Thought's on Cedar

[fishingpol]

White cedar - lighter and lots of sparks when burning, it can really ruin a pizza in the outdoor oven, but I really like it to start the stove. Red cedar is dense, but I have not burned it before. I would imagine longer burn due to its' density versus white.

Red cedar chips make the neighbors wondering what you are up to-



I'm on a tossup on this one. I'd probably let it go if hand splitting.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I like it better in the clothes closet. I think it burns faster than dry pine. Great for kindling.
I don't turn anything down except willow. Box elder I use for bottom pieces
directly on the ground.

 

[billb3]

I put cedar in with the pine and hemlock. Burns about the same IMO.
Awful lot of branches to get rid of on a 25 footer although most probably aren't very long.
If there was a chipper in the yard that would eat the whole thing I'd throw it in. All those tiny branches are a PITA.

 

[basod]

If it's a halfway decent straight trunk section and not co-dominant the log may be more enticing to a local wood worker. I see them go for $80-100 around here.

If you go the firewood route cut as many branches as you can with it standing. The brush will burn like kerosene after a few good hot weeks in the fire pit
Chipping it in a small chipper is so-so as the throat will usually jam with the green ends - I'd be more likely to run it over with my beater push mower and let it compost around the stump.

 

[bogydave]

I'd let the "tree guy" have it all

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Most definitely the worst thing about cedar is all the trimming you have to do. It might be interesting to count the limbs just to see how many on one tree. But the scent is super and also they are lightweight.

 

[WeldrDave]

I just got done talking to my neighbor, We agreed to let tree guy take it down. She say's I can have the big pieces and will tell him that. I wonder what he'll charge her

 

[ScotO]

If for nothing else, I'd be getting it for firepit wood.
Split some of it up tiny for super fire starters and kindling.....make several big cardboard boxes of that stuff and put it somewhere out of the way. Use it for starting fires.....good stuff indeed.
Like others here have already said, when it's really dried out, it burns furiously......puts out a ton of heat but it's short lived....

 

[MrWhoopee]

I just wanted to know how it burns, and if I'm gonna be cleaning my chimney after I burn it. I may grab it and "deal with the consequences"

We use western cedar to clean our chimneys, good hot fire, little resin. Ever wonder why they call them "Super Cedar"?

 

[WeldrDave]

UPDATE The tree guy took all the crap away, he wanted the smaller stuff to sell at the camp grounds, and left me with this....

 

[ScotO]

betcha that stuff smells nice, though..I love the smell of cedar.

looks like you're getting a nice stack going there, Dave!!

 

[WeldrDave]

betcha that stuff smells nice, though..I love the smell of cedar.

Oh yea, it's nice! I'm so glad I didn't have to mess with all the branches and crap. My neighbor paid this guy $250 and basicly left me with all the good stuff..... The other stuff on the far left in the picture is that maple tree I got in November or December from Sandy.

 

[WeldrDave]

looks like you're getting a nice stack going there, Dave!!

Also forgot to mention, thats about 1/3 or my hoard You guy's "WAY" out league me but I got the back of the yard and the other side filled about double of what you see, I'm guessing 8+ cord. My back yard is only 70' x 125' I just don't have the room; But like big Donnie, I just keep plugging along. As you saw from being down here, not many place's to cut , you got to out smart and be quick if you scrounge....

 

[Brewmonster]

That cedar will make a ton of great kindling and it's the best firepit wood ever, crackly and fragrant!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Not sure what kind of cedar you have in NJ but the cedar we have here is marginal firewood. I'll take it and burn it, but I won't work very hard for it.

 

[WeldrDave]

but I won't work very hard for it.

It was just two houses away....., I wasn't going far and it was free and cut. My guess is we have your basic red cedar here, I haven't seen any other type.

 

[Applesister]

I love aromatic woods and consider the effort of processing worth it. But I also have the options of dumping the brush or chipping it or burning it outdoors.
Cedar looks great in Christmas wreaths and I plane the wood for the shavings.
One year I went thru all the developments and picked up balsam christmas trees to run thru a chipper to make Balsam pillows. Its the Martha Stewart thing...lol.

 

[Applesister]

All the closets in my house are western red cedar with cedar trunks. And I love Pendleton blankets...and Woolrich coats...
I inherited a passion for buffalo plaids.

 

[WeldrDave]

I love aromatic woods and consider the effort of processing worth it.

I'm gonna cut some rectangles out of one of these, drill a hole in the top and hang some in all our closets.

 

[Brewmonster]

"Not sure what kind of cedar you have in NJ but the cedar we have here is marginal firewood. I'll take it and burn it, but I won't work very hard for it."

Juniperus virginiana, Eastern Red Cedar. Very different from Western Red Cedar or any of the other "cedars" (Port Orford, Incense, etc.) you have in the NW. More like a hardwood. We don't often get it as big as the OP's logs, but it's great for making boxes and the like (smells great) and it's my favorite kindling.

 

[firefighterjake]

Been burning a fair amount of cedar myself lately . . . had the cedar shingles stripped off my house and replaced with siding. Now I have a huge pile of shingles. I've been slowly culling the pile -- keeping the better shingles for possible future use on my garage which still has cedar shingles, throwing some aside to use as kindling and burning a whole lot of scraps in the fire pit.

 

[Ashful]

They just cleared the wood lot behind my house, which was very sad for me, as it shielded my view from the house they'll be building back there soon. They ground enough cedar to leave a pile the size of a house behind.