wood processing question...

[ncmallard78]

if a tree has been down for a couple of years, and then is split, is it ready to burn. is it seasoned? same thin with rounds. I recently picked up some pine rounds on the side of the road. they need to be split. if i split them, will it take a year to season from the split date, or the date of the tree being cut.

in other words, i have questions on how to process a tree. do you cut down the tree, and then split right away? is fresh cut wood the hardest to split? do you cut the tree down, buck the wood, and then split a year later? thanks for your help

ps, per yall's recomendation, i picked up some free pine rounds that were advertised on craigs list. they had been cut about two years ago. it split easily, and burned awsome. I loved it! i have a bunch of pines in my back yard, and my idea would be to have them felled professionally, stacked in rounds, split this summer, and burned next season. what do yall think?

 

[iceman]

if a tree has been down for a couple of years, and then is split, is it ready to burn. is it seasoned? same thin with rounds. I recently picked up some pine rounds on the side of the road. they need to be split. if i split them, will it take a year to season from the split date, or the date of the tree being cut.

in other words, i have questions on how to process a tree. do you cut down the tree, and then split right away? is fresh cut wood the hardest to split? do you cut the tree down, buck the wood, and then split a year later? thanks for your help

ps, per yall's recomendation, i picked up some free pine rounds that were advertised on craigs list. they had been cut about two years ago. it split easily, and burned awsome. I loved it! i have a bunch of pines in my back yard, and my idea would be to have them felled professionally, stacked in rounds, split this summer, and burned next season. what do yall think?

pine usually takes a while to season up there with oak because the sap in it will mess up your chimmney take a pic of the wood and the others will be able to tell you better

 

[jtp10181]

The wood wont really start to season well until it is split and stacked where the air can flow through it. Smaller rounds will season without being split but the large stuff even if dead for year often will retain moisture on the inside. Best bet is to split it right away and let it season for two years. We had a member post a few weeks ago he had some stuff season for one year and used part of it, and saved the rest for the following year. He said it burned much better after two years. Pine is a different story though, since it is not as dense it will season faster than hard woods.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

if a tree has been down for a couple of years, and then is split, is it ready to burn. is it seasoned? same thin with rounds. I recently picked up some pine rounds on the side of the road. they need to be split. if i split them, will it take a year to season from the split date, or the date of the tree being cut.

in other words, i have questions on how to process a tree. do you cut down the tree, and then split right away? is fresh cut wood the hardest to split? do you cut the tree down, buck the wood, and then split a year later? thanks for your help

ps, per yall's recomendation, i picked up some free pine rounds that were advertised on craigs list. they had been cut about two years ago. it split easily, and burned awsome. I loved it! i have a bunch of pines in my back yard, and my idea would be to have them felled professionally, stacked in rounds, split this summer, and burned next season. what do yall think?

1. If the tree has been down.... That all depends upon what type of tree it is. Different wood seasons at different rates. But generally if the tree has been down for a couple of years it will be seasoned a certain amount. Still, there is not much of a way for the moisture to evaporate in log form. Still needs to be cut to firewood length. (That is one thing people don't understand when they buy a truck load of logs that were cut a year ago they think they are seasoned. Not so!)

2. We cut the wood into firewood lengths and I generally start splitting in March. All the wood is split and stacked before April 15 if at all possible. Leave it uncovered until fall.

3. Why not cut them yourself? Saves a bunch of dollars and you get the satisfaction of doing for yourself. For instance, if it costs you $500 to have a tree cut, how long do you have to work in order to pay that $500 (figure in taxes too)? For that same tree, you have saved $500 instead of spending it.

Get that pine split as soon as possible! If it is split, stacked in the sunshine and where wind will hit the side of the pile, it should be okay to burn next winter.


Good luck.

 

[ncmallard78]

is wood rounds easier to split when it is fresh cut or when it has been sitting for a couple of years?

 

[biggins08]

Where are you from Mallard?

 

[crazy_dan]

is wood rounds easier to split when it is fresh cut or when it has been sitting for a couple of years?

I'm not real sure but I do know oak splits easier when it is green. I split mine either when I load them in to the pickup or as I am unloading and stacking

 

[ncmallard78]

im from nc. thus the nc in front of the mallard.