The Wood Pile

[HisTreeNut]

Hey Everyone...
I recently installed a Buck 94 NC and for the last month or so, been working on the wood pile. We have limited space so we will always be buying some quantity of wood. But we have a pretty good woodpile going so far, with the space I have.

We bought wood to get us started...oak, maple, & birch? [smells like mint]. Split a few of each kind and according to the meter, all were between 14%-18%. Very pleased about that. We have it stacked on pallets and it is now covered with a tarp.
A friend of ours found us several trees and we split that and are stacking that as well. White oak, maple, poplar, & some locust...about 3 cord, give or take. The folks that delivered are wood said they could bring a splitter & for $80.00, would split it all for us. Sounded like a deal to me, so that is done now as well. Stacked and ready for winter 2017.


We stacked that on pallets as well and have it covered with a tarp also. The wifey was wondering how we would tell it apart....spray painted a small "x" on the stacks. Brought the kiddos outside and asked if they could tell which wood was for 2017. They looked at the piles and said, "The pile with the "x" on it?" So, my $0.02 solution worked. Not sure if that's the best way to have marked it but even the 4 year old got it right.

We have been cutting down "scrub" trees around the house, to clean up the overgrown yard. Got some maple, poplar, scotch pine, black walnut, and some holly. Have some wood I need to take a picture of because I have no idea what it is but it was hard as heck to cut. I need to call a professional and get an estimate on some trees. i have a bunch of pine trees and a couple of maple trees that ought to come down. The maple looks to have some rot at the base and a couple of pine trees are leaning toward the house. We have 2 pine in another part that are encased with English Ivy. The wifey is allergic to all ivy so the ivy has to go anyway, and the trees are almost dead from the ivy. Another pine, by the house was topped off and it has since grew back The tree is probably 50-60 feet tall. Besides insurance & references, anything else I need to look for in a tree service?

Some questions about holly. How long should it season and how burnable is it really? Also, is there a best season to burn it? I heard it was oily and/or really smoky. My other reason for asking is because it is growing like a weed around my house. Either way, i will have some additional fire wood or some fire-pit wood. Thanks!

Much of the "scrub trees" are small rounds and I have been splitting them in half to help them season better. it has been a while since I wielded an axe. Let's just say white oak is not my friend and I have discovered a lot of muscles I forgot I had. Never been a fan of ibuprofen...I am now. Also, we "de-leafed" most of the larger branches and will probably wind up with a pallet of kindling wood.



All that to say...it's July & I have about 9 cord of wood so far, excluding the kindling wood. Now if I can just stumble on some more free wood like some of you folks have...I will be maxed out on my space and then some...Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

 

[Longstreet]

Looks like you have some black cherry in that first picture as well. Right in the middle of the BTU chart fyi.

 

[HisTreeNut]

There may bits and pieces of other woods in there as well. The guy we got our wood from splits all kinds of wood, and has apple, cherry, & the like for bbq smokers. He said we may have some of that in the mix as well. He said, when you find them, save those for special occasions. Anyhoo...

 

[planner steve]

Everywhere I can find info on Holly, it has a high BTU content. Sweep's library puts it at 24.8 MM BTU/cord, which is slightly better than white oak. I've seen a lot of references from England that say it can be burnt green, but why would you? Search around on the forum and you will find other comments. I just got some Holly from a home owner who cut down a couple of 14 inch diameter trees. Once my new saw arrives and I can cut into shorter pieces, I'll be able to report how it splits. Or doesn't.

 

[Soundchasm]

The tree services give pretty good deals in Jan/Feb when there's not much to do.

Nice looking stacks and great start!

 

[HisTreeNut]

Thanks!

 

[Seanm]

There may bits ad pieces of other woods in there as well. The guy we got our wood from splits all kinds of wood, and has apple, cherry, & the like for bbq smokers. He said we may have some of that in the mix as well. He said, when you find them, save those for special occasions.

I live in soft wood land where the best I can get is larch which is a great wood at 19.5 mbtu and a scarce amount of birch at 20 mbtu. I came across a builder that was going to throw an apple tree in the dump so I convinced him to let me buck it up. I took what I could but it was very branchy and yielded what I think will be one, maybe two burns. Its been in my stacks coming up two seasons now and will be in my stove Christmas day. Its rare for us in soft wood land to season wood for two years so every time I look at it I think of my conversation with apple sister and christmas! Enjoy those jems in your stacks!!

 

[blacktail]

To ID your stacks, you can use a sharpie to write a date on the ends of a couple of splits. Write the date it was cut, or the season you plan to burn it.

 

[HisTreeNut]

My Mom always liked cherry wood and would burn it when the family got together...Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year's. Once everyone was "home," in went the cherry logs. Good memories. Seanm--> we will certainly enjoy the gems.
I also use my charcoal grill like a smoker sometimes and I am thinking I might be shaving pieces off here and there...

 

[Fred Wright]

Holly should be good to burn after a year split. We went through a few burns of holly I'd cleared to make room for felling a large pin oak the winter before.

 

[planner steve]

I got my new saw (Husqvarna 550XP) and cut my Holly into 16 inch lengths. It really wasn't too bad to split. I did a few 12-14 inch diameter pieces, one had several branches. Had to hit a few times with the 8# splitting maul, but never had to use the wedges. I believe the tree was cut down in May, so it is pretty fresh. Much easier to split than the sweet gum and black locust I've been working on.

I'd get as much Holly as you can.

 

[HisTreeNut]

Most of our holly is scrubby...tall, thin, & maybe 2" in diameter, or it's new growth 6-8" tall in the ground. It will be mostly starter and/or kindling wood.
planner steve --> Looks pretty good. Let me know how it burns...might temporarily save the life of a few holly trees.

 

[D8Chumley]

To ID your stacks, you can use a sharpie to write a date on the ends of a couple of splits. Write the date it was cut, or the season you plan to burn it.

I do this as well, I write the month and year it was split and stacked

 

[firefighterjake]

To ID your stacks, you can use a sharpie to write a date on the ends of a couple of splits. Write the date it was cut, or the season you plan to burn it.

I kinda do this . . . after stacking the wood I take a cedar shingle, tack it to the end and write down when I stacked the wood along with which stack was built first . . . . i.e. "Fall 2015, A). Kinda funny since I am not the most logical type of person when it comes to organization.

I also take a Sharpie and mark the wood once it is stacked in my woodshed . . . marking each row with the date it was hauled into the woodshed. Right now I have some vintage 2013 wood I hope to burn this upcoming winter. I hear 2013 was a very good year for wood.