CWME
ArboristSite Guru
Been burning my "junk" wood a lot like Steve has been. Gone through a cord and a half of pine and about 2 cords of hardwood. I won't have to move any wood into the basement for next winter at this rate.
Mild Winter wood usage
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Big_Al
ArboristSite Guru
It's definitely been a light winter for wood use & snow fall. Haven't seen any below zero temps for a couple years now. (don't really mind). We've used about 2.5 cords so far, little less than half of the usual amount for this late in the winter.
Milkweed Seed
ArboristSite Operative
I got lucky this winter as I didn't cut as much last year, as I usually do. I only burned about 3 1/2 - 4 cords as apposed to 6 - 7 usually. I'd say I only have a 1/4 of a cord left, then it's time to try and burn some wet red oak. I've been eying up some beautiful ASH on the side of the road, better get to it before someone else does.....
Dalmatian90
Addicted to ArboristSite
Speaking of junk wood...
I got a lot of punky stuff, mostly from one large half-dead red maple I cut down this fall.
Stinks up the house, but if I stack ur in the pile nearest the woodstove it dries right out in 3-4 days and burns great!
Surprised me how well it's doing.
I'm home most of the time and wouldn't leave punky wood much longer than that...I've seen too much of it ignite WAY too easily over the years on brush fires and such.
And one ridiculous day following an 8" snowfall I climbed a ladder with an Indian Tank to extinguish a punky, smoldering tree about 15' off the ground. Our best guess is one of the town trucks had parked there and thrown a spark from it's diesel exhaust.
I got a lot of punky stuff, mostly from one large half-dead red maple I cut down this fall.
Stinks up the house, but if I stack ur in the pile nearest the woodstove it dries right out in 3-4 days and burns great!
Surprised me how well it's doing.
I'm home most of the time and wouldn't leave punky wood much longer than that...I've seen too much of it ignite WAY too easily over the years on brush fires and such.
And one ridiculous day following an 8" snowfall I climbed a ladder with an Indian Tank to extinguish a punky, smoldering tree about 15' off the ground. Our best guess is one of the town trucks had parked there and thrown a spark from it's diesel exhaust.
Beefie
Addicted to ArboristSite
This winter has been the second warmest on record so far, here in the Green Bay ,WI area. After this week it might tye it for first place. The only cutting I did was a little before X-mas and the two Charaty cuts up in Grantsburg. Everywear else has been two muddy to get in and cut. Almost out of wood in the basement, but the yard is way to soft to drive on to add more. Let spring come or give me some dry weather this winter sucked. I had plans to get myself to the 2 year ahead mark but that didn't happen owell.
Beefie
Beefie
Blazin
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've saved most of my hardwood and been buring pine and hemlock in the OWB, No complaints here on the mild winter 
v8titan
ArboristSite Operative
I'll echo much of what has already been posted in this thread. My wood consumption is down too.....burned maybe 2.5 to 3 cords so far where in a normal winter I might be at the 4 mark. I don't anticipate needing too much more for the heating season either. If you go on the climate prediction center (part of the NOAA site) You will see that the next 14 days out east will be extreme above normal temps and the 1 and 3 month outlooks both predict the trend to continue.
v8titan
ArboristSite Operative
BrokenToys
ArboristSite Operative
Last Winter used about 3.5 cord...this year about 2 maybe.Also about 3 years ahead now as well thanks to Irene.
StinkyBunny
ArboristSite Operative
Like others, I'm WAY down on usage this year, maybe a little over a cord. I've been hammering the junk wood pretty heavy on the weekends. I was really worried this year because I didn't have much down and seasoned until the hurricane hit, then I was up to my eyeballs in wood. Now I'm 2-3 years ahead with the last haul.
I might be done burning wood for heat this season already... good lord they're predicting highs in the 70's early next week... that's even too hot to cut firewood, let alone burn it! Last year at this time I was still crotch-deep in snow with below zero nights. The wife will probably make me pull the storm windows and put on the screens next week... last year I didn't do that until mid-May. Cripes! I may have to cut the grass in March... flat ridiculous!
