firewood

[mescalero1]

Talked to the forest service about gathering Aspen for firewood.
Permit good for 60 days
ANY down tree, standing up to 5 inches in diameter,
select locations,
I am jazzed.

[madman4570]

mescalero1,


Pick a spot that is really a mess with a ton of down stuff.Take some before photos.After you get that area cleaned up nice take some after photo's. Show the Forest Service.You will be good for the next 20 years ??????

[Chas.]

No aspen around here. Is it a hardwood? Burn good?

[mescalero1]

Good, hot , clean, burn.

[mescalero1]

Madman4570,
I will do that with the pics,
good idea, good publicity.
Thanks.

[morgan in nm]

I remember those good ol' days when I was living in Reserve and we would get those forest-service permits. Now, I have to pay a local jobber $360 a cord for oak; cut to length, and thats not hauling or stacking. I guess its cheaper than the gas to go and haul it though considering that eastern nm is a little bare when it comes to firewood.

Glad to hear your doing well with your move. I haven't posted much lately but I have been following most of your posts from time to time. I imagine that you have seen more snow lately than you did in AZ.

[mescalero1]

Morgan in NM,
Although I am a native, I imagine the locals are having second thoughts about me,
I am gone for 30 years, there has been NO significant snowfall for 7 years,
I come home, and we have 40 inches,in three weeks!

[Wind]

Hey there mescalero1 - Yep, heating with wood is great. Free wood is even better. It's hard to back your butt up to a baseboard heater! I was cutting this year out of a slash pile from a fire just above me last year. Mixed fir, pine, and spruce. Best regards. Wind

[mescalero1]

How does thar fir and spruce burn?

[NonPCnraRN]

I had a steak cooked over coals of oak and madrone. Best steak (beef) I ever ate.

[Halfbreed]

In north central Idaho we burned mainly Tamarack collected from the National Forest.

[Wind]

Hey again mescelaro1 - Fir is one of the best in my opinion. It can get alittle sparky, but I'm using wood stoves so it's mostly a moot point. Tamarack is good to, I just haven't found a source yet. The spruce and hemlock are fine in the small quantities I've burned so far. Pine is fine too, if you keep your draft up to avoid creosote buildup. I hauled 20 trailer loads (about 1/2 chord each) from that pile and it was only six miles away. Pretty easy pickings. Here's another advantage of a wood stove over baseboard heat. Best regards. Wind

[WCF3030]

I remember those good ol' days when I was living in Reserve and we would get those forest-service permits. Now, I have to pay a local jobber $360 a cord for oak; cut to length, and thats not hauling or stacking.

WOW!! That is 3 times as much as what I charge.
Two seasons ago I was looking at having to buy $1000 worth of firewood. Within 6 miles of me where 3 LARGE tree truncks (9 cord worth) that where too big for my 029 farm boss and aparently to big for anyone else to want to deal with. So instead of paying the $1000 dollars in wood I bought a 065 pro saw and it paid for itself the first season.
It use to be around here that people would even pay you to remove a downed tree, now the tree never even hits the ground before it is cut into firewood.

[AJMD429]

WOW...

If it isn't oak or hickory or ash, around here people give it away if you cut and haul it, or if they've cut it, they may sell a pickup-bed ('rick' or about 1/3 to 1/2 cord) full for $20.

If it's oak, hickory or ash, self-cut may be free or $20, and pre-cut $40, for the same amount.

Delivered and stacked maybe $40 for non-premium wood, and $80 for premium, per 'rick'.

We live on a river-bottom, so there is a constant supply of downed cottonwood, boxelder, silver maple, and scrubby elm trees that get pushed over from floods, etc. We do buy some oak on occasion if we can't get free scraps, for the really cold nights.

[Thunder50]

Oak, apple or cherry, & peach are about the only hardwoods and about $200+/cord. Aspen (softwood) doesn't last very long and goes for $150. My neighbors use aspen and it really stinks

Prefer hardwoods myself.

