Judging seasoned standing/fallen wood?

[Emt1581]

I plan to harvest/process my own firewood from now on. After paying a guy $1000+ per year for 4-6 cords, and recently buying a Husqvarna 550XP, I figure I can use my trailer, maul, and splitter to section up trunks/limbs and then take them back home to process into firewood. I'll do it in small increments over the warmer seasons and then work up to that 4-6 cords over many weekends.

When looking at wood that is either standing and dead or fallen...are there any tricks to tell if it's seasoned and ready to burn short of moisture testing a split piece for <20%? In some locations, I'm guessing people wouldn't appreciate me firing up the saw and hacking away with a maul. Or is that pretty much the only way to do it?

Thanks

-Emt1581

 

[farmer steve]

hi fellow keystoner. it will depend on species as to how dry it is if it is standing. i have cut dead standing locust and brought it home and threw it in the stove. some dead standing i have done the same with limb wood but not the bigger pieces. dead on the ground may be to damp to burn right away but split and stacked it may dry in a few months. where in PA? i'm in york co.

 

[svk]

If it's dead standing hardwood or pine and the bark is falling off it's probably ready. The last few feet of stump may need a bit of drying.

Downed wood is a crapshoot. Depends on the species and whether it gets sun or not. I've cut blowdown spruce and cedar that's dry as a bone and otoh Aspen or pine with bark on will rot before it dries.

 

[Emt1581]

hi fellow keystoner. it will depend on species as to how dry it is if it is standing. i have cut dead standing locust and brought it home and threw it in the stove. some dead standing i have done the same with limb wood but not the bigger pieces. dead on the ground may be to damp to burn right away but split and stacked it may dry in a few months. where in PA? i'm in york co.

Lehigh Valley

I believe it's Ash that you can burn any time. There's an old saying about green or dry the king with have fire with Ash...something like that. Other than that this is mostly new to me. Just looking to learn the tricks of the trade from others who do it.

Thanks

-Emt1581

 

[hanniedog]

Just look for the ash trees. Most have been dead several years and are good to burn right away.

 

[farmer steve]

Lehigh Valley

I believe it's Ash that you can burn any time. There's an old saying about green or dry the king with have fire with Ash...something like that. Other than that this is mostly new to me. Just looking to learn the tricks of the trade from others who do it.

Thanks

-Emt1581

the ash is good most of the time if it is dead standing. once it hits the ground you want to grab it pretty quick. i'm burning some dead standing ash now that was cut about a month ago.

 

[Marine5068]

You really need to cut and split it and check moisture at that time. Dry wood is anything under 16% in my eyes. But then I like my #%$* dry.
I've had dry standing dead Ash that is wet for a few weeks or months until its under cover and really dries out.
Seasoned wood seems to be a confusing idea around these parts.
Lots of guys sell 'seasoned' wood or so they say, then you find out that Maple you just bought was cut up from log form and split like two days ago. That's NOT seasoned.
Seasoned to me is 8-12 months after cut and split and longer if it's Oaks or Elms.

 

[Fireaxman]

I echo Farmer Steve, "... it will depend on species as to how dry it is if it is standing" but I will try to provide a little more detail. Of course it also depends on the climate and micro-climate where you live, the predominance of wood boring insects and fungus, and the reason it died. If it died of Heart Rot, it will rot from both outside in and inside out, quickly becoming worthless. Down here in our 90% humidity and No Winter if it hits the ground you better pick it up in a month or two or the termites, Long Horn Beetles, mushrooms, and fungus have got it. Dead standing pine will last a year as long as it is Standing, but even then I have seen the first couple of feet of sapwood rendered useless by termites. I have also seen Standing Southern Pines 40 feet tall that died in a fire but had a lot of heart wood pitch ("Southern Fat Pine") ten years old and still Very Solid! Can't burn it in your wood stove because of the creosote, but makes good starter and kindling and a Wonderful Bonfire!

