Ideas for utilizing slash piles

[7acres]

I finished processing the canopy of two shagbark hickories this weekend. I kept wondering as the slash pile grew and grew, "Man, there's a lot of BTUs there! How can I turn this into something useful for the wood stove?"

I kept thinking of what other people do. All I came up with was torching the whole pile in the Spring. I have to confess I bucked down to about 2" diameter. I know a lot of you don't fool with rounds that small. But at this point I like saving that wood for some nice kindling and/or campfire fuel. In the Spring I'll break up a bunch of dry twigs for kindling too.

I was contemplating chipping up the whole pile up and turning it into super cedar-like pucks. I keep bees and have beeswax a-plenty. The thought of dry hickory shavings formed into flammable beeswax pucks/bricks had me wondering if there was anything promising in producing such a product. But I'm sure that would involve some serious time to process and produce anything useful. You can see how much my mind wanders as I am wielding my MS150 processing canopies.

So what ideas have you had for turning your slash piles into something useful for burning in the wood stove?

 

[onion]

I usually leave them where they are (assuming it isn't obnoxious) as cover for critters for a year or two then I will cut up the bigger pieces for kindling. Anything left goes onto the burn pile. I've finally started seeing rabbits at my place after 4 years of this. I don't garden so I like having them around.

 

[7acres]

I usually leave them where they are (assuming it isn't obnoxious) as cover for critters for a year or two then I will cut up the bigger pieces for kindling. Anything left goes onto the burn pile. I've finally started seeing rabbits at my place after 4 years of this. I don't garden so I like having them around.

That's a good idea. I've got an oak to process next. I should situate the slash pile where it will be out of the way and can be left forever.

 

[Vikestand]

I live on 35 acres and have about 20 wooded acres. I try to make my place as friendly as possible to our native wildlife(well that is until the hunting season rolls around). I have seen awesome progress from edge feathering field edges with tops out of trees and leaving tree tops in the woods. Also preach about TSI.

 

[7acres]

I live on 35 acres and have about 20 wooded acres. I try to make my place as friendly as possible to our native wildlife(well that is until the hunting season rolls around). I have seen awesome progress from edge feathering field edges with tops out of trees and leaving tree tops in the woods. Also preach about TSI.

I like the edge feathering idea. But what is TSI?

 

[Vikestand]

I like the edge feathering idea. But what is TSI?

Timber Stand Improvement.

I know other states do it, but this is a review of it through MU. I haven't gotten into it much yet, still waiting on the Private Land Conservationist to survey my property. But I have seen this program at work and it's amazing how much it encourages growth of trees and how much the wildlife love it. It opens up the forest floors to native plants etc.

(broken link removed to http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G5150)

 

[Wood Duck]

I have a lot of large brush piles on my two acres of woods. Lots of small birds use them, especially in the winter, and of course the rabbits enjoy them too. A brush pile made of wood smaller than two inches wouldn't really take long to disappear. After a couple of years it lays pretty flat on the ground and you hardly notice it is there.

 

[Poindexter]

If you like to BBQ both hickory and oak are useful.

When I grill shrimp I toss a piece of alder maybe four inches long and half an inch in diameter into the chimney with the charcoal as it starts. Don't notice the flavor on day one, but if I serve you leftover shrimp salad on Tuesday after grilling on Saturday it's an added flavor layer.