[AJMD429]

Is it so costly because of short supply, high demand, or regulations of some sort...?

[morgan in nm]

Is it so costly because of short supply, high demand, or regulations of some sort...?

Locally, the reason its so high(so they say) is because they have to order it from TX and the fuel cost. Around here, the only wood that can be cut is elm which is better than nothing but unfortunately, its going for $250 a cord. I have some nice saws but most people have already spoken for the dead trees. A couple of years ago, I had some sick elms so I turned them into firewood. Let them season a year and the shrinkage killed me for amount. Oh well, its still cheaper than propane.

[Batman1939]

I live outside of Flagstaff, AZ; elevation at my place is 7400 feet. We heat our 2 story log home EXCLUSIVELY with aspen. It's not the best firewood, but it works great. We've got several year's supply on our property in the form of standing dead, large trees. We typically wait for windthrows, then cut 'em up and haul to the splitter near the woodshed. Our groves have been decimated by feeding and rutting elk and several years of drought.

We have about 18-24" of snow here now.

Also, Happy New Year to all Forumites !!

[iceman]

I burn mostly maple. I get it for a little sweat and effort. My neighbor owns the bush lot behind me and lets me take what I want. I usually burn 11 face cords (4'x8'x16" deep) and 3 cords for my Mom. She is only 89 years old but still likes to keep the wood stove going on cold days. I cut it and split it in the bush and pile it along the end of my lot all summer. (I cut 1 year in advance) Lots of work but can't beat wood heat.

[Hobie]

I would like to go back to heating with wood. Yeah, it is work (heats you twice) but you can open the draft and sit in your skivvies without getting icicles on your nether regions. The work is satisfying and it is a good excuse to go outside, too.

I've burned most everything and been known to stop in the middle of the road to pick up what's fallen from somebody else's truck! My great grandma cooked on a wood stove right up until 1967 or so and this in the middle of Braintree, MA. She tired to show me how to use the stove properly but I doubt I remember much she told me.

[Marlin32]

Oak, hickory, ash, sugar maple, locust, apple, hackberry, red elm, and mulberry. All great firewood. Osage Orange good too, about as hot as you will get. But you have to burn what is available. Around here we don't have aspen, if we did, wouldn't burn it. Wouldn't be worth the effort as there is alot better wood around. I have never burned conifers. Can really mess a chimney up quick if you are not experienced or don't inspect/clean often.

Looking for a new wood stove, or masonry heater myself. Currently have an enormous masonry see through fireplace that is ducted to both ends of the house and also vented to living room area. Not very efficient, I burn enough wood to heat the entire house, but this set up doesn't heat the entire house. Need to get something more efficient.

Retro fitting my fireplace will be hugely expensive, and I am somewhat limited as to where I can put a wood stove. Trying to get this figured out before next fall. Anyone here have a masonry heater or ever done a "retro-fit"??

[Mike D.]

To me, Aspen smells like cat pee. It's very soft and can make good kindling if used sparingly. Same goes for fir and pine. We have an inexhaustible supply of oak and pear wood from the ranch, so that's all we burn on the rare day when it's cold enough to have a fire. Living in CA does have it's advantages, like a cord of wood lasting a couple of years.

[O.S.O.K.]

The little town that I live in regularly gathers up downed trees - particualarly after a storm and chips them up and deposits them in a big pile on the edge of town. This "mulch" is free to anyone that wants it.

I was thinking of building a bin of sorts using hog wire and getting several loads and filling the bin up and putting a top on it to allow the chips to dry out.

How would this burn in a small stove? Anybody else use something like this?