Beer-drinkin'-on-the-front-porch season is gonna' be here early this year!!
I may even move the beer fridge out to the shop this weekend.
Beer-drinkin'-on-the-front-porch season is gonna' be here early this year!!
I may even move the beer fridge out to the shop this weekend.
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I'm 62 and this is the easiest winter I can remember. Had one in the early 70's and one in the 80's, but I think in both cases next winter was rough. So get cutting for next!!
Fred Wright
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well... this is our first year burning wood here. We went through over 3 cord since September but have little to weigh it against. We're already getting into what we thought would be next year's wood. :msp_unsure:
The missus is retired and likes it warm and dry in the house. The cool temps and dampness aggravate Uncle Arthur He's a mean SOB, makes pain in the ol' knees. Keeping him away means keeping the stove stoked while it's in the upper 50s outside.
It was over 60° today, I was loading rounds to the yard, sweating and seen the heat coming from the flue cap. She still had that little fire going.
As I write this, it's 80° in the puter room. I'm ready to open a window, lol. And I can guarantee I'll be bringing in more wood before the night's over.
My plan for next year is to have over 5 cord laid in. Pray for me.
The missus is retired and likes it warm and dry in the house. The cool temps and dampness aggravate Uncle Arthur He's a mean SOB, makes pain in the ol' knees. Keeping him away means keeping the stove stoked while it's in the upper 50s outside.
It was over 60° today, I was loading rounds to the yard, sweating and seen the heat coming from the flue cap. She still had that little fire going.
As I write this, it's 80° in the puter room. I'm ready to open a window, lol. And I can guarantee I'll be bringing in more wood before the night's over.
My plan for next year is to have over 5 cord laid in. Pray for me.
My wife is just the opposite… she won’t burn any more wood than is needed to keep the house around 70[sup]o[/sup], and has no problem letting the fire go out when it’s not needed. If I start the fire earlier in the evening than she believes it’s needed she calls it, “a waste of good firewood.”
I burned wood for heat most of my life… until I married my current wife (second go-a-round for me). Our daughter was born the first year premature (only weighed 2½ pounds) and because of lung problems the doctors told me to quit burning wood in the house (not just because of smoke, but also because of the associated ash and dust). The wife was a “city girl”… it was a real culture shock for her to move out in the sticks, and she didn’t touch the wood burner that first year. My daughter (now in her teens) has grown up healthy, and my wife has become a bona-fide hillbilly.
Last winter (2010/2011) I decided to burn wood for heat again… that decision came at Halloween, but I didn’t have a single stick of firewood (other than what I had sitting by the fire pit). My wife and kids watched out the window all winter, every Saturday, as I pulled logs from standing-dead up out’a the woodlot in waist deep snow, in all kinds of cold, wind and weather to keep our little furnace fired. She saw what kind of work was involved, but she liked not getting the “ticket” from the LP man every 3-5 weeks.
This last spring my wife helped split, haul out’a the woodlot and stack over 10-cord of heavy oak… and this last fall she helped split ‘round 5-cord of standing-dead, hard to split, elm (she’s afraid of the chainsaw, and stays away during cutting). She won’t leave anything behind in the woodlot… she’ll load all the butts, odd chunks and shorts into the back of the golf cart (even pieces I think are way too small to mess with). She chews me out because I don’t cut up the small branches and such… Her words, “If’n I’m gonna’ be out here in the weeds and bugs, sweatin’ my azz off, I will waste not!!” She sees each piece of firewood as hard earned dollar$, and won’t burn a single one if it ain’t absolutely needed.
Ya’ just gotta’ love a women that “gets it” don’t ya?!
I burned wood for heat most of my life… until I married my current wife (second go-a-round for me). Our daughter was born the first year premature (only weighed 2½ pounds) and because of lung problems the doctors told me to quit burning wood in the house (not just because of smoke, but also because of the associated ash and dust). The wife was a “city girl”… it was a real culture shock for her to move out in the sticks, and she didn’t touch the wood burner that first year. My daughter (now in her teens) has grown up healthy, and my wife has become a bona-fide hillbilly.
