I scored today kind of

[mattjm1017]

I went to check this out today and it looks pretty good

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/zip/3977230445.html

The guy said its been sitting there for about two winters its a lot of pine and some gum and maybe oak. Ill be heading back over there tomorrow to start cutting it up and hauling it out.

 

[pen]

If it's easy access and free, it's hard to do much better.

Good find.

pen

 

[Paulywalnut]

Yep looks good. Hopefully not too much Gum

 

[mattjm1017]

Its free and pretty easy to get only about 20 minutes from the house so Im pretty happy with it. I dont think theres much gum in there but Im not to worried about it Ive got two gums split and stacked this summer so far and they werent to bad.

 

[ScotO]

I say go for it.....but most of it looks to be pine, from what I can see in the pics. Good shoulder season wood for next spring or fall, if you have the room....

 

[NortheastAl]

Looks like a great score. Won't have to season it so long.

 

[mattjm1017]

I say go for it.....but most of it looks to be pine, from what I can see in the pics. Good shoulder season wood for next spring or fall, if you have the room....

Thats exactly what Im thinking this will all be for next year and as far as the room goes I have plenty the only problem Im having now is deciding where to start another stack.

 

[mattjm1017]

Ok so I went out yesterday and got a load of this wood some of it is a little punky which is to be expected since its been laying on the ground for a couple years in the center its fine but as I cutting it up I believe I found termites . They were under the bark of a lot of the pine I ripped the bark off of all the rounds I brought home but now Im worried that I made a mistake by knowingly bringing termites home I brought home 10 rounds and stacked them up on pallets out behind one of my sheds should I move them, get rid of them, stay away from this wood or is it ok and Im just worrying about nothing? I dont have a current termite treatment (I know I need to get it done but its so expensive) and when we moved in there was termite damage on one of the sheds but a termite inspector said there was no sign of active termites anywhere around the house. I guess this is really bugging me Im nervous about termites and am worried that I screwed up by bringing them home and putting them near a building.I included some pics of the bugs in question.

 

[mattjm1017]

After some further research Im 100% sure they are termites I dont think I should have brought the wood home I feel like that was a bad idea.

 

[Woody Stover]

I just got back over to pick up some Silver that I had cut about three months back. The owner had stacked it on the ground and it had termites, especially the moister rounds on the bottom. I chopped away as much of the infested wood as I could, and some of the loose bark. I figure I disrupted the colony enough that they won't survive on their own for too long. I haven't split it but have it stacked off the ground and top-covered. As an additional safety measure, I left the wood at somebody else's house.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One of the hazards of scrounging. This is why we stack the wood off the ground. If that had been stacked off the ground it probably would not have been punky nor would it have housed those termites.

 

[mattjm1017]

One of the hazards of scrounging. This is why we stack the wood off the ground. If that had been stacked off the ground it probably would not have been punky nor would it have housed those termites.

Is it ok to keep it though? Im just worried about bringing termites to my house especially since I live a major termite area.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Get the wood off the ground and get it dry. The little critters should leave. Just chalk this up as a lesson to remember for the future. Good luck Matt.

 

[mattjm1017]

One more question should I continue to get wood from this guy? Theres probably at least a cord of free easy to get to wood there only problem is the termites.

 

[clemsonfor]

Ok dont worry too much.

I have a pest applicators license for work. NOt a daily thing but i need it to oversee herbicide, which weeds are a pest so herbicide is classified as a pessticide.. Confused yet??

Anyway as part of the several week class you discuss termites..obviously.

The thing about them is that there everywhere already. Hopefully not in your shed or home, but thats because your home wood is dry and or you have a termite treatement where the ground under your home has been flooded with termitecide making it impossible for them to be near or under your home.

They are are very tender bodied insect. They cant dry out or really be exposed to sun. They dry really easy and will die from what i understand. If you stack that wood off the ground they will die. They need to get to the ground for moisture, thats why they have mud tubes so that they can keepp the humidity high where they move.

At my house i have no termites in the home but if i leave splits on the ground for a few weeks or a stick like a 2x4 in the right place i could have termites as soon as a few weeks.

If there in your area, meaning you have to worry about treating your home, there close enough already.

Just stack it off the ground AWAY from your house and you will be fine. Split it and keep it dry and there will be no termites in that wood in a few weeks i garentee you. And remember damp wood is what there after. If you home does not have a super damp crawl or a leaky roof or water running all over the sides in the shade keeping it damp they wont want to eat your home.

 

[clemsonfor]

i too see mostly pine. ANd that pine is not good for lumber anymore. Just looked at the add.

 

[mattjm1017]

i too see mostly pine. ANd that pine is not good for lumber anymore. Just looked at the add.

Thanks for the termite advice I was pretty worried about them but I guess it will be ok I also talked to my pest control guy today and he said not to worry about them either. So I guess its ok. And yes the logs are no good for lumber they've been sitting on stacked on the ground for about two years. They are mostly pine and as you know they've got termites. The termites appear to be mainly just between the bark and the wood it doesn't look like they have gone very far into the wood not really even into the surface. So Ill be going back to get the rest to burn for next year and leaving the bark at his house.

 

[pyroholic]

I just picked up 1-½ cords of pine for free. Nothing wrong with pine as long as it's seasoned properly. Doesn't hurt to burn it in a mixed load too. Helps to prevent over firing.

The pine I got was 12"-20" rounds, cut to around 18" (perfect for my stove), and didn't have much sap. Guy said they were whites and reds. Saw white around, but not too familiar with red. Not to good at any pines without needles to look at.