[KCSO]

Here in this country Quakey would be held in pretty low esteem as fire wood. Here it's Red Elm, Ash, Oak, Chinese Elm, Maple and cottonwood in about that order of preference. Cedar is used for aromatic only and the pines are considered too sappy. I had a buddy bring me some aspen from Wyoming and although it burned hot, it burned about as quick as cottonwood. Thhis spring I wil be taking down a 60 foot tall red elm tree 3 1/2 foot across at the base and that will be next winters wood. The tree died 2 years ago and the bark is just startoiing to drop. I have always lived in the woods and can't imagaine paying for fire wood. I usually get paid to remove trees for the townies.

[Sixgun]

WOW...
If it isn't oak or hickory or ash, around here people give it away if you cut and haul it, or if they've cut it, they may sell a pickup-bed ('rick' or about 1/3 to 1/2 cord) full for $20.

Yep, here too---This is about the only thing the East has over the West. More oak, ash, elm, hickory or cherry than you can shake a stick at.

I turn my nose at any pine.------------Sixgun

[mklwhite]

[quote="morgan in nm"] I have to pay a local jobber $360 a cord for oak; cut to length, and thats not hauling or stacking. /quote]
$360 a cord! I feel faint! There would be a lot of freezing folks around here if that was the going price. That and a lot fewer trees!

[Cottonwood Mike]

Hi to all. I'm a long time reader, and a newer member, but have never posted before. Firewood is a subject that I spend a lot of time thinking about, either finding, cutting, splitting, stacking, or hauling. Here in far northern California, oak is the favored wood - blue oak, liveoak, black oak, or valley oak. However I mix it in with digger pine which has a lot of pitch in it and is a really soft wood. It is good for getting a fire started, but will build up inside the flue pipe. So it has to be cleaned out to prevent chimney fires. I mix it with the oak to try to reduce the problem, but I use it since it's available. The politically correct name for digger pine these days is gray pine, but it's still digger pine. By using the woodstove and rarely using the electric furnace I am able to keep my PG& E bill down to a reasonable level. By the way I love lever rifles and need to learn how to post pictures. Glad to be here.

Regards,

Mike

[brucew44guns]

I lived in the Cascades of Oregon for 20 years, had access to Old Growth Doug Fir. I've burned Madrone, Oak, Ash, Chinquapin, Cedar, Pine, Alder, Dogwood, and maybe a few more. Of all my favorites, I prefer old growth Douglas Fir, I'm speaking of a tree that was 50 inches at the stump. It's very solid, heavy, and it burns completely up, hardly any ashes. I burned about 8 or 9 cords a year for 20 years, never bought a drop of heating fuel. I wish my "Osage Orange trees around here in Kansas were Fir.

[horsesoldier03]

YEP! Firewood you cut yourself for heating your home is the best kind! IT ALWAYS WARMS YOU TWICE!

[AJMD429]

Around here, the only wood that can be cut is elm which is better than nothing but unfortunately, its going for $250 a cord.

Do you mean you can't cut other species on public land?

Surely if you own the property you can cut whatever you want, can't you...?

[sore shoulder]

Just cut up half a cord today, have 4 cords split and stacked, and another couple in logs ready to go, all from Natl Forest permits. Been doing this for 15 years. Dont even turn on the furnace.

[morgan in nm]

Around here, the only wood that can be cut is elm which is better than nothing but unfortunately, its going for $250 a cord.

Do you mean you can't cut other species on public land?

Surely if you own the property you can cut whatever you want, can't you...?

The thing is that around here, every tree that you see has been planted by human hands or rarely a few birds that have eaten seeds and dropped a few. Back in the beginnings of settlement, this area around me was all plains so people would plant chinese elm or whatever they had so that it would hopefully grow tall enough that folks could find their way home when hunting for supplies. Public land usually don't have any trees at all. If you own the property, you can cut all you want but there intales the problem. I would have to move to Ft. Sumner as its the closest place to find trees along the river. It is kinda interesting if you think about it. Almost everywhere you see a tree around here was somebody's homestead.

