Stack or pile

[imagineero]

It's a deceptive thing for sure... A lot of people don't realise that as the diameter of a tree doubles, there's four times as much wood in it by volume - ie. a 40" barrel has 4x as much volume as a 20" barrel, assuming they are the same height. The bigger tree is usually taller too though, so it can have 8-10x as much wood.

This is why I don't do big trees any more... There's really no money in removing them, but a whole lot more work unless you've got a skidder or a crane and a log truck. You make way more doing smaller trees, in less time and with less effort. Even when I'm needing a bit of firewood, I still find that for volume per effort, I get more out of smaller trees in the same time. On a couple of bigger jobs I've filled more than half of the 12cubic yard bin on my truck with noodles from ripping a single tree down to a manageable size. 3 guys running 660's for a whole day.

Shaun

 

[Oldtimer]

Fishing is good for the soul, but so is stacking and then admiring a fine pile of wood.

 

[Hedgerow]

Fishing is good for the soul, but so is stacking and then admiring a fine pile of wood.

I know it does my heart good...
In more ways than one...
:beauty3:

 

[Whitespider]

Even when I'm needing a bit of firewood, I still find that for volume per effort, I get more out of smaller trees in the same time.

I think that’s been discussed (or argued) here before… but I haf’ta disagree with you. If I’m making firewood from small(er) trees I’m continuously packing-up, loading and/or moving equipment and gear from work area to work area. Sure, I have the advantage of working on my own property, so I can leave everything lie while I haul each load of splits to the stacks… but still. I go in, drop a large tree or two in one area, and buck 3, 4, 5 or more cord without ever moving a thing. Next bring in the splitter and split, load, haul-out and stack… never moving anything but the tractor and trailer loaded full of splits.

Now in the fall I cut a lot of standing-dead and just toss it in the old coal shoot (no stacking). Most of those trees are in the 12-18 inch range… I get less firewood per hour worked that way, a lot less (and I’m not even stacking). All that loading, moving and unloading of saws, wedges, mauls, gas cans, splitters, trailers, winches, ropes, tractor and whatnot… as well as the extra time felling and the pre-felling planning, rigging and whatnot… and I’m fighting more brush and such, clearing multiple work areas, etc… that stuff eats up time, a ton of time.

Working big wood I clear a single work area (in a single location)… Done!
Working big wood I haul-in the felling equipment and gear once (to a single location)… Done! Put it away next trip out’a woodlot.
Working big wood I haul-in the bucking equipment and gear once (to a single location)… Done! Put it away next trip out’a woodlot.
Working big wood I haul-in the splitting equipment and gear once (once each splitting/hauling/stacking session to a single location)… Put it away at the end of the day.

Working small(er) wood I'm dragging all that stuff all over the woodlot... each time loading and unloading.

 

[boilerwood]

I've done both, piles and stacks. I hate stacking wood but I do it mainly because wood is much easier to unstack than it is to unpile when you're ready to use it.