ash tree firewood surplus (and then some)

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greenskeeper

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23 ash trees cut down due to the EAB. Approximately 35+ cords of wood i'm estimating. I use approximately 4 cords per year. Is it feasible to cut and stack rounds to save for future winters without it rotting away by the time I finally split and burn it?
 
It seems they last quite a long time - I've cut a few still this year, both on the ground and standing dead and they have been solid. I'm close to the EAB epicenter so they have probably been dead close to 15 years. Sometimes the bottom 6 feet or so is a little punky as it may soak up water.

Best advice is to split and stack as soon as possible, but that is a lot of wood to process. Log form or rounds, keep it off the ground and I think you'll be happy for years to come.
 
I squashed two EAB bugs splitting out of my pile the other day. I only have two ash in my yard and they both are still healthy.
 
Ash holds up pretty good standing or off the ground but maintaining that many cords over a given period is something I've not yet to deal with.

I only stay 2-3 years ahead " mostly oak" and stuff stacked outside building starts giving up into 2nd year.

If you have under roof storage then the time table is increased infinitely.
 
I will be in the same situation whenever asplundh cuts my trees by the power lines. I'm still waiting for the mess of them cutting 50 plus ash trees. Seems that they are behind schedule. I was planning on stacking the wood where its cut on pallets and leave it.
 
23 ash trees cut down due to the EAB. Approximately 35+ cords of wood i'm estimating. I use approximately 4 cords per year. Is it feasible to cut and stack rounds to save for future winters without it rotting away by the time I finally split and burn it?
I think rounds should hold up for a while stacked and top covered. The bark may fall off when you get around to splitting. Tons of ash showing up on c/l and FB marketplace here in York county.
 
i agree with steve, virtually all wood will last many years if off the ground and top covered. I have 2/3rds of my stacks outside (2 years worth) and top cover with tarps Sept to May, over the summer i take them off to get more life from them (the UV kills them). the wood has all been fine so far....although come to think of it I've only just grown my stacks to the 3 year ahead point so my outdoor stacks hve never done more than errr 18 months i guess. I'm pretty confident though, keep it mainly dry and it will last.
 
I have been stacking 2 years of wood for a while and setting it directly on the ground has been ok for those couple years then it goes in the wood shed for the summer where it dries after it's no longer green. That year in a half is probably the limit to ground stacking. This may be the rear I throw some pallets down. The last row in my woodshed, which is a pallet and tarp hoop barn, has been there for a few years and looks like I just split it. I think the key to long term storage is to keep it off the ground and air movement.
 
A guy down the road stacks his wood out side and stacks it on pallets and covers it with covers he made by screwing roofing tin to 2×4 framing, he then puts cinder block on to keep them from blowing off. Seems to work well for him, I might do the same thing this year now that I have a decent wood stock pile!

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23 ash trees cut down due to the EAB. Approximately 35+ cords of wood i'm estimating. I use approximately 4 cords per year. Is it feasible to cut and stack rounds to save for future winters without it rotting away by the time I finally split and burn it?
Even if you only USS 4 cords a year, you can split and stack more.
I'd go that route. Split and stack as much as I could on pallets and maybe cover them with sheets of metal roofing to make them last longer.
I only burn about 3-4 cords of hardwood a year as well.
I'm building a lean-to to keep 10 cords under cover so I can have lots of ready wood to burn.
 
5 loads in....wife may shoot me when I filled the yard with ash rounds, enough to last 8+ seasons lol
 
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