Splitting "standing dead" rounds

[Joe in MI]

Hey all! Still no stove installed yet (still plugging away on the addition) But I have been putting up firewood when the opportunity presents itself. There's quite a few standing-dead oak and cherry on my 20 acres, and I've diced up a few of them.

The other day I cut up a standing dead oak tree. The first two rounds were "Overload" on my harbor freight moisture meter. The rest of the tree was 15-20%. And yes - those measurements were taken from both the ends of the freshly cut rounds and from the faces of fresh splits. The tree next to it only had a few sucker branches alive about 6 feet up - even the top of the tree is still to wet to burn right now.

I also started cutting up a big oak that fell at least 5 years ago. She was a big one - at least 2' at the trunk. Most of the trunk and branches have been held up off the ground. I bucked up the entire top and probably half the trunk before the saw ran out of fuel and I had to go to work. (%$^&*#@ midnights)

I split the smallish rounds from the upper branches, and again got consistent readings in the mid-teens, the spits are light and sound like bowling pins. As I was splitting I was asking myself. "is this really necessary?"

Seriously - if the tree is dead and dry, is there any reason to split a round, as long as it fits in the stove?

Joe

 

[gmule]

If the log is up 6 inches in diameter I just toss them on the stack. They make nice overnight fuel. I may split some of the 6"ers if I am in the mood to do so but not usually.

 

[Pagey]

If your stove can accomodate the rounds, and the wood is indeed dry...then by all means leave some in the round. As stated, they are great for overnight burns. About the only thing I've seen around here that is standing dead AND ready to burn is all the beetle kill pine. Every standing dead oak we've taken down and tested runs about 35-38% moisture content. Of course that's not to say you can't luck up and find a dry, standing dead oak. I just find them to be the exception, not the rule.

 

[Remmy122]

I split 5in and up.

I dont have the luxury to cut off my own land so Im scrounging and its mostly fresh cut.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hey all! Still no stove installed yet (still plugging away on the addition) But I have been putting up firewood when the opportunity presents itself. There's quite a few standing-dead oak and cherry on my 20 acres, and I've diced up a few of them.

The other day I cut up a standing dead oak tree. The first two rounds were "Overload" on my harbor freight moisture meter. The rest of the tree was 15-20%. And yes - those measurements were taken from both the ends of the freshly cut rounds and from the faces of fresh splits. The tree next to it only had a few sucker branches alive about 6 feet up - even the top of the tree is still to wet to burn right now.

I also started cutting up a big oak that fell at least 5 years ago. She was a big one - at least 2' at the trunk. Most of the trunk and branches have been held up off the ground. I bucked up the entire top and probably half the trunk before the saw ran out of fuel and I had to go to work. (%$^&*#@ midnights)

I split the smallish rounds from the upper branches, and again got consistent readings in the mid-teens, the spits are light and sound like bowling pins. As I was splitting I was asking myself. "is this really necessary?"

Seriously - if the tree is dead and dry, is there any reason to split a round, as long as it fits in the stove?

Joe

If the wood is dry then there are only two real reasons to split a bunch of the stuff smaller in my own mind . . . 1) Smaller wood would ignite easier and 2) If you have all large wood and no smaller wood you may end up with some void spaces and not be able to fill the firebox completely full . . . which may or may not be an issue depending on how much heat you need . . . then again I rarely fill it all the way full.

 

[Thistle]

Most everything under 6" stays unsplit.I keep a few 7"-8" for long burns toccasionally I find some 4"-5" rounds that need to dry a year or so,thats rare though.

 

[pen]

depends on my mood. Some days I'll split them down to 4 inches, other days 5, other days 6 inches may go on the pile.

I like a mix so I just split it when it's easy, and don't when I'm in a rush. In the end I usually have enough of each. During the shoulder season, I'll sometimes curse myself that I didn't split some of the 6 inch rounds earlier. During the winter, sometimes I wish I split them just to get that extra little bit in the stove packed. Come to think of it, I should just stop being lazy and split them all!

pen

 

[Kenster]

My experience (about 95% oak) is that the the upper limbs of a standing dead will be at, or very near, burnable MC when I take the tree down. Often, limbs are already falling off and they will virtually all be very low MC already. But... the main trunk can still ooze out water and put my meter off the scale.
So, a standing dead will give me wood to burn almost immediately and wood that will take two years to dry.
I don't really measure but I would guess that 5" to 6" inch rounds off a tree that has been dead long enough to drop limbs will go on the stacks without splitting them.

 

[red oak]

I would burn them as is - no splitting. I don't think there's a need to if it's dry and fits in your stove. Whether I split or not depends on how long I've been splitting, how tired I am, etc. I also like to have a mix of different sizes. You can always try burning one or two of the rounds. If it does not seem to burn well you may want to split the rest - if they burn great and you're happy with it then let them go.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Joe, you can generally get a bit more wood in the stove using splits but we still like to have a few rounds. If you have a large stove, by all means you can leave lots of rounds. However, do remember that even standing dead trees can be full of moisture, especially in the lower section of the tree. WE cut a lot of dead elm. The tops will be good and dry but the butt still is loaded with moisture and we do not cut the trees until the bark has fallen off.

 

[Joe in MI]

Looks like the general consensus is split them smallish ones if I feel like it. Thanks for the replies! It was pretty much what I was thinking, but it makes me feel better that others feel the same way.

Dennis - I hear you on the wet dead-standing trees. In the first two dead oak trees I tested each round immediately after I bucked it up. The first two or three rounds were wet. Then they dropped right down to 15% +-. Splits of these rounds tested the same. The standing almost-dead tree right next to it was very wet - even up to the top of the tree. I was somewhat surprised with the low readings on the first tree. I dropped one that looked like it had been just as dead for just as long about 100 feet from it. That one is still in the 30% range throughout the tree. Just lucky with that dry one, I'm guessing!

The oak that was on the ground has been down a long time. The bark is all gone off it. A few of the pieces have a little punkieness on the outside, but its minimal. The inside is SOLID. The branches that had been held up off the ground were bone dry - some below 15%. Anything that was touching the ground, of course, was pretty wet.

Thanks again all!