You never can tell

[WOODBUTCHER]

Every September I venture into the woods for downed limbs (my shoulder wood). Last year I kept passing and looking at this small downed White Ash covered in all sorts of Poison Ivy and Bittersweet.
I cut the vines with brush cutters and saw the very top was all punk, so I left it. I passed the same tree this year at a different angle (now probably over 2 years old) but it had fallen and was propped up on a big rock. I ripped into it with the Dolmar
to find most of it was solid wood... so now it's up back in the sun drying out.

WoodButcher

 

[Pagey]

That does look solid! Nice!

 

[smokinj]

Every September I venture into the woods for downed limbs (my shoulder wood). Last year I kept passing and looking at this small downed White Ash covered in all sorts of Poison Ivy and Bittersweet.
I cut the vines with brush cutters and saw the very top was all punk, so I left it. I passed the same tree this year at a different angle (now probably over 2 years old) but it had fallen and was propped up on a big rock. I ripped into it with the Dolmar
to find most of it was solid wood... so now it's up back in the sun drying out.

WoodButcher

I know that 5100 can eat better than that. lol

 

[ikessky]

I usually never pass up a fallen tree without making a couple cuts. Last year, my FIL made a comment about how he's been driving past a hard maple that tipped over a couple years back and how I could probably use at least a little of it. Well, I started cutting and found that the only thing I couldn't use was a small section of the trunk (the reason it fell in the first place).

 

[stejus]

Never pass on downed limbs or trees. Free wood is free heat, minus your time. They are perfectly fine, even with a little punk. Let them dry and you'll be good. This pile was collected last Oct/Nov and ready to burn this shoulder season.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ash is one that can lay right on the ground for much longer than other woods and still be good for burning. Glad you go that one.


It looks like stejus wood is dry.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Ash is one that can lay right on the ground for much longer than other woods and still be good for burning. Glad you go that one.


It looks like stejus wood is dry.

Yes.... I see some nice Birch on the bottom, The WoodButcher loves laying that stuff on a bed coals with with Oak/Hickory on top. Nice HH stack Stejus!

WoodButcher

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

I usually never pass up a fallen tree without making a couple cuts. Last year, my FIL made a comment about how he's been driving past a hard maple that tipped over a couple years back and how I could probably use at least a little of it. Well, I started cutting and found that the only thing I couldn't use was a small section of the trunk (the reason it fell in the first place).

My neighbor called me few weeks back, a Red Maple (on my property) rotted at the trunk and fell into another Redmaple (on his property) last year
(It's an eye sore he says to the neighborhood). It's in a vicarious position to even think of getting near it with a saw and be safe about it. After the first frost he's getting his buddies Kabota down there with some chains and will pull it down. He also wants the 2 Redmaples it's hung up on cut down.


WoodButcher

 

[stejus]

Yes.... I see some nice Birch on the bottom, The WoodButcher loves laying that stuff on a bed coals with with Oak/Hickory on top. Nice HH stack Stejus!
WoodButcher

I can't tell if it's yellow or black, but I'm leaning towards black because of the buds I see in the winter (see pic). In any case, this birch is rock hard and when hit together, it sounds like the crack of the bat with a homerun swing. Can't wait to light em up!

 

[Corey]

Sounds like a good deal - my luck usually runs the other way. I cut into what I think is a solid piece of wood, only to find the middle rotted or riddled with carpenter ants! Did find a nice craigslist score which I assumed to be freshly cut down elm. But appears it was 'standing dead' with the limbs freshly cut and on the ground. All but the very core trunk pieces are dry and good to go. Now I can save all my hedge for the bitter cold months - or when company shows up and I don't want them to see I'm burning elm

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Yes.... I see some nice Birch on the bottom, The WoodButcher loves laying that stuff on a bed coals with with Oak/Hickory on top. Nice HH stack Stejus!
WoodButcher

I can't tell if it's yellow or black, but I'm leaning towards black because of the buds I see in the winter (see pic). In any case, this birch is rock hard and when hit together, it sounds like the crack of the bat with a homerun swing. Can't wait to light em up!

I looked this up last year (I got about 1/2 cord free last September)
It's called "Sweet Birch" or a.k.a Black Birch/Cherry Birch in my North American Tree Guide. I will Post some pics of what I have.
Splitting the wood made me thirsty because it was once used to make Birch Beer (it can be tapped like a sugar maple)
I can tell you one thing, it lights ...really...really fast......

WoodButcher

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Yes.... I see some nice Birch on the bottom, The WoodButcher loves laying that stuff on a bed coals with with Oak/Hickory on top. Nice HH stack Stejus!
WoodButcher

I can't tell if it's yellow or black, but I'm leaning towards black because of the buds I see in the winter (see pic). In any case, this birch is rock hard and when hit together, it sounds like the crack of the bat with a homerun swing. Can't wait to light em up!

I looked this up last year (I got about 1/2 cord free last September)
It's called "Sweet Birch" or a.k.a Black Birch/Cherry Birch in my North American Tree Guide. I will Post some pics of what I have.
Splitting the wood made me thirsty because it was once used to make Birch Beer (it can be tapped like a sugar maple)
I can tell you one thing, it lights ...really...really fast......

WoodButcher

Here are some really good samples....

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/bele.html

 

[stejus]

Here are some really good samples....

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/bele.html

Based on the buds, flowers and tree bark, I definitely have Sweet/Black/Cherry Birch. It's one of those anyway... good call. I'll be taking a huge one down in Oct along with other trees to clear land to stack some more wood

 

[billb3]

I've left a oak trunk in the woods in November, safe, up on blocks,off the forest foor, figuring I can now get back to it when I have time. In August it was full of small ants (not termites) under the bark, whittling away at the hardwood. Cut into rounds and put up on concrete blocks. They seem to have decided to find a better homestead. I'll battle for the oak, the pine they can have.

I have a half cord of maple, stacked out in the woods at the bottom of a cliff up on pine trunks. I'm hoping to clear a road to it soon, or buy a dirt bike.

 

[WoodPorn]

Here are some really good samples....

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/bele.html

Based on the buds, flowers and tree bark, I definitely have Sweet/Black/Cherry Birch. It's one of those anyway... good call. I'll be taking a huge one down in Oct along with other trees to clear land to stack some more wood

If I'm not mistaken it is in the same area as red/white oak (as far as BTU's are concerned), I can tell you that it splits well and burns very well

 

[WoodPorn]

Sorry, just looked it up again, it is higher on th BTU scale than red/white oak.

 

[bsruther]

I've lost a few trees to Bittersweet vines. Wild Grape and PI can do a lot of damage too, but Bittersweet is the worst.