Green Mossy Bark

[teekal]

I recently cut down a bunch of standing/dead trees. The moisture level is good to burn already on the fresh splits, but there is green spongy moss on the outside of most of the bark.

Do you guys think this is ok to burn if I give it a week or two to dry in my garage first?

 

[claydogg84]

It won't take much for that to burn off in the stove. If the wood is good to go, I say burn it.

 

[Woody Stover]

That indicates a source of moisture...probably punky sapwood which has soaked up water. It would take a while to dry the moisture out of the punkwood. In the past, I've scraped off the punk as I processed the wood (mostly Red Oak.) It's a pain in the butt though.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I'd let it dry in the garage for a week, and test it, burn some cruddy side up, some cruddy side to the coals. If you get decent results, there you go. When it freezes, any light fluffy or punky wood will easily remove itself with a hatchet if need be.

 

[xman23]

Punk wood burns fine, just dry it out. I have a special covered pile for punk. It can never get wet because it soaks up water like a sponge. So just dry it, don't waste your time and effort trying to strip the punk.

 

[BamaScroungr]

That indicates a source of moisture...probably punky sapwood which has soaked up water. It would take a while to dry the moisture out of the punkwood. In the past, I've scraped off the punk as I processed the wood (mostly Red Oak.) It's a pain in the butt though.

Sorry to disagree Woody but in my experience moss and punk don't go hand in hand. I've had bone dry osage splits with bright green moss that clung to it for months.

 

[Applesister]

It doesnt have a very good smell when you first throw it in the stove. But it burns off pretty quick.
Moss rubs off fairly easy if you run a gloved hand up and down the bark or a wire brush works, if youre inclined.

 

[teekal]

Sorry to disagree Woody but in my experience moss and punk don't go hand in hand. I've had bone dry osage splits with bright green moss that clung to it for months.

Ya, the wood itself is <20% throughout, it's just this mossy green bark on the outside.

 

[Poindexter]

Try a test piece to be sure, but under 20% on the important part i would burn it.

 

[TreePointer]

Sorry to disagree Woody but in my experience moss and punk don't go hand in hand. I've had bone dry osage splits with bright green moss that clung to it for months.

I agree. The green moss I see around here is not an indicator of punky wood under the bark.

 

[Woody Stover]

Yeah, looking closer at the pic, that wood looks solid; Some kind of Pine I guess. I'll have to look closer, but around here I don't think there's much moss on wood, more often some type of lichen. Wood that's been down a while may get some punk and moss, though.

 

[firefighterjake]

Looks like elm to me . . . just about all the dead elm I cut look like that . . . unless they've been dead for a few years.

If it is elm I am guessing that the wood itself will not burn very well (but not due to the moss -- due to the moisture in the wood) unless you give it a year or so . . . if it is elm and the bark was falling off or was nearly bare I would say you might be good to burn it now.

 

[teekal]

Looks like elm to me . . . just about all the dead elm I cut look like that . . . unless they've been dead for a few years.

If it is elm I am guessing that the wood itself will not burn very well (but not due to the moss -- due to the moisture in the wood) unless you give it a year or so . . . if it is elm and the bark was falling off or was nearly bare I would say you might be good to burn it now.

Even if the moisture level on a fresh split is at 20%?

I tried a few pieces today... got the stove going nice and hot and then dropped in a couple of these, they seemed to burn just fine. Certainly not as great as my really dry stuff, but they burned for a while, and the temperature stayed at 500 degrees throughout.

 

[claydogg84]

Even if the moisture level on a fresh split is at 20%?

I tried a few pieces today... got the stove going nice and hot and then dropped in a couple of these, they seemed to burn just fine. Certainly not as great as my really dry stuff, but they burned for a while, and the temperature stayed at 500 degrees throughout.

If you're getting 20% with the moisture meter there's no reason not to burn it now.

 

[BrotherBart]

Stick the moisture meter in the junk on the outside and see if you have a bunch of water there that will have to boil off. If not, rock and roll.

 

[firefighterjake]

Even if the moisture level on a fresh split is at 20%?

I tried a few pieces today... got the stove going nice and hot and then dropped in a couple of these, they seemed to burn just fine. Certainly not as great as my really dry stuff, but they burned for a while, and the temperature stayed at 500 degrees throughout.

In that case I would burn it if you need the wood . . . if not wait a year.

 

[mtbmike]

?

 

[markam]

?

i would worry about witches coming after me if i used that wood

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

Just an FYI, mosses don't soak up water from what they are growing on. Their root system is just for anchoring them to a surface, not absorbing nutrients.

 

[BenTN]

were they cut from a North facing slope? moss will tend to grow on the North side due to less sun exposure. i have living trees on my lot that are covered 10-15' high with moss. it tends to peel off easy enough. BTUs is BTUs. <20% on fresh split i would say is a score.

 

[Pennsyltucky Chris]

It looks like Ash to me. I get a ton of big branches covered in lichens. Looks the same.