Road ditch cottonwoods - pic/vid heavy

[Steve NW WI]

I'm finally done splitting! This will hopefully be the last cottonwood I have to deal with this year. On to some better woods next week, I'll spend the rest of this week before work stacking and cleaning up the mess.

Here's what I had stacked before I started today, 1 5/8 cords or so:

I got the 7300 out for a noodling session, these were a little heavier than I like to lift before I knocked em down to size. I need to find some more bins for kindling noodles and scraps, all the ones I've collected when I see em on sale are full now:

Here's what I've got to stack, I'm thinking a bit over 1/2 cord. These bottom pieces were real wet and stringy:

I'll be back later in the week with a wrap up pic or two.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Here's the last of it. Just over 2 cords total, my guessing skills aren't too bad (this time).

My "wheelbarrow" loaded:

The stack. I went higher on the last row rather than start a new one:

A bunch of cleanup left yet, if the wind settles down, I'll get the fire going and get it taken care of this weekend yet.

Speaking of wind, it tipped over a small dead elm I hadn't even noticed in the windbreak by the driveway. It won't last long, the saws are already circling!

Hard to believe this project took me a month, but I had no shortage of other stuff to do, and now we're finally getting some nice cool cutting weather, so I'll be getting more done faster from here on out (I hope...)

Thanks for watching the progress!

 

[Steve NW WI]

Just thought I'd update this thread. I burned through most of the cottonwood last fall and this spring. It was good enough anytime the temps were up in the 30s, or if I was around to feed the stove often. It doesn't hang with the "good" woods when it's cold out and you need a long burn though. No surprise there really.

Anyway, I just put the last 1/2 cord in the basement for the mornings I'll need a little heat, maybe some will be there till fall, never can tell the way this year's been though.

One thought for the "I wouldn't take that stuff" crowd - I'd have been burning green wood for the last month or more if not for this cottonwood. Take it when it's there - never know when you'll need it.

Couple pics - note the stove is running - little chilly downstairs this morning.

Time to take the wheelbarrow back outside for the summer. Wintertime it hauls wood from the back room to the stove room - about 40'.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

I don't have cottonwood in my area but i have a lot of poplar that is pretty light when seasoned and a little dense green. I burn it in the winter also the way i see it if it burns it goes in the stove and sure beats a snowball. not a overnight wood but knocks the chill out.

 

[zogger]

Nice update!

Yep, if ya got to touch it, stack it! Better to have extra cords of lesser species over a big empty place where a stack could be.

 

[mainewoods]

Yup, couldn't get to my spare woodpile, with all the snow this winter, so ended up burning some poplar I had for shoulder wood season. Kept us warm, and I was darn glad to have it. I won't get caught not having a closer stack again. It got me through, but the constant feeding got old, real quick.

 

[svk]

I agree, constant feeding of the fire beats paying the gas or electric bill.

My indoor boiler runs through a full load of aspen in 60-90 minutes when it's -30. But its plentiful and free around my place.

 

[7sleeper]

Yup, couldn't get to my spare woodpile, with all the snow this winter, so ended up burning some poplar I had for shoulder wood season. Kept us warm, and I was darn glad to have it. I won't get caught not having a closer stack again. It got me through, but the constant feeding got old, real quick.

Finally a little work out for you lazy bum....




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[mainewoods]

Being married to my wife is enough, I don't need to be married to the wood stove too!

 

[7sleeper]

Being married to my wife is enough, I don't need to be married to the wood stove too!

Your wife got jelous about this heated relationship...

7

 

[Steve NW WI]

Yup, couldn't get to my spare woodpile, with all the snow this winter, so ended up burning some poplar I had for shoulder wood season. Kept us warm, and I was darn glad to have it. I won't get caught not having a closer stack again. It got me through, but the constant feeding got old, real quick.

Funny you mention that. I had some oak out on the hill behind the house. I didn't plan to need it this year, so I didn't plow out to it. By the time I figured I'd need it, it took 4 hours to dig my way out to it with the tractor and loader. Lesson learned - if I stack out there again, it's gonna be plowed all year. I'm not gonna use that spot again unless I run out of space in my main area though - and that'll take some doing, almost 2 acres there.