Ash to Elm.

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alleyyooper

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Been burning standing seasoned EAB killed trees for 21 years. Burns nicely and heats my home just fine. the Ash burns down to a fine powdered ash in the end.

since I am nearly out of Ash I am now starteing on Dead standing Elm. supplys very good heat a load last a good 9 hours. But there is a deep pile of chard bits of ashes that pile up in the furnace when I go to reload it.

I have just stired them up good and opened the draft and they will then burn down finer in a hour or so.
Other wise I like the wood, most all have the bark falling off.

:D Al
 
So EAB went through and 21 years trees are still up and burn able? Good to know the EAB is starting here and people are in panic mode of have to cut it all asap


Been burning standing seasoned EAB killed trees for 21 years. Burns nicely and heats my home just fine. the Ash burns down to a fine powdered ash in the end.

since I am nearly out of Ash I am now starteing on Dead standing Elm. supplys very good heat a load last a good 9 hours. But there is a deep pile of chard bits of ashes that pile up in the furnace when I go to reload it.

I have just stired them up good and opened the draft and they will then burn down finer in a hour or so.
Other wise I like the wood, most all have the bark falling off.

:D Al
 
So EAB went through and 21 years trees are still up and burn able? Good to know the EAB is starting here and people are in panic mode of have to cut it all asap
Oh, yes, you will have many years to be harvesting ash trees. Burnable? Absolutely. Dead standing or recently fallen is low moisture content, good btu output, and easy splitting. The only downside is the limited supply. I still have several dead standing ash in my woodlot and I'm at the epicenter of the EAB outbreak. I :heart: the ash.
 
I start my fall fire wood collection by cutting up and any spring storm fallen Dead Ash. Then I go about collecting the dead ash I am takeing down right now in the winter.
I am just about finished up how ever.

I have a lot of thigh high Ash seedlings now and am wondering once all the ash in my area have died out will they continue to grow or will the EAb return once again.

I read a lot of peoiple noodleing here so why is it OK to noddle a oak round and not elm?
But my splitter has no problem with Elm


:D Al
 
I start my fall fire wood collection by cutting up and any spring storm fallen Dead Ash. Then I go about collecting the dead ash I am takeing down right now in the winter.
I am just about finished up how ever.

I have a lot of thigh high Ash seedlings now and am wondering once all the ash in my area have died out will they continue to grow or will the EAb return once again.

I read a lot of peoiple noodleing here so why is it OK to noddle a oak round and not elm?
But my splitter has no problem with Elm


:D Al
Same question on the Ash seedlings ans EAB. I'm slabbing a bunch of Ash in case is goes the way of the American Chestnut.
 
Dropped another big dead Elm yesterday. Former hunter on the property used screw in climbing steps nd just left them in. I was able to get them all screwed out with out cutting into then except one but I didn't cut into it either as I had seen it. there was also a section of alum climbing stick still strapped to the tree. Appears the strap is ingrown also , haven't gotten to that part yet. there was also a small about 18" long section of ingrown chain in part of it. I figure that from where it was, was where the stand had been he was able to take down with out the chain.

I cut a troctor bucket load of 10" to 8" sized limb up. got it to the house and split it. I was prepared to do some cutting with the chain saw but it split really well non frozen with my big 6 pound maul and finish off with the husky splitting axe.

Brought it in and stacked behind the wood furnace, nice aroma from it. But thought sure the wife would scream bloody murde. She can smell the hopps # 9 I use when I clean guns with it for weeks afterwards.
She doesn't like the smell good thing I don't wear it as cologne.

Going to go cut more of it today probly some of the smaller stuff that doesn't need split.

:D Al
 
I wonder about the seedlings too. I have lots of young ash trees in our woods now. I've cut almost every ash tree in our woods now. All killed. I love splitting it and burning it. I have a few more to cut this winter, then that will be every one of them. Some have been 6 inch diameter, some over 24 inch diameter, and everything in between.
 
I didn't realize EAB has been around that long.

It is just starting to be seen in spots here. We don't have a lot of ash.
 
Yes been arounf every since they started importing stuff from China on wood pallets. I was told that is where the EAB came from.

:D Al
All of the ash around me is dead. They have been fine standing dead for the last 5 years but now are starting to drop 6 inches diameter dead limbs. Most trees are 100 feet tall! A medium sized one had a trunk of 75 feet before the top. Top was dry and solid enough to go right in the furnace, saves piling the small stuff.
For the last 7 years the Maple Borer is killing the Sugar Maples. Very sad to see such a change in a Sugar Bush so fast.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/naspf/sites...dentify_and_control_the_sugar_maple_borer.pdf
So much to cut.
 
Yup EAB, Dutch elm,sugar maple bore, Cytospora canker is killing the spruce trees, a fungus is killing our white pines too.

Most were imported from other countrys.

:D Al
 
Went and cleaned up the Elm from the first two cuttings. mostly stuff the size of a arm up to thigh size. Bunch of the smaller stuff some would waste time fooling with under wrist size I pushed into a pile and will get the chipper there in the future and make tiny little chips out of it.

I still need to finish up the last one I fell, I figure at least 3 more bucket loads.

I did noodle one yesterday with the Model 25 Poulan, It doesn't like those long thin noddles and cloged thre clutch drum area so bad it would not turn the chain till I took the clutch cover off and cleared it.

:D Al
 
We don't have much elm left around here. Dutch elm disease went through long before the ash borer in my parts so about every elm you find is usually punky and junk. Luckily we still have a TON of good ash trees left to harvest.
 
If you can find some red elm (i think it's also called slippery elm) you've found what I consider the hottest burning elm. Most of the red I find is less than 12" and will turn a dark, almost black color and will always have long and rather large vertical splits along the trunk. It's a fast burning wood but hot.
 
Another big one still standing.



The remainder of the one from 2 weeks ago.


The one I dropped Tuesday.







To the house with ya.


Where I stack my wood.



:D Al
 
Fire wood cutting put on hold yesterday & today. 49F and 47F today mud is really deep and I was afraid of heat stroke.

But I did sharpen all my chains for the saws and dug out some Ash stumps.
Ash stumps are pretty easy to remove after they have been dead a few years. In fact most of the standing Ash that fall during storms are because of broken off below ground level.


:D Al
 
It's a shame but this one will be coming down in a few weeks. Base is over 10ft round so a little over 5 ft circumference. Its next to my fire pit so I was thinking I'll leave a good portion of the stump and make a throne out of it . For reference the barn is three stories tall and the tree dwarfs it20200103_112105.jpg 20200103_112618.jpg 20200106_093729.jpg
 
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