standing dead elm?

[pybyr]

Hi all--

'round here, the Dutch Elm disease means that there are lots of elms that sprout up, grow until they're about 20-30 feet tall, and about 4-6 inches dbh, and then die.

I'd never want to split elm (tried that once, and only once), but at these sizes, it wouldn't need to be split.

I know that cut live, elm is a pretty moist wood that takes a long time to season, but anyone know whether the "standing dead" stuff dries out while it's standing up- or how long it takes to season once it's dropped and cut?

Thanks

 

[firefighterjake]

I would love to know this as well since I've got a bunch of elm on my property that has died in the past couple of years and I was thinking about using this for some firewood this year.

 

[Jags]

It does to a "degree", meaning that it does not have the high moisture content as it would if it were alive. Bad part about elm is that it takes quite awhile to completely season if not split. 4" and below, I would not split. 5" and above I would, just to aid in drying. It is NOT stove worthy when still standing in most cases. I have elm at home that is barkless, dead standing for several YEARS and it would not have been stove ready without some seasoning. (doesn't take too long though).

 

[woodconvert]

Just cut a bunch yesterday. If the stuff is not too big in diameter, the bark was off for some time and it's all grayed up it's pretty close to being ready to burn. The parts where the bark stayed on...needs some seasoning. I burn it in the spring and fall...burns good enough for the temps we see at those times.

All of the grayed up stuff I cut yesterday is ready for burning. It was dusty to cut and I couldn't feel any moisture. On the big end there was some noticeable moisture. That's gotta be split anyhow.

 

[burntime]

The dead elm is really hard on the chain and bar. Stop periodically and let the oiler lube everything up. If you have a splitter then split it and it will be ready by fall if the bark is off. I have cut some in a pinch in Feb when it looked like it was getting close and burned 2 weeks later. Not ideal but close to seasoned. Woodconvert obviously has done it too cause he is spot on.

 

[woodconvert]

The dead elm is really hard on the chain and bar. Stop periodically and let the oiler lube everything up. If you have a splitter then split it and it will be ready by fall if the bark is off. I have cut some in a pinch in Feb when it looked like it was getting close and burned 2 weeks later. Not ideal but close to seasoned. Woodconvert obviously has done it too cause he is spot on.

I haven't noticed excess bar wear or chain wear but the stuff cuts pretty easy. I keep my oiler turned all the way up so it drools like a St. Bernard. Pretty much one tank of oil per tank of gas.

Yeah, standing dead elm (which is way plentiful here) and a couple of pallets of oak cookies are what I primarily burn for my spring and fall wood. I try not to touch the good stuff until November (weather pending) when I burn 24/7. I did leave a couple on the hoof for emergency reasons if need be....i just pulled off all the bark and left them.

 

[Henz]

I had a big dead tree that I tried to cut the other day. Was like trying to cut granite. figured it must hae ben an old elm

 

[woodconvert]

I've seen a lot of guys saying the same thing about cutting standing dead elm and oak...i've just never noticed any wear on my chain. I cut 8+ pretty big trees on one sharpening and it was still hoggin' on the last one. Hmm.

 

[Henz]

well, I do know that Stihl chains are the best.

 

[burntime]

Your oiler is up...if you keep lubricated it is fine. If you notice dust coming out its time to sharpen and lubricate. Where I cut that can be the difference in 3 cuts so you have to pay attention. Maybe more dry then yours? One thing I learned is that you always have to adjust when you have a saw in your hand...

 

[fraxinus]

From a much longer and very accurate poem about firewood that dates back to the Middle Ages:

Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold.

Hard to cut, impossible to split and not worth the effort.

 

[burntime]

I get a lot of heat from it??? Maybe they were not seasoning it %-P I agree I run stihl chains only!

 

[Henz]

what does this mean " your oiler is up"

 

[burntime]

In better saws you can regulate how much oil goes to the bar, if he is not wearing the chain or bar he must have it set to really oil the bar. I have a stihl and the setting is underneath the saw, there is a hole to adjust it. I think your husky is the same.

 

[woodconvert]

From a much longer and very accurate poem about firewood that dates back to the Middle Ages:

Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold.

Hard to cut, impossible to split and not worth the effort.

Well...dunno how accurate it is actually. Cuts easy with a chainsaw, splits easy with a splitter and the flame is cold enough to heat a house with. Those folks from the middle ages are know for their whining

 

[woodconvert]

what does this mean " your oiler is up"

I can adjust my oiler so if i'm running a smaller bar it doesn't put as much oil on the bar/chain. With a bigger bar and chain you need more oil so you adjust it up for more oil. I've used a couple pro saws other than mine (one Husky and the biggest Jonsured i've ever seen)...both had adjustable oilers.

 

[Jags]

Cuts easy with a chainsaw, splits easy with a splitter .....

Yer elm is different than my elm, thats for sure.

 

[woodconvert]

Cuts easy with a chainsaw, splits easy with a splitter .....

Yer elm is different than my elm, thats for sure.

Prolly not. My splitter will shear a piece of oak so a stringy piece of elm isn't difficult to split, by hand is a totally different ballgame. As for cutting it i'm really surprised it's tough on your chain. Do you have a safety chain or a chisel chain???. I've got a chisel chain on mine that's far from being new and it eats it up. Maybe the weight of my saw makes it cut better????....but that doesn't splain the non-dulling chain. I'm stumped (no pun intended).

