Wussing Out and Regrouping

[slowp]

It was suggested that I return to the scene of last month's blowdown session.
So I did. The firewood cutters were not cutting it out because it was hemlock.
This stuff was new blowdown that is blocking the road we (the sick, injured, and round crew) cut out last month to get log decks out.

It wasn't the bigger stuff that was the problem. It was a little cedar hanging in the road. I couldn't reach it. So I packed and threw Twinkle and stumbled up the hill to see what I could do there. It was scary. The best place to cut had a leaner hanging over it. Then I'd look elsewhere and there would be a rootwad that might (probably not) let loose and roll. I couldn't figure it out.
So I wussed out. Here's looking up the hill at the mess.

I did cut the hemlocks out. One, I wasn't too sure how high it would jump so treated it like a vine maple and cut slits in it to relieve the pressure. That worked. No jumping.

I will return tomorrow with a primitive people powered pole saw. That'll take care of that pesky little cedar!

 

[hammerlogging]

One of my first memories, and my first recognition of the cool world in the thick woods, dare I say mystical experience, was sitting in the backseat riding somewhere in the Olympic peninsula cruising around with the fam. i was about 4. It looked like that.

thats where bigfoot lives.

 

[bitzer]

Good luck slowp!

I think the problem is is that your bar is too long. A short bar would have had that down in no time. ha.

Do you hear the sound of clinking nickels everytime the wind blows?

 

[kkottemann]

Whats wrong with hemlock for firewood?

 

[Cedarkerf]

Its gopher wood.

 

[Cedarkerf]

Hey patty I have a 41" bar you could barrow could ya reach it then

 

[BigE]

Whats wrong with hemlock for firewood?

Definitely has to be better than the cedar I've been burning all winter this year. Had too many cedar blow downs on my property, and it bugs me to let them sit there and rot. Not enough to bother with selling for lumber, and the price is bad anyway. At this point I'd love to have even hemlock.

I'm on my 3rd cord for the winter, so it hasn't been too bad. It would be nice to have a fire go more than 4 hours, though! My QuadraFire sure spits out the heat when fueled with cedar, so I can't complain too much.

 

[slowp]

Hey patty I have a 41" bar you could barrow could ya reach it then

Twinkle would need longer to reach. I'm short!!!

Plan Z today. The road is drivable. To the snow that is.

 

[synness4]

you guys (and gal) are looking at this wrong, dynamite would be perfect, think out side the box oh by the way twinkle would need training wheels for a 42 " bar!!!

 

[isaaccarlson]

What you need is a grenade launcher.....

so as to do it from a safe distance...

 

[gwiley]

Definitely has to be better than the cedar I've been burning all winter this year. Had too many cedar blow downs on my property, and it bugs me to let them sit there and rot. Not enough to bother with selling for lumber, and the price is bad anyway. At this point I'd love to have even hemlock.

I'm on my 3rd cord for the winter, so it hasn't been too bad. It would be nice to have a fire go more than 4 hours, though! My QuadraFire sure spits out the heat when fueled with cedar, so I can't complain too much.

Don't burn Cedar, it is great for rails for your firewood stacks! I use cedar logs to support cedar rails for my stacks and I love it, cedar takes a long enough time to rot that it is worth using it for ground contact jobs like stacking.

 

[BigE]

Don't burn Cedar, it is great for rails for your firewood stacks! I use cedar logs to support cedar rails for my stacks and I love it, cedar takes a long enough time to rot that it is worth using it for ground contact jobs like stacking.

I've got so much cedar, if I'm not burning it, then it's rotting on the ground. I've milled some of it. 3 yrs ago when they logged, they just did a thinning on my property (5 acres), and still took out 56M board feet of lumber, and ended up leaving a *lot* of trees on the ground. I could easily cut up another 20 cords if I wanted, just from stuff on the ground. I only burn 3-4 cords per year, probably 5 if it is straight cedar.

Also, if I'm not burning my cedar, then I'm buying wood. I do have some fir mixed in, but haven't started in on the fir yet this year. I'd rather burn cedar than have it rot on the ground and having to burn other wood.

 

[gwiley]

I've got so much cedar, if I'm not burning it, then it's rotting on the ground. I've milled some of it. 3 yrs ago when they logged, they just did a thinning on my property (5 acres), and still took out 56M board feet of lumber, and ended up leaving a *lot* of trees on the ground. I could easily cut up another 20 cords if I wanted, just from stuff on the ground. I only burn 3-4 cords per year, probably 5 if it is straight cedar.

Also, if I'm not burning my cedar, then I'm buying wood. I do have some fir mixed in, but haven't started in on the fir yet this year. I'd rather burn cedar than have it rot on the ground and having to burn other wood.

Wow! Makes sense. At least the fires smell really nice.

 

[BigE]

Wow! Makes sense. At least the fires smell really nice.

Plus it is *very* easy to light a fire.

 

[huskyhank]

cedar

gwiley and BigE,

I thought it funny when y'all were talking about cedars from opposite sides of the country.

Cedar, eastern - its really juniper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_virginiana
(this is the stuff that is used for closets, blanket chests and fence posts)


Cedar, western - cypress family!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_cedar
(siding, etc.)

 

[gwiley]

gwiley and BigE,

I thought it funny when y'all were talking about cedars from opposite sides of the country.

Cedar, eastern - its really juniper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_virginiana
(this is the stuff that is used for closets, blanket chests and fence posts)


Cedar, western - cypress family!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_cedar
(siding, etc.)

Good links, thanks. I don't think the cedar I deal with is Juniper since it doesn't get the little blue/gray berries. This stuff grows well, reaches decent height, smells great is tough as nails and resists rot wonderfully. Western Cedar shows up out east and I am guessing that is what I am dealing with.

 

[huskyhank]

http://americanredcedarmill.com/aboutcedar.htm
That's the kind we have here in Tennessee and I suspect Virginia as well.

Western cedar only grows way out west - northwestern United States and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana.

Huge difference in the trees and lumber.

I wouldn't burn any nice eastern cedar either. Unless its too small for anything else. But western cedar is a great fire starter.
:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[BigE]

gwiley and BigE,

I thought it funny when y'all were talking about cedars from opposite sides of the country.

LOL. I didn't even notice. That is funny.
Yeah, western cedar is very soft. It has some rot resistance, but I don't think it is as good as the eastern. We still use it for fence posts, outdoor furniture, cedar shake roofs, etc, but they most will rot out in 20 years or less. Roof might last longer.