Hickory and Pecan are good for a year standing down here, probably much longer where you are. Live Oak will last Many Years standing (I recently harvested some that was dead standing for 10 years and dry and hard as a rock. Difficult to cut and split, but Very High BTU!) Red Oak rots very quickly, in fact it will rot even standing faster than it will dry out, and forget it if it is on the ground for 3 months in our swamp. White Oak is interesting. The sapwood rots very quickly, and will in fact rot completely off the tree while it is still standing, but the heart wood is resistant to rot (high in tannins and very dense) as long as it does not have Heart Rot. I just harvested 2 white oaks standing dead for 2 years. The sapwood was rotted completely off. The heart wood was still wet, heavy, and Very Hard!

I harvest a Lot of Dead and Dead and Down. I stab it with my knife and I can generally tell by how fast and how deep the knife goes in how solid the wood is. A portable drill and a long reach half inch bit will give you Much More Detail, simply watch the penetration rate and examine the shavings as the bit drills deeper. A nice thing about Dead and Dead and Down is that even though the heart wood may look like it is just as wet as the Green heart the dead heart will still dry out much faster after it is split than green wood. If I split green wood I have to let it dry at least a year before it generates very much heat. If I split a dead and down or dead standing in August it will generally burn pretty well by March, even though in August the heart wood Looks wet and the splitter squeezes water out as it splits.

I fully agree with Marine5068. "Seasoned Standing" is a rare thing indeed down here. In fact, I have never seen any, but then we don't have locust or very much ash. Anything much over 4" diameter down here MUST be split before it will "Season".

 

[Marine5068]

I echo Farmer Steve, "... it will depend on species as to how dry it is if it is standing" but I will try to provide a little more detail. Of course it also depends on the climate and micro-climate where you live, the predominance of wood boring insects and fungus, and the reason it died. If it died of Heart Rot, it will rot from both outside in and inside out, quickly becoming worthless. Down here in our 90% humidity and No Winter if it hits the ground you better pick it up in a month or two or the termites, Long Horn Beetles, mushrooms, and fungus have got it. Dead standing pine will last a year as long as it is Standing, but even then I have seen the first couple of feet of sapwood rendered useless by termites. I have also seen Standing Southern Pines 40 feet tall that died in a fire but had a lot of heart wood pitch ("Southern Fat Pine") ten years old and still Very Solid! Can't burn it in your wood stove because of the creosote, but makes good starter and kindling and a Wonderful Bonfire!

Hickory and Pecan are good for a year standing down here, probably much longer where you are. Live Oak will last Many Years standing (I recently harvested some that was dead standing for 10 years and dry and hard as a rock. Difficult to cut and split, but Very High BTU!) Red Oak rots very quickly, in fact it will rot even standing faster than it will dry out, and forget it if it is on the ground for 3 months in our swamp. White Oak is interesting. The sapwood rots very quickly, and will in fact rot completely off the tree while it is still standing, but the heart wood is resistant to rot (high in tannins and very dense) as long as it does not have Heart Rot. I just harvested 2 white oaks standing dead for 2 years. The sapwood was rotted completely off. The heart wood was still wet, heavy, and Very Hard!

I harvest a Lot of Dead and Dead and Down. I stab it with my knife and I can generally tell by how fast and how deep the knife goes in how solid the wood is. A portable drill and a long reach half inch bit will give you Much More Detail, simply watch the penetration rate and examine the shavings as the bit drills deeper. A nice thing about Dead and Dead and Down is that even though the heart wood may look like it is just as wet as the Green heart the dead heart will still dry out much faster after it is split than green wood. If I split green wood I have to let it dry at least a year before it generates very much heat. If I split a dead and down or dead standing in August it will generally burn pretty well by March, even though in August the heart wood Looks wet and the splitter squeezes water out as it splits.

I fully agree with Marine5068. "Seasoned Standing" is a rare thing indeed down here. In fact, I have never seen any, but then we don't have locust or very much ash. Anything much over 4" diameter down here MUST be split before it will "Season".

