The one thing I don't like about spruce is all the bark chips in the living room carpet. I have processed about 4 cords so far for next year, I have about 80% of a cord of Chihuahua (no bark) spruce in a rack ready to get dry...
And I am collecting "sapsicles" in my other drying racks, like these ones:
So I am going to end up, about, with five cords worth of sap in 4 cords of spruce, and another cord with essentially no sap in it.
My original plan was to donate the Chihuahua Spruce to a local charity auction. I figured some high roller might be wiling to put down big (relatively) dollars for a cord of spruce with no bark on it. Then the $$ proceeds go the less fortunate as a cash donation to the food bank.
But I was looking at those sapsicles tonight. I know I can dry these down to 10%MC by mid June. And I know my combustor treats burning sap globs like cocaine. I am not actually on mission to give @BKVP a stomach ulcer...it just keeps working out that way year after year.
Starting to wonder if maybe I am doing my own wood pile a favor by getting rid of all the low sap heartwood, helping out the poor if the Chihuahua spruce starts a bidding war, and the inexperienced burner who pays too much for the spruce with no sap on it holds the bag.
Which would be more valuable to you? A cord with no bark and very little sap, or a sappy barky cord with little heartwood?
And I am collecting "sapsicles" in my other drying racks, like these ones:
So I am going to end up, about, with five cords worth of sap in 4 cords of spruce, and another cord with essentially no sap in it.
My original plan was to donate the Chihuahua Spruce to a local charity auction. I figured some high roller might be wiling to put down big (relatively) dollars for a cord of spruce with no bark on it. Then the $$ proceeds go the less fortunate as a cash donation to the food bank.
But I was looking at those sapsicles tonight. I know I can dry these down to 10%MC by mid June. And I know my combustor treats burning sap globs like cocaine. I am not actually on mission to give @BKVP a stomach ulcer...it just keeps working out that way year after year.
Starting to wonder if maybe I am doing my own wood pile a favor by getting rid of all the low sap heartwood, helping out the poor if the Chihuahua spruce starts a bidding war, and the inexperienced burner who pays too much for the spruce with no sap on it holds the bag.
Which would be more valuable to you? A cord with no bark and very little sap, or a sappy barky cord with little heartwood?
