Sunday Scrounge.....210 year old Beech

[TedyOH]

This big boy blew over 4 years ago, finally froze up enough to go get it....needed to blow the carbon out of the 076 anyway....just took the elevated part of the trunk, it was solid, need to check the part thats been lying on the ground, I dont think im going to be so lucky with that part....

 

[baseroom]

Wow! That's a beauty!

 

[TedyOH]

Yes it is.....thats a 36" bar on the saw for a better size reference.

 

[heavy hammer]

Love the saw, after this winter I'm very impressed with beech. I always thought it was more of just a crappy filler wood. Found out I was wrong produces great heat cuts and splits nicely to. Not a bad day to be out playing in the woods, I was outside for four hours today splitting and stacking. Where are you in northeast Ohio I'm just a little east of mentor north of Chardon.

 

[TedyOH]

Yeah i love beech as well, for some reason it burns better than bitternut hickory from the same forest, although btu charts would tell you otherwise.....im here in Twinsburg

 

[LocustPocust]

for some reason it burns better than bitternut hickory from the same forest, although btu charts would tell you otherwise

Much bigger, much older = Tighter grain.

 

[TedyOH]

Much bigger, much older = Tighter grain.

Makes sense, this tree had a lot more slow growth compared to fast, should be a great burner in a few years

 

[Firefighter938]

I love walking through old growth beech forrest. I don't get much beech to burn, but what I have I really liked.

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

Sweet score. I love beech. Waiting on some for next year.

 

[BobUrban]

Very nice. Does beach rot fast when touching the ground? Haven't cut any myself unfortunately. I would at least try to salvage more of that tree if I could. Although that depends on the answer to my above question and how much more perfect wood you have laying waist high out there!!

 

[TedyOH]

Very nice. Does beach rot fast when touching the ground? Haven't cut any myself unfortunately. I would at least try to salvage more of that tree if I could. Although that depends on the answer to my above question and how much more perfect wood you have laying waist high out there!!

From what I've noticed from the beech in this forest that blows over like this one are usually solid for quite a while, branches that fall or standing dead usually go quickly because those trees are pretty hollow most of the time (and have been for a while), this one has been down for 4 years, I'm going back tonight for one more cut of the base of the root ball and to see what the rest of the touching trunk looks like so I'll let you know later tonight.

And as far as "perfect" wood back there I've pretty much (and other neighbors) gobbled it up. This one was way back there and had to wait for a good freeze to get it out. After every wind and lightning storm I'm back there the next day.

 

[TedyOH]

I love walking through old growth beech forrest. I don't get much beech to burn, but what I have I really liked.

This is great forest for beech trees, it's probably a 1 x 1 square mile area, it was once 3 x 1 square mile, the beech run in a vein throughout, kinda neat, you are either in them or out of them. 35 years ago when I was kid there use to be 75 or so mating pairs of blue herons that built their nests in the big beech trees....at night time the forest sounded prehistoric I suppose, they all made this cackling noise at the same time at dusk until about 10 pm....but the building of housing developments drove them out. It also amazes me that these big beech, along with even bigger red oaks, although not as many, some are so big 3 men could barley hug the trunks and touch hands, missed the saws of the loggers that came though in the late 1890's.

 

[Hasufel]

Nice transportation! Wish I had something like that. I usually end up hauling the wood out by dolly or rolling it down to my stacks

This is great forest for beech trees, it's probably a 1 x 1 square mile area, it was once 3 x 1 square mile, the beech run in a vein throughout, kinda neat, you are either in them or out of them. 35 years ago when I was kid there use to be 75 or so mating pairs of blue herons that built their nests in the big beech trees....at night time the forest sounded prehistoric I suppose, they all made this cackling noise at the same time at dusk until about 10 pm....but the building of housing developments drove them out. It also amazes me that these big beech, along with even bigger red oaks, although not as many, some are so big 3 men could barley hug the trunks and touch hands, missed the saws of the loggers that came though in the late 1890's.

Nice find! I hope you get a lot more wood out of it. I'm jealous, I don't have old growth trees like that around me. Sounds like a common problem--this area was logged in the late 1800s so the only really old trees around seem to be the ones that were shading someone's house or in areas that were inaccessible. Same thing with my retirement lot in NC--lots of trees but all new growth.

 

[AmbDrvr253]

I like the beech........LOL Just gotta get my swimsuit on now

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Wow, he's a biggie! LOTS of great fuelwood there!

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I like the beech........LOL Just gotta get my swimsuit on now

You're talking about doing a polar plunge now, right?

 

[TedyOH]

Nice transportation! Wish I had something like that. I usually end up hauling the wood out by dolly or rolling it down to my stacks

Thanks - it is a great help, I would be highly restricted without it, that's for sure.

 

[Knots]

I loves me some beech. I've found that it's one of the few species that dries well in the round. That said, you should probably split the trunk pieces on that one.

 

[trailrated]

Beech does rot quickly when on the ground. Only takes 6 months or so. Otherwise it is a great wood to burn.

 

[TedyOH]

For the record, scientifically, tonight I made the one more cut on the base of the trunk by the root ball, half the round was solid, I left the other half back there, also was able to get 4 more solid rounds up the trunk before the center and side that was touching the ground was rotten. It really wasn't all that bad, I may go back and chip away the rotten stuff.

 

[heavy hammer]

Get all that you can. With it being so big it might be worth it to pick away at it.

 

[TedyOH]

So it was such a nice day I went for a walk in the woods looking for more blow overs and antler sheds......went back to the beech....was shocked to see what happened....this is a first for me, the root ball blow over blew back upright ....good place to hide something (or someone!)

 

[English BoB]

That is cool..............ps.........what is that white stuff again ?

bob

 

[TedyOH]

The white stuff (fungus) on the split i left there? Or that bad BAD 4 letter "s" word....

 

[CenterTree]

So it was such a nice day I went for a walk in the woods looking for more blow overs and antler sheds......went back to the beech....was shocked to see what happened....this is a first for me, the root ball blow over blew back upright ....good place to hide something (or someone!)

What's more concerning is when they do that while you are cutting it.

By the way, that thing doesn't look a day over 200.