Well said....It does all depend on factors, but to be safe, I would get it on the ground and cut and split some to see if it's very wet, rotten, or good to cut/split/stack and then go from there.

 

[babybart]

I echo Farmer Steve, "... it will depend on species as to how dry it is if it is standing" but I will try to provide a little more detail. Of course it also depends on the climate and micro-climate where you live, the predominance of wood boring insects and fungus, and the reason it died. If it died of Heart Rot, it will rot from both outside in and inside out, quickly becoming worthless. Down here in our 90% humidity and No Winter if it hits the ground you better pick it up in a month or two or the termites, Long Horn Beetles, mushrooms, and fungus have got it. Dead standing pine will last a year as long as it is Standing, but even then I have seen the first couple of feet of sapwood rendered useless by termites. I have also seen Standing Southern Pines 40 feet tall that died in a fire but had a lot of heart wood pitch ("Southern Fat Pine") ten years old and still Very Solid! Can't burn it in your wood stove because of the creosote, but makes good starter and kindling and a Wonderful Bonfire!

Hickory and Pecan are good for a year standing down here, probably much longer where you are. Live Oak will last Many Years standing (I recently harvested some that was dead standing for 10 years and dry and hard as a rock. Difficult to cut and split, but Very High BTU!) Red Oak rots very quickly, in fact it will rot even standing faster than it will dry out, and forget it if it is on the ground for 3 months in our swamp. White Oak is interesting. The sapwood rots very quickly, and will in fact rot completely off the tree while it is still standing, but the heart wood is resistant to rot (high in tannins and very dense) as long as it does not have Heart Rot. I just harvested 2 white oaks standing dead for 2 years. The sapwood was rotted completely off. The heart wood was still wet, heavy, and Very Hard!

I harvest a Lot of Dead and Dead and Down. I stab it with my knife and I can generally tell by how fast and how deep the knife goes in how solid the wood is. A portable drill and a long reach half inch bit will give you Much More Detail, simply watch the penetration rate and examine the shavings as the bit drills deeper. A nice thing about Dead and Dead and Down is that even though the heart wood may look like it is just as wet as the Green heart the dead heart will still dry out much faster after it is split than green wood. If I split green wood I have to let it dry at least a year before it generates very much heat. If I split a dead and down or dead standing in August it will generally burn pretty well by March, even though in August the heart wood Looks wet and the splitter squeezes water out as it splits.

I fully agree with Marine5068. "Seasoned Standing" is a rare thing indeed down here. In fact, I have never seen any, but then we don't have locust or very much ash. Anything much over 4" diameter down here MUST be split before it will "Season".

Moisture causes creosote so as long as the Southern pine you think you can't burn is seasoned throw it in the stove!

 

[trukn2004]

I am in a similar situation. I harvest all of my own firewood and I am currently into my second year burning. All the wood comes from my property and here is some of the stuff I have learned so far.

1. Get ahead. The best thing for firewood is to be split and stacked for a while. Log form or rounds will dry a bit, but if you want good heat output and minimal chimney buildup, you need to get ahead.

2. Anything will burn, but how well depends on time. I started harvesting when i was building my house. I went after standing dead trees to help minimize my time. Most of it was ash, with some dead and down red oak thrown in. My first year I burnt about a cord, and it made heat.... but not great. This year i am into two year old stuff, hickory, ash, oak, etc. The difference is amazing. Heat output, longevity, starts from dead and the amount of air i need to give the stove has all changed.

3. Just because its dead, doesnt mean its dry. A tree in log form will retain moisture, no two ways about it. A lot of the red oak i was cutting was fallen over, debarked and missing its sapwood. Stuff looked ready to go. after splitting, I found moisture contents as high as 40% on fresh splits. that same wood stacked and split for two years is now burning like a charm, no sizzling and putting out great heat.

