Why it's good to know tree ID.

[stihly dan]

I stopped in at a guy's place today to ask him about some asplundah downed tree's. He said to take it all, with emphasis on the big wood. He told me 2/3's have already been taken but he didn't think the guy taking it was able to get the big stuff. So to the point. When I went back there a 1/2 hr later with the saws, the other guy was just pulling in. I introduced myself, and said he had been working it first so he should pick his spot and I would get the furthest from him. He said he wanted the wood next to the driveway, which was in the middle of the property. I went to the left of the driveway about 30 yards. There was a 20" shagbark hickory about 60' long and straight. Dry as a popcorn fart, must have been standing dead. This other wood guy and his buddy where laughing under there breath at me for being stuck with the wood not so easy to get. This did not bother me at all cause I could back the truck right up to the tree, with the high ground clearance of my truck. An hour later, I have about 3/4 of a cord of hickory in the truck. While the laughing gentlemen have an S10 full of soft maple. After unloading and getting back there at the same time. I take the right side of the property. Again more laughter and chuckles from the other guys. As I am loading another 3/4 of a cord shagbark. We leave again, and come back. Now its time for the 30" ash tree. This time the guy's come over and openly laugh in my face, and say the are sorry for giving me the short end of the stick. And that it will take me forever to cut up the large tree. I should just leave it, I have been abused enough. So I take out the 038 with the 28 " bar, and start cutting. long story, long. Me 1 1/2 cords shagbark hickory, 1 1/2 cords ash. The laughing men, maybe a cord of soft maple. I think I had the last laugh. If they only knew what good woods are.

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

Too bad for those two chuckle-heads! You destroyed them on sheer quantity of wood......let alone the quality of what you hauled off.

 

[740jsmayle]

Sounds like you need to scrounge with those guys more often. You get some good wood and they laugh and have fun cleaning up

 

[stihly dan]

I like power company drops. No branches or brush to deal with. I originally passed it up when the homeowner said others had been there already. But he insisted that I should cut. said I was the only one to ask BEFORE cutting. Wild thing vs stihl, s10 vs F350. It could only go one way.

 

[Cheesecutter]

Gotta love it when some people's greed overpowers their knowledge. Saw a guy pass up a dozen 6-8" standing dead red elms to get that "really nice" 15" diameter tree...a box elder. I told him not to worry I would clean them up.

 

[haveawoody]

stihly dan,

What were you thinking working so hard to get a couple of shagbarks and a big heart wood ash tree.
I guess the best laugh is the last one and you must have had that

I had a similar experience with apple trees VS silver maple.
About 20 mid sized apple trees and 2 very large fallen silver maples with a few guys cutting them.
When I walked past the maples and over to the apple trees and started cutting all of the guys cutting up the maples thought I was nuts.
Even after I loaded up 2 full cords of apple on my trailor, departed and returned for the same they thought the same.

All I could do was grin and wonder if they were lazy, stupid or just didn't know what was what.
None of the apple trees were anything to write home about, 1 or a little more that 1 face cord on each.
But x 20 it added up fast and at home it required no splitting just stack and wait in my personal firewood piles.

 

[WOODSMAN416]

Gotta love jokers like that!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[TKeller]

I want to respond to the it pays to know the trees. I had been eyeing this scrounge for several months. It was a tree that had uprooted and was laying down, around 30" in diameter nice and straight. Access was good enough, you could get a truck within 20ft. Well, I finally stopped to check it out and if it was good wood with little rot I was going to find the landowner. The wood was solid but on closer inspection I found out it was sweetgum and not the black oak that I thought it was. Since I don't have a splitter no way. And no wonder it had been there for six months. Yes, it is very important to know the trees :msp_smile:

 

[Preston]

With the hickory, I'd be laughing with them also if I could laugh, cut and load at the same time. I think I'd fill the truck then laugh and tell the smart men how much fun that was. Never know, you might even get them to help ya. :msp_thumbup:

 

[imagineero]

The funny thing is not just that people don't know, but you can't convince them no matter how hard you try! I run a tree company, and we give firewood away all the time. If it's a big job I'll block it up and drop it of, saves me chipping. But on smaller jobs or when it's timber nobody would want, we just chip the lot.

Did a removal last week of a cottonwood, and we'd chipped all the branches. The barrels were a fair size, so we were blocking them and ripping them so they'd fit in the chipper. The groundies were trollying the barrels to the street and stacking them ready for chipping when a guy turned up and asked if he could take them. I couldn't talk him out of it. Told him what it was, that it would rot before it dried, and even if it dried it wasn't worth having anyhow but he wouldn't hear of it. Ended up letting him take some (he loaded it himself) and while he was doing it, 2 other guys pulled up and they got into an argument over who would get it! I gave them the same talk, but they couldn't load it fast enough. We didn't chip a single piece of barrel.