[mescalero1]

Morgan lives over in the eastern part of the state.
Some people call it the high plains.
Flat as a pancake, nothing between there and the Canadian border but a barbed wire fence.

[Hobie]

Hi to all. I'm a long time reader, and a newer member, but have never posted before. Firewood is a subject that I spend a lot of time thinking about, either finding, cutting, splitting, stacking, or hauling. Here in far northern California, oak is the favored wood - blue oak, liveoak, black oak, or valley oak. However I mix it in with digger pine which has a lot of pitch in it and is a really soft wood. It is good for getting a fire started, but will build up inside the flue pipe. So it has to be cleaned out to prevent chimney fires. I mix it with the oak to try to reduce the problem, but I use it since it's available. The politically correct name for digger pine these days is gray pine, but it's still digger pine. By using the woodstove and rarely using the electric furnace I am able to keep my PG& E bill down to a reasonable level. By the way I love lever rifles and need to learn how to post pictures. Glad to be here.

Regards,

Mike

Glad to have you here Mike!

PG&E, oh am I glad I don't have to deal with those folks anymore...

[stretch]

I burn pellets to heat the house, but I burn wood to heat the garage.

In the last 10 years I think I've bought two cords. I burn about that each
year, and most of it I either harvest on my own land, or pick up by the side
of the road. The power company around these parts will thin/trim trees by
their lines, chip all the brush, and leave the trunks for folks like me. Up north
on logging company land, companies will leave piles of wood free for the taking.
Lots of folks use that "free" wood for heat.

I burn whatever's going - maple, oak, cherry, paplar, birch, beech, ash, pine, spruce,
hemlock, dogwood, etc.. Ash is the nicest to split. Oak heats the best, but is harder
to come by. Beech burns beautifully, and maple isn't bad either. I also burn pallets.
They burn nice - mostly kiln-dried hardwood. The southern yellow pine ones make
GREAT fire-starter. Burn your stove hot enough, and you won't have any trouble
with creosote if your wood is dry. I clean my garage chimney every year (sometimes
two), and I've yet to get more than a gallon jug full of dry, fluffy deposits. I inspect
it at least once a year, and have never seen any creosote.

-Stretch

[pharmseller]

Prickly pear. Burns like Madrone but grows like a weed. Hot, clean, plentiful.

P

[Gobblerforge]

I've heard it said that fire wood warms you twice and I chuckle. It warms me when I cut it, 1, load it in the truck, 2, unload it at home, 3, split it, 4, stack it, 5, load it onto one of two log carts that I use to roll my firewood into the basement, 6, pull the carts into the basement, 7, load the logs into the wood-stove, 8, enjoy the warmth, 9. Yep. That's good firewood. Heats a long time. But seriously. We have been heating completely with wood for years now and after doing a little math, I concluded that I put about 10 days and about $50 in gas and oil into all that is required to have a stack of firewood to cover a years heat. I used to put a lot more hours than that into paying a gas bill and the house was never more than 70. Now it is kept above 70 24 hours a day. We used to play the thermostat game every day and night every year to try to cut down on costs. No more. I also use an additional two cords or so to warm the shop. As it stands right now I have enough wood piled up to burn into 2012. It feels good to know the bill's been paid .
This is the living room wood-stove. We use it first thing in the fall until the basement gets too cool. Then we let it go out and start up the bigger one in the basement. Then if it gets cold enough we can fire them both. So far we haven't had it cold enough to need the furnace. Outside the basement is the woodpile and stacks. Someday when funds allow, we plan to roof over the woodpile. until then, tarps. As far as what wood. I burn everything but pine. We tend to burn more popler and softer woods when it's a little warmer out as they burn cooler. Oaks and hardwoods get burnt when it's colder out as they produce more BTUs.
Gobbler. Oh yes, my wife Hilde, and grandson Nate, say hello.

[mescalero1]

Gobblerforge,
Very nice, way to go.
There IS a feeling of independence that comes along with that.