4: efficiency. dry wood burns better and hotter, that is just science. The less energy you have to put into boiling off water, the more heat the wood will put out. I am guessing if you get ahead, that 4-6 cords a year will drop while still keeping you warm.

Overall, welcome to the fun and get working! optimize your space, and get ahead. If that isnt going to be possible due to space constraints, then get the wood split and stacked ASAP. dont wait for the fall, you should be collecting next years wood now so it will have plenty of time to get as close to optimal as you can.


Good Luck

 

[Emt1581]

As far as pine goes, I think my wood guy is half-nuts. I asked him his thoughts on burning pine in my stove. He said don't do it. I asked why. He said because the sap inside really coats your pipe/chimney. I said okay, but up north in Alaska, all they have are conifers/pines and that's what they all burn. I swear he looked at me and went "yeah but look how little their houses are!"...like I was talking about eskimo's in a f&^*(n igloo or something!

I've burned plenty of pine...seasoned pine...never had an issue. It burns very hot and very fast...but it burns.

-Emt1581

 

[NSMaple1]

I would go in assuming whatever I get is going to need at least a year of drying in a stack, after being split. So get ahead the first year.

Trying to go after standing dead that might be dry enough is kinda tricky - usually by that point, they are dropping limbs, and chances are they will try to drop another one(s) while you're under it cutting it down. Plus there could be rotten spots inside that will make it do unexpected things just when you think you have it on the way down. Can be quite dangerous all depending.

I go after windfalls, and try to keep 2 years ahead.

 

[Woody912]

I plan to harvest/process my own firewood from now on. After paying a guy $1000+ per year for 4-6 cords, and recently buying a Husqvarna 550XP, I figure I can use my trailer, maul, and splitter to section up trunks/limbs and then take them back home to process into firewood. I'll do it in small increments over the warmer seasons and then work up to that 4-6 cords over many weekends.

When looking at wood that is either standing and dead or fallen...are there any tricks to tell if it's seasoned and ready to burn short of moisture testing a split piece for <20%? In some locations, I'm guessing people wouldn't appreciate me firing up the saw and hacking away with a maul. Or is that pretty much the only way to do it?

Thanks

-Emt1581

I can get a ball park feel by relative weight and by putting it to my skin to feel for damp. If the limbs are starting to deteriorate they are probably OK to burn, also OK to fall off and kill you. Trunk wood, except for dead elms probably needs to split and dry. If it is touching the ground it is wet. Unless you are in Arizona

 

[Jere39]

I live south of you in Chester County, and cut standing dead Red Oak all winter long. A 100 year old tree that has been dead for 5+ years when I cut it hits the ground with a MM reading of close to 40% in the bottom 60' or so. Less after the first crotch and out into the limbs. I usually get about 2 cord from each of these nice big trees, and keep each tree output stacked separately. Stacks are not covered, they are open to wind, weather, sun, and of course rain and snow too. I watch the moisture content and find that after split it dries about 2%/month. Which means, what I'm cutting this week will be "ready" for a wood burner next winter. I start delivering wood in October. At that time my oak is reading 20% or slightly lower (like 18%). I take readings by re-splitting and testing with the grain in the freshly opened wood. I sell all the wood I process, so I've never had a pile stick around long enough to get below 16%, and in the kind of relative humidity of the mid-Atlantic (I know nothing like gulf coast LA), I'm not sure an uncovered pile of oak would ever get there. That being said, it is strictly an opinion, but I think what you are cutting now; dead standing, laying, or detatched leaners, would better serve you next year.