Last winter (2010/2011) I decided to burn wood for heat again… that decision came at Halloween, but I didn’t have a single stick of firewood (other than what I had sitting by the fire pit). My wife and kids watched out the window all winter, every Saturday, as I pulled logs from standing-dead up out’a the woodlot in waist deep snow, in all kinds of cold, wind and weather to keep our little furnace fired. She saw what kind of work was involved, but she liked not getting the “ticket” from the LP man every 3-5 weeks.
This last spring my wife helped split, haul out’a the woodlot and stack over 10-cord of heavy oak… and this last fall she helped split ‘round 5-cord of standing-dead, hard to split, elm (she’s afraid of the chainsaw, and stays away during cutting). She won’t leave anything behind in the woodlot… she’ll load all the butts, odd chunks and shorts into the back of the golf cart (even pieces I think are way too small to mess with). She chews me out because I don’t cut up the small branches and such… Her words, “If’n I’m gonna’ be out here in the weeds and bugs, sweatin’ my azz off, I will waste not!!” She sees each piece of firewood as hard earned dollar$, and won’t burn a single one if it ain’t absolutely needed.
Ya’ just gotta’ love a women that “gets it” don’t ya?!
zogger
Tree Freak
We've done a little over three cords instead of five. No insulation here, so it is a lot for our temps. (I am real impressed with the guys up north who burned so little, up in the thread. they obviously have well built well insulated homes) Still a mild winter, but you still need *some* fire all the time.
I have one stack that was going to be the late winter/spring stack, not only didn't touch it, but adding to it with some of the small oak branches from the yard oak tree trim.
I have a lot of left over hickory, that I am going to resplit small (just some, not gonna go nuts, just a trial batch to see if there is a potential market around here) and try moving it as smoker wood.
I have just *so much* wood here I can get, not gonna sweat it at all. I'll get as far ahead as I want to, I am some years out now, especially if the winters keep staying mild.
I have one stack that was going to be the late winter/spring stack, not only didn't touch it, but adding to it with some of the small oak branches from the yard oak tree trim.
I have a lot of left over hickory, that I am going to resplit small (just some, not gonna go nuts, just a trial batch to see if there is a potential market around here) and try moving it as smoker wood.
I have just *so much* wood here I can get, not gonna sweat it at all. I'll get as far ahead as I want to, I am some years out now, especially if the winters keep staying mild.
I think we've had normal winter temps here. It isn't over yet, rain and snow are mentioned for the weekend. Our mountains have an above normal snowpack--skiing has been wonderful and we'll have plenty of water in the rivers for fish and power. We shall hope it melts slowly.
I have burned and am burning about a cord and a half? Same as last year. I started rearranging the woodshed so I could get next Fall/Winter/Spring's wood under a good roof. I definitely have that cut and have part of 2013's supply cut.
I have burned and am burning about a cord and a half? Same as last year. I started rearranging the woodshed so I could get next Fall/Winter/Spring's wood under a good roof. I definitely have that cut and have part of 2013's supply cut.
100-year-old farmhouse... zero (I do mean zero) insulation, old wooden framed windows and non-insulated doors.
I can count on my fingers the number of days we didn't let the morning fire burn completely out.
I think the wife added fuel to the wood burner during the day only 5, maybe 6 times all winter.
There's been several nights I didn't even start an evening, or night fire.
The abundant sunshine and lack of wind we've had this year gets the credit... the living room, dinning room and kitchen all face to the open south, the solar energy has kept us more than warm enough most afternoons and into the evening.
We have not had "*some* fire all the time"... I'd be willing to bet we've had just as many hours without a fire, as we've had with a fire this year.
I went three days straight without even lighting a fire in January... and several 24-hour periods without one.
Last night was the first evening in three days I've lit a fire... and with 60's and 70's predicted for next week I may not light a fire all week, or even longer (heck, maybe I'm done this year).
It's just friggin' crazy the small amount of wood I've burned this year... and 80% of it the so-called "shoulder season" wood.
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