Stump to stove

[H-Ranch]

Got to wondering today, how many people go directly from stump to stove? Meaning minimal wood handling and/or seasoning time.

I had help from my daughters today to schlep the ash I just cut from the woods to the stacks. I let them off stacking duty and allowed them just to dump it in a pile by the OWB. Tried to make it a little more like fun and less like work with treats, drinks, breaks, and working at their pace, not mine. Anyway, it's all 15-17% MC and burns great. Can't do that with most wood - well, actually can with the OWB, but shouldn't to get the most heat and least smoke.

Last year I had an oak with under 20% MC fall near the wood stacks but even that did get stacked since I don't go through oak as quickly.

 

[unclemoustache]

Yes, that's the key - to minimize the wood movement. A couple times I've been able to take out a tree and split it on site and sell it directly to a customer (instructing him, of course, that it will need a year to season). Once or twice it worked out for me to split on site and bring it home to stack. Usually, though I just don't have the time, so I bring the rounds home and store them until I can split and stack.

 

[Natster]

Ash is simply good wood. Even when green, or un seasoned.
Nate

 

[H-Ranch]

Ash is simply good wood. Even when green, or un seasoned.
Nate

Mine is mostly standing or on the ground dead, so not quite green, but more like "naturally seasoned".

I do the ash.

 

[CentaurG2]

We have a different approach from stump to stove. We burn it all. Bark, sawdust, roots. We let nothing go to waste.

 

[jimdeere]

Sure, I cut locust, load in tractor bucket, then park tractor in front of OWB. If it’s to big, I split it right there.
Only touched two or three times.

 

[Cowboy254]

We have a different approach from stump to stove. We burn it all. Bark, sawdust, roots. We let nothing go to waste.

You burn the roots? How does that work? Sounds like a lot of laboring for not much - and less dry - wood. Or do you just shove the root ball, dirt and all, into an OWB?

I do keep the bark, saw chips/noodles and splitting material and either use it as kindling (depending on what species of bark it is) or burn in the firepit.

 

[CentaurG2]

I have burned stumps/roots both in an OWB and in a stove. I have access to a stump graveyard where they bust them up with large shears on excavators before converting them into “bark mulch”. Properly dried, stumps/roots burn great! Better than knots. Unfortunately, they do not stack well.

 

[capetrees]

Sure, I cut locust, load in tractor bucket, then park tractor in front of OWB. If it’s to big, I split it right there.
Only touched two or three times.

I've cut locust, split it and into the wood stove it goes two weeks later. Live black locust is dry, dry , dry.

 

[Cowboy254]

Actually, now I think of it, mallee root - the tree is more root than trunk or branch is one of the densest firewoods we have here. At about 1130kg/cubic metre, dry, it rapidly sinks in water. I recall my parents snaffled a load when I was a boy and were very pleased with it. But it certainly wouldn't stack well and no good for starting a fire with either. Really long burns though.

I have on a few occasions cut and split dead standing peppermint (a species of eucalypt) into the trailer, parked the trailer in the shed then taken a wheelbarrow load into the house each day. Done it with dead standing locust too. It sure is sweet not having to stack and otherwise muck around with it but it is the exception rather than the rule just due to the difficulty in getting wood when it's wet and muddy through winter. Can work well early in the burning season though.

 

[CentaurG2]

Roots and stumps are some tough stuff. Around here, Penobscot Indians used to make war clubs out of paper birch roots/stumps to sell to the tourists. Biggly collectables now but I have no doubt that they were very functional.







https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Tr...986316?hash=item288a0fd94c:g:dFgAAOSwBXld3H8C

 

[SS396driver]

Yup cut and goes into the stove the same day . No splitting either

 

[Marley5]

Standing dead goes on trailer and parked beside boiler.
Every dead ash I've cut has been under 20% MC at the stump and much lower as you move up.

 

[Polish hammer]

I usually season a full year but I winter time I’m cutting wood for next year and when I’m working up white ash any odd ball or short chunks I put right on the rack to burn and within ya few days I burn it up.. lots better then trying to stack it for a year

 

[svk]

I have a half dozen trees I’ll be processing up here later this winter that will go immediately from stump to boiler room. We don’t have much standing dead up here that last burn ready though as both aspen and birch do not season on the stump. They just go from dying to rotten pretty quickly.