 

[Emt1581]

I live south of you in Chester County, and cut standing dead Red Oak all winter long. A 100 year old tree that has been dead for 5+ years when I cut it hits the ground with a MM reading of close to 40% in the bottom 60' or so. Less after the first crotch and out into the limbs. I usually get about 2 cord from each of these nice big trees, and keep each tree output stacked separately. Stacks are not covered, they are open to wind, weather, sun, and of course rain and snow too. I watch the moisture content and find that after split it dries about 2%/month. Which means, what I'm cutting this week will be "ready" for a wood burner next winter. I start delivering wood in October. At that time my oak is reading 20% or slightly lower (like 18%). I take readings by re-splitting and testing with the grain in the freshly opened wood. I sell all the wood I process, so I've never had a pile stick around long enough to get below 16%, and in the kind of relative humidity of the mid-Atlantic (I know nothing like gulf coast LA), I'm not sure an uncovered pile of oak would ever get there. That being said, it is strictly an opinion, but I think what you are cutting now; dead standing, laying, or detatched leaners, would better serve you next year. View attachment 553754

Holy crap! 5 years and it's still at 40%!?!

I'm going to get cracking asap! I use the hand crank splitter on the impossible stuff but I saw excellent reviews of the HF 5 ton electric splitter. I think I'll get one of those and then do a random drive with my saw and trailer once every Saturday or Sunday and harvest smaller 10-20" diameter stuff until I get a few cords done. There's tons of fallen stuff along the road side around here. In ditches, corners of people's property (I'll ask permission and do it for free), etc. I pass it everyday going to work so I'm guessing most of it is up for grabs.

Just have to grab some pallets and start doing stacks in blocks in the corner of my yard instead of the 6-8 rows I stack on my lower patio. That keeps them nice and dry under there.

Thanks

-Emt1581

 

[svk]

As far as pine goes, I think my wood guy is half-nuts. I asked him his thoughts on burning pine in my stove. He said don't do it. I asked why. He said because the sap inside really coats your pipe/chimney. I said okay, but up north in Alaska, all they have are conifers/pines and that's what they all burn. I swear he looked at me and went "yeah but look how little their houses are!"...like I was talking about eskimo's in a f&^*(n igloo or something!

I've burned plenty of pine...seasoned pine...never had an issue. It burns very hot and very fast...but it burns.

-Emt1581

I have shared this story before so I apologize for being redundant. My great uncle built his sauna in the late 50's. Up until the last few years they burned exclusively pine scrounged from their lot. They finally ran out in the last few years and scrounge elsewhere. He passed in 1975 and knowing my cousins that chimney has never been cleaned yet they have never had an issue with creosote.

 

[svk]

I can get a ball park feel by relative weight and by putting it to my skin to feel for damp. If the limbs are starting to deteriorate they are probably OK to burn, also OK to fall off and kill you. Trunk wood, except for dead elms probably needs to split and dry. If it is touching the ground it is wet. Unless you are in Arizona

Very good point. If you find evergreen species on the ground they actually aren't on the ground because all of the small limbs hold them up a few feet. This helps them dry versus trees like aspen where the crown shatters upon impact with the ground and the trunk is usually touching the ground.

 

[Woody912]

Holy crap! 5 years and it's still at 40%!?!

I'm going to get cracking asap! I use the hand crank splitter on the impossible stuff but I saw excellent reviews of the HF 5 ton electric splitter. I think I'll get one of those and then do a random drive with my saw and trailer once every Saturday or Sunday and harvest smaller 10-20" diameter stuff until I get a few cords done. There's tons of fallen stuff along the road side around here. In ditches, corners of people's property (I'll ask permission and do it for free), etc. I pass it everyday going to work so I'm guessing most of it is up for grabs.

Just have to grab some pallets and start doing stacks in blocks in the corner of my yard instead of the 6-8 rows I stack on my lower patio. That keeps them nice and dry under there.

Thanks

-Emt1581

If you have the room stack in single rows with long axis oriented to the southwest for max sun exposure during the warm part of the day and no shade coverage or overhanging trees. Tightly stacked wood with fallen leaves on top will go bad quickly

 

[Jere39]

If you have the room stack in single rows with long axis oriented to the southwest for max sun exposure during the warm part of the day and no shade coverage or overhanging trees. Tightly stacked wood with fallen leaves . . .y