cottonwood hardwood or softwood

[HuskerDolmar]

We have plenty of other trees also. Not just cottonwood. We have hackberry, a couple of ash trees, american elm, siberian elm, osage orange, and russian olives (sorry Russians) just to name a few. I like burning hackberry the best, but to me it is more feasible to cut as much wood as possible in the shortest amount of time. I can cut more BTU's of firewood by cutting cottonwood than by driving all over the country looking for harder hard woods

 

[Metals406]

We have plenty of other trees also. Not just cottonwood. We have hackberry, a couple of ash trees, american elm, siberian elm, osage orange, and russian olives (sorry Russians) just to name a few. I like burning hackberry the best, but to me it is more feasible to cut as much wood as possible in the shortest amount of time. I can cut more BTU's of firewood by cutting cottonwood than by driving all over the country looking for harder hard woods

Russian Olive has a beautiful grain!.. Stinky when you cut and sand it though.

 

[StihltheOne]

We have plenty of other trees also. Not just cottonwood. We have hackberry, a couple of ash trees, american elm, siberian elm, osage orange, and russian olives (sorry Russians) just to name a few. I like burning hackberry the best, but to me it is more feasible to cut as much wood as possible in the shortest amount of time. I can cut more BTU's of firewood by cutting cottonwood than by driving all over the country looking for harder hard woods

I have really gotton to like the ol stinky/prickly russian olive. It is absolutley thick around here and most everyone will let me cut as much as I want. I would be very curious to know how it compares to the "real" hardwoods, but around here it is about as good as it gets! Our other choice is cottonwood or a 100 mile round trip for pine. I have looked all over to find the BTU of russian olive, but I can not find it. It is actually classified as a noxious weed in Wy.

 

[Metals406]

I have really gotton to like the ol stinky/prickly russian olive. It is absolutley thick around here and most everyone will let me cut as much as I want. I would be very curious to know how it compares to the "real" hardwoods, but around here it is about as good as it gets! Our other choice is cottonwood or a 100 mile round trip for pine. I have looked all over to find the BTU of russian olive, but I can not find it. It is actually classified as a noxious weed in Wy.

I imagine the reason you guys have it down in Wyoming, is the same reason we have it in Eastern Montana... Shelter belts. My folks own a place on the east side, and that's where I got my small amount of it for little woodworking projects. I only wish it grew larger in diameter.

It's my understanding, that after the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl... The government implemented standards to keep it from ever happening again--measures which included contour cultivation and shelter belts. Russian Olive was known to not need a lot of care, and was chosen for the job.

President Roosevelt ordered that the Civilian Conservation Corps plant a huge belt of more than 200 million trees from Canada to Abilene, Texas to break the wind, hold water in the soil, and hold the soil itself in place. The administration also began to educate farmers on soil conservation and anti-erosion techniques, including crop rotation, strip farming, contour plowing, terracing and other beneficial farming practices.

 

[StihltheOne]

I imagine the reason you guys have it down in Wyoming, is the same reason we have it in Eastern Montana... Shelter belts. My folks own a place on the east side, and that's where I got my small amount of it for little woodworking projects. I only wish it grew larger in diameter.

It's my understanding, that after the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl... The government implemented standards to keep it from ever happening again--measures which included contour cultivation and shelter belts. Russian Olive was known to not need a lot of care, and was chosen for the job.

We have some really large ones around here, 40 foot or so, maybe more, and some like the one next to my shop are 20" dbh on each arm with 4-5 arms, pretty darn big tree. Plenty of it to go around!! I think that you could plant these on concrete and they would grow!

 

[HuskerDolmar]

I have been contracted by Nebraska game and parks to cut olives at a local lake. I never really thought about burning them until lately and they are unreal. I am cutting some monsters, but there is no way to get em out.

 

[woodbooga]

I imagine the reason you guys have it down in Wyoming, is the same reason we have it in Eastern Montana... Shelter belts. My folks own a place on the east side, and that's where I got my small amount of it for little woodworking projects. I only wish it grew larger in diameter.

It's my understanding, that after the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl... The government implemented standards to keep it from ever happening again--measures which included contour cultivation and shelter belts. Russian Olive was known to not need a lot of care, and was chosen for the job.

Two things.

First, in all my life, I think your post was the first time I ever encountered the words "down in Wyoming" together. Back east, refering to my auntie's cattle ranch, it was always "Out in Wyoming." For many, it might be "Up in Wy."

Second, your historical info makes sense to me. A while back the local cooperative extension was pushing Russian olive pretty hard. Never knew why, but its Great Depression pedigree makes sense.

Personally, I hate the stuff. Our neighbor has a hedgerow of it and the birds have been quite good at helping spread them onto our property.

PS - I burnt some cottonwood this morning and it did a lovely job of getting my cookstove up to temp and laid the foundation for the ash and oak fire going on now.

 

[Metals406]

I have been contracted by Nebraska game and parks to cut olives at a local lake. I never really thought about burning them until lately and they are unreal. I am cutting some monsters, but there is no way to get em out.

That stinks... I'd get a hold of a local guy with a crane, and offer him half to yard them out. You do all the hard work, and hook them, and cut and haul it... That way it's a fair trade for crane guy.

We have some really large ones around here, 40 foot or so, maybe more, and some like the one next to my shop are 20" dbh on each arm with 4-5 arms, pretty darn big tree. Plenty of it to go around!! I think that you could plant these on concrete and they would grow!

