This 4-minute video explains how to choose trees to cut down for firewood with tips on tree species and wildlife considerations. Visit www.mywoodlot.com to learn about other activities you can do on your woodlot.
You only need about 4 dead trees per acre to act as habitats and improve wildlife. If the wood isn't rotten, it's perfectly fine to harvest. If not it's just wasted firewood... That is usually much drier than green wood by the time you harvest it! They're also a great solution if you're running behind on firewood collection for that year for that reason.
Standing dead drop branches.. if they are near trails, they should be cut - loggers call those dropping limbs widowmakers for a reason. Pine works fine if you let it dry. All those people out West can burn it. And it is much better kindling than oak - drop a piece or two on hot coals to restart your stove, and put the oak or hickory on top. Both hardwoods and softwoods have a place in your woodpile. It's also good for shoulder season in fall and spring - when you just want a little heat from the stove
I wouldn't quite agree with avoiding conifers...just choose hardwoods before soft if you have the choice. I just split up a load of spruce. It'll burn just fine. Got a bunch of red pine too, but that stuff splits terribly. Spruce is preferred in that case.
Only burn wood with more than 20%, when in despair. Burning wet wood will result in wasted heat, wasted fuel (becuase soot and smoke is basically unburned fuel) and more smoke and soot which negativly impact your health, your oven and the environment. Generally wood dried outisde but away from rain for a year is dry enough. Dry wood makes more of a hollow clonk sound, when hit while wet wood makes more of a thump sound. You also can use a moisture meter. If you ar epaying your wood by weight and not by volume it especially pays to have a moisture meter. Transporting dry wood has also benefits, if you are limited by mass and by volume. Here is Germany a cars drivers license only allows you to drive cars up to 3,5t total mass with a pendant of up to 3,5t total mass. So if you only have a pickup truck with a pendnt to transport wood, you might be mass limited but not as much volume limited, then transporting wet wood becomes more expensive, because you might have to drive twice as often. If you are transporting with a large truck or a tractor it does not really matter.
Removing poorer quality trees for firewood can help natural regeneration (no planting necessary) and improve your woodlot's health and value. www.mywoodlot.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=136
Dead trees are all I cut
You only need about 4 dead trees per acre to act as habitats and improve wildlife. If the wood isn't rotten, it's perfectly fine to harvest. If not it's just wasted firewood... That is usually much drier than green wood by the time you harvest it! They're also a great solution if you're running behind on firewood collection for that year for that reason.
Standing dead drop branches.. if they are near trails, they should be cut - loggers call those dropping limbs widowmakers for a reason.
Pine works fine if you let it dry. All those people out West can burn it. And it is much better kindling than oak - drop a piece or two on hot coals to restart your stove, and put the oak or hickory on top. Both hardwoods and softwoods have a place in your woodpile. It's also good for shoulder season in fall and spring - when you just want a little heat from the stove
Yes, I've used pine and dead wood. Let it dry in the woodpile for several months to a year and it'll work great.
Thank you for that easy to remember way to discern the trees. I'm learning and it is really helpful
I only cut dead standing that isn’t too rotten when im on bushcraft outings
Awesome video
Dead trees good to stick a knife in it, if it’s hard it’s still good.
I'll cut dead fir and Larch and Madrone. The birds and bugs will do just fine.
I wouldn't quite agree with avoiding conifers...just choose hardwoods before soft if you have the choice. I just split up a load of spruce. It'll burn just fine. Got a bunch of red pine too, but that stuff splits terribly. Spruce is preferred in that case.
But green wood doesn’t burn that well, right?
Only burn wood with more than 20%, when in despair.
Burning wet wood will result in wasted heat, wasted fuel (becuase soot and smoke is basically unburned fuel) and more smoke and soot which negativly impact your health, your oven and the environment.
Generally wood dried outisde but away from rain for a year is dry enough.
Dry wood makes more of a hollow clonk sound, when hit while wet wood makes more of a thump sound.
You also can use a moisture meter.
If you ar epaying your wood by weight and not by volume it especially pays to have a moisture meter.
Transporting dry wood has also benefits, if you are limited by mass and by volume.
Here is Germany a cars drivers license only allows you to drive cars up to 3,5t total mass with a pendant of up to 3,5t total mass.
So if you only have a pickup truck with a pendnt to transport wood, you might be mass limited but not as much volume limited, then transporting wet wood becomes more expensive, because you might have to drive twice as often.
If you are transporting with a large truck or a tractor it does not really matter.
What do you think about replanting where you cut or just let the existing trees grow bigger?
Removing poorer quality trees for firewood can help natural regeneration (no planting necessary) and improve your woodlot's health and value.
www.mywoodlot.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=136
You can use woodglut to build it in the cheapest way.