Sounds like your wife is a great part of the Burn Team! Thanks for doing this. I would love to see more of these documentaries from a variety of stove owners. I also liked the "real world conditions" as opposed to the jigsaw puzzle maximized burn. Wood makes such a difference too. Sounds like you've got a lot of that maple where you are. Even though oak is a pain to get seasoned, it's most of my stock, these days and the seasoned stuff (2 years old) burns like ironwood. (which I have none of but wish I did) Again, Thanks!
Looks good! That's how I do warm weather loads to. Maybe another split so it will get me 12 hours. It great how little wood it takes to go 12 hours when you don't need much heat.
Actually, I have probably 90% ash in my stacks due to the