Man... The ones I got my paws on were maybe 4" or 5"? It has a beautiful grain, and would make a great wood for hardwood projects!

Two things.

First, in all my life, I think your post was the first time I ever encountered the words "down in Wyoming" together. Back east, refering to my auntie's cattle ranch, it was always "Out in Wyoming." For many, it might be "Up in Wy."

Second, your historical info makes sense to me. A while back the local cooperative extension was pushing Russian olive pretty hard. Never knew why, but its Great Depression pedigree makes sense.

Personally, I hate the stuff. Our neighbor has a hedgerow of it and the birds have been quite good at helping spread them onto our property.

PS - I burnt some cottonwood this morning and it did a lovely job of getting my cookstove up to temp and laid the foundation for the ash and oak fire going on now.

LOL, yup... WY is 'down' for me. Hahaha

And another note on cottonwood... Last year, I had some cut up to burn in the woodstove--wood heat is our only source in the winter. My wife complained that it was ashy, and didn't heat as good... One day, I had to show her where I was getting a white hot coal bed, and it melted the cast grate in the stove!:jawdrop: You can't argue with that kind of heat.

 

[woodbooga]

LOL, yup... WY is 'down' for me. Hahaha.

...and for us, Boston is "down there." Or rather, "doan they-ah." (Us NH folks outsourced all of our post-vocalic "R's" out west. I think they all wound up in Minnesota.)

 

[Metals406]

...and for us, Boston is "down there." Or rather, "doan they-ah." (Us NH folks outsourced all of our post-vocalic "R's" out west. I think they all wound up in Minnesota.)

LOL, my wifes grandmother is from Boston. Listening to her talk still makes me laugh!

Pawk the caw in da pawk, and wouch the sqwarrels while I eat a samich.


Hahaha.

 

[woodbooga]

LOL, my wifes grandmother is from Boston. Listening to her talk still makes me laugh!

Pawk the caw in da pawk, and wouch the sqwarrels while I eat a samich.


Hahaha.

Yeah, they talk real funny down there. The NH accent is much more refined and dignified.

 

[turnkey4099]

Re: shelter belts. Used to be known as "Roosevelt forests". Been a loooonnng time since I saw that anywhere. Even have some of them out here in the Palouse but here it is mostly Locust and other types. I have a few I am keeping an eye on to see how the locust borer does in them

Harry K

 

[StihltheOne]

Ok as far as "up or down" in Wyoming, here is the deal... You are really talking about direction, north is up, down is south, if you are to the east or west, then the correct term would be "over", out here it has nothing to do with altitude. We even have a river that runs north for hundreds of miles, check that out!! We say it is heading up to montana, but actually montana is lower going straight north, lesson the river is running up hill....hummmm
So there you are ,clear as mud right?


I have also melted the cast part of my stove burning cottonwood. It will make heat!! I wish that I had a stove that is capable of handling the ash load better, I am really thinking about a blaze king classic with the ash pan. I have the old style in my shop and it does very well as I just use a shovel to clean it out.
I looked around for btu content on russian olive some more and came up empty. It has to be darn high though.

 

[Zero Gravity]

The Russian Olive is really strong in Michigan. It will take over your property in short order. I get poison Ivy from the scratches. I cut 5 acre's last year. Should have paid the $1500.00 to have a Hydro Axe come in.
ZG

 

[greengoblin]

Maybe it's just because I'm in the hardwood capitol, but cottonwood/ poplar is worthless to me. Try burning a stovefull of cottonwood and then try burning a stove full of ash, hard maple, oak, birch, beech, cherry, hornbeam, hedge, etc... I suppose if it was the only wood you could get then I could see burning it but I wouldn't put it in the stove even if somebody dropped some off at the house and paid me a dump fee. You're better off burning pallets imo.

Many pallets are made of cottonwood....around here anyway

 

[woodbooga]

Ok as far as "up or down" in Wyoming, here is the deal... You are really talking about direction, north is up, down is south, if you are to the east or west, then the correct term would be "over", out here it has nothing to do with altitude. We even have a river that runs north for hundreds of miles, check that out!! We say it is heading up to montana, but actually montana is lower going straight north, lesson the river is running up hill....hummmm
So there you are ,clear as mud right?

That's nothing. The Mass. folks have you beat. There's a stretch of road where I-95 and Rte 128 are combined where you're heading south on 95 and North on 128. By your logic, north and south would cancel each other out and you'd be traveling "over." From this, I'd conclude that this route would be a straight shot to Wyoming.

PS - we have our own north-running river here in NH. The Contoocook River runs NE from the Monadnock region to Penacook where it empties into the Merrimack.

 

[WRW]

PS - we have our own north-running river here in NH. The Contoocook River runs NE from the Monadnock region to Penacook where it empties into the Merrimack.

Yeah, the Shenandoah runs north, as do the North Fork and South Fork.

 

[woodbooga]

Yeah, the Shenandoah runs north, as do the North Fork and South Fork.

People who believe that rivers can't run north are in denial. Speaking of whic, da Nile is another north-running river.

 

[turnkey4099]

People who believe that rivers can't run north are in denial. Speaking of whic, da Nile is another north-running river.

As does the Snake River in Idaho.

Trivia oddity. Transit the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific and you go East! At least you end up farther east than you started.

Harry K

 

[Mkarlson]

Bah rivers only run one way.....DOWN