Shaun

 

[farmer steve]

just gotta love the stupidity of some. good for you.

 

[3fordasho]

As a scrounger you got to start somewhere. One of my first "finds" was a free cottonwood already on the ground.... some 35 miles away. I actually made a couple trips the load up that crap. But it seasoned fast and helped get me through my first year heating with wood some 7-8 years ago. Now my wood source is a mile away and I only bring home about 25% of it for my personal use. The rest (lesser woods) get sold for firepit use - siberian and white elm, some ash and black cherry. The oak, mulberry, red elm and larger diameter buckthorn come home with me.

I've gotten very good at tree ID

 

[philoshop]

Ignorance is when you don't know any better. We've all been there at some time or other.
Stupidity is when you don't want to know any better. You can't teach a stupid person anything. Just stay outta their way.
Congrats on the nice score. No pics?

 

[Hinerman]

So what is the best way for a novice, such as myself, to learn tree identification? Can you recommend a book? Is there a book or chart that provides BTU value for specific species?

I wouldn't know shagbark hickory if it hit me on the head; and, had no idea it is a good firewood. I know oak, locust, and ash are favorites for firewood. What are the others?

 

[haveawoody]

Hinerman,

Here is a good place to start ID's online.

Identify Hardwood Trees | Identify the Most Common Hardwoods

Here is a decent list of nice firewood trees by BTU output.

Energy Values - Hardwoods - Firewood

Hope that helps you become a crazy wood scrounger like the rest of us here

 

[zogger]

So what is the best way for a novice, such as myself, to learn tree identification? Can you recommend a book? Is there a book or chart that provides BTU value for specific species?

I wouldn't know shagbark hickory if it hit me on the head; and, had no idea it is a good firewood. I know oak, locust, and ash are favorites for firewood. What are the others?

The best is just go out walking with an experienced person or group, and pay attention. Involve all your senses, touch the trees, say it outloud as you touch them, etc. take notes, take pictures, learn to match leaves with bark, because leaves are the best and easiest way.

Perhaps there is another member here near you that could give you some pointers on a woods walk. or, look or a local class o some sort? A nature hike class? That might exist.

 

[TonyK]

There's an App for that. Try this out
Home | Leafsnap: An Electronic Field Guide

 

[stihly dan]

A F-350, 038 and knowing the wood is a hard combo to beat.



Now say the F-350 is a 4x4 and you were using square ground chain on an 038 MagII and I'll be rollin' on the floor!

That would be correct, And I'll thro in diesel as well.

 

[TreePointer]

So what is the best way for a novice, such as myself, to learn tree identification? Can you recommend a book? Is there a book or chart that provides BTU value for specific species?

I wouldn't know shagbark hickory if it hit me on the head; and, had no idea it is a good firewood. I know oak, locust, and ash are favorites for firewood. What are the others?

Search: FIREWOOD BTU CHART

Get a field guide book and take a few hikes to ID trees with leaves on them. Pay attention to the bark when you do these ID hikes, so you can ID them in the winter. With leaves off, learn to ID them by bark, buds, and leaf scars (Winter Tree Finder). As you become a more experienced firewood cutter, you'll be able to ID by butt ends of logs (sapwood vs. heartwood colors, ring width, medullary rays, etc.). You can even ID by smell--pines and oaks are pretty easy to ID this way IMO.

 

[Hinerman]

Hinerman,

Here is a good place to start ID's online.

Identify Hardwood Trees | Identify the Most Common Hardwoods

Here is a decent list of nice firewood trees by BTU output.

Energy Values - Hardwoods - Firewood

Hope that helps you become a crazy wood scrounger like the rest of us here

The best is just go out walking with an experienced person or group, and pay attention. Involve all your senses, touch the trees, say it outloud as you touch them, etc. take notes, take pictures, learn to match leaves with bark, because leaves are the best and easiest way.

Perhaps there is another member here near you that could give you some pointers on a woods walk. or, look or a local class o some sort? A nature hike class? That might exist.

There's an App for that. Try this out
Home | Leafsnap: An Electronic Field Guide

Search: FIREWOOD BTU CHART

Get a field guide book and take a few hikes to ID trees with leaves on them. Pay attention to the bark when you do these ID hikes, so you can ID them in the winter. With leaves off, learn to ID them by bark, buds, and leaf scars (Winter Tree Finder). As you become a more experienced firewood cutter, you'll be able to ID by butt ends of logs (sapwood vs. heartwood colors, ring width, medullary rays, etc.). You can even ID by smell--pines and oaks are pretty easy to ID this way IMO.

Thanks to all of you. The App is the only thing that won't work for me, as I still have a dumb phone.