 

[Jags]

Cuts easy with a chainsaw, splits easy with a splitter .....

Yer elm is different than my elm, thats for sure.

Prolly not. My splitter will shear a piece of oak so a stringy piece of elm isn't difficult to split, by hand is a totally different ballgame. As for cutting it i'm really surprised it's tough on your chain. Do you have a safety chain or a chisel chain???. I've got a chisel chain on mine that's far from being new and it eats it up. Maybe the weight of my saw makes it cut better????....but that doesn't splain the non-dulling chain. I'm stumped (no pun intended).

I use a chisel chain on my ms-361 and my splitter is a 5" ram cranked up to 2500 psi. Yes I can cut 6" white oak sideways with the splitter, and I can run a 25" bar, buried into oak a throw a rooster tail of chips. Thats not the point. If COMPARING elm to other firewood, I would say that "easy" is not a proper description. If comparing to concrete pillars maybe, but not other firewood.

If I were told that the elm works up easier than white oak, or ash, or whatever, I will say it again, your elm is different than my elm.

Unless you consider this easy:

and I had an entire tree act this way, not just a stump or two.

 

[savageactor7]

^that's exactly how my elm splits too.

I cut my dead elm in the winter mostly as a outdoor activity thing...as well as a wood lot housekeeping thing. Yeah it tougher to C&S;but it's still a good burning wood as far as I'm concerned. When we had our Shenandoah R77 ...I load it right in there same day I cut it if I needed firewood. But that stove had shaker grates that took away the ash but left the hot coals...I haven't tried doing that since we got our new EPA stove.

Here we're cutting mostly maple and ash so for me a mix of hard elm properly seasoned is a good burn. So if you split that dead elm by this weekend and it turns Grey in a couple of months...yeah you could burn this winter cause nearly all the moisture is gone already.

I C&Sed;some live elm this spring and it's dark grey now...it was incredible how quickly those splits lost moisture some were so water heavy you could barely pick 'em up one handed...now they're much lighter to the heft.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

mmmm- pulled pork sammiches....

 

[woodconvert]

Cuts easy with a chainsaw, splits easy with a splitter .....

Yer elm is different than my elm, thats for sure.

Prolly not. My splitter will shear a piece of oak so a stringy piece of elm isn't difficult to split, by hand is a totally different ballgame. As for cutting it i'm really surprised it's tough on your chain. Do you have a safety chain or a chisel chain???. I've got a chisel chain on mine that's far from being new and it eats it up. Maybe the weight of my saw makes it cut better????....but that doesn't splain the non-dulling chain. I'm stumped (no pun intended).

I use a chisel chain on my ms-361 and my splitter is a 5" ram cranked up to 2500 psi. Yes I can cut 6" white oak sideways with the splitter, and I can run a 25" bar, buried into oak a throw a rooster tail of chips. Thats not the point. If COMPARING elm to other firewood, I would say that "easy" is not a proper description. If comparing to concrete pillars maybe, but not other firewood.

If I were told that the elm works up easier than white oak, or ash, or whatever, I will say it again, your elm is different than my elm.

Unless you consider this easy:

and I had an entire tree act this way, not just a stump or two.

I'll plow the gnarliest piece i can dig up through mine and see what it looks like. I'll try to post a pic.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've cut and burned elm for many, many years. We usually wait until almost all the bark has fell off the tree before we cut it. Even then, there can be a huge difference in the amount of sap still in the tree. After a while you should be able to look at the tree and pretty much tell what condition it is in. Also, when cutting, check the sawdust to see how much moisture is there.

Still, most elm that we cut waits a year to be burned. That is because there is still moisture in most of it, even though the tree has been dead for a few years.

I also agree that elm can be (but not always) hard on a chain, but only that elm that is very, very dry and hard as a rock. Most has enough moisture in it to allow easy cutting.

As for splitting, some elm can be split by hand very easily!! Bet that draws some comments, but it is true. Others are like the picture and those we just throw away, but there isn't that many of them. Most elm will split okay with a splitter but it definitely will not be like splitting ash, maple or oak. And it burns just fine.

As for seasoning, even live elm will season quite fast. Yes, it is full of sap, but it is not that dense so the moisture leaves in a hurry.

 

[11 Bravo]

My elm didn't split that bad Jags. Maye it's different for various types. We dropped some live Slippery Elm, aka Red Elm, and had a little stringiness to it but nothing like that ! :bug: Used a 25 ton splitter and it went well.............as far as the drying, it was 39% on the meter, and it was dropped, cut, split and stacked on May 1st.....will update at Halloween

 

[Jags]

My elm didn't split that bad Jags. Maye it's different for various types. We dropped some live Slippery Elm, aka Red Elm, and had a little stringiness to it but nothing like that ! :bug: Used a 25 ton splitter and it went well.............as far as the drying, it was 39% on the meter, and it was dropped, cut, split and stacked on May 1st.....will update at Halloween

Yeah, this is different than red elm. Almost white in color. Around here we call it pi$$ elm. I think that stems from the fact that most people just throw up their arms and yell "pi$$ on it". :lol: