movement in the pile.

 

[ohlongarm]

So the ash borer has been hitting em hard here. Just how long can they stand before they are junk? I know something like elm doesn’t last long. The ash I have still has most if not all the bark on em yet, but I’ve been avoiding going into the woods on windy days as some are snapping off halfway up.

Last winter I dropped a hundred ash just out of a 4 acre woods, still have more to go.

I’m wondering if I’d be better off just dropping em, topping em out then dragging the logs out and stockpiling in the open somewhere?

My experience with standing dead ash is that it lasts a long time.Air dried ,i've a two foot ash that was over ten years dead and almost perfect.

 

[gac17]

Ash should be considered structurally compromised at 6 months after failure, especially after damage from EAB. This does not necessarily mean the wood is no good to burn though.

The rapid decay of ash trees should have you taking added care when removing the trees though. Branches and tops may break while felling, ropes and rigging may be unreliable, be sure to have a clear escape route, be aware of falling limbs or tops, and wear you hard hat and eyes. Ashes dead for 6+ months should be climbed and rigged off of with extreme caution.

 

[beatlefan]

Ash should be considered structurally compromised at 6 months after failure, especially after damage from EAB. This does not necessarily mean the wood is no good to burn though.

The rapid decay of ash trees should have you taking added care when removing the trees though. Branches and tops may break while felling, ropes and rigging may be unreliable, be sure to have a clear escape route, be aware of falling limbs or tops, and wear you hard hat and eyes. Ashes dead for 6+ months should be climbed and rigged off of with extreme caution.

gac17 is right. I’ve taken down 13 dead ash trees in the past 4 years. I’ve had some that were dead for a long time and still rocksolid. While others that were dead a short time had sections with what an arborist told me was “white rot.” One very large limb came through the roof on a windy night, causing severe damage.

 

[mlappin]

I wondered given the fact that the ash didn’t exactly die a natural death, then all the small holes the borers made allow moisture under the bark. For the most part didn’t cut a lot of ash up till the borer came along. I also didn’t figure they’d last near as long as something like a red elm when they die, I’ve had red elm go down that the roots basically rotted out from under em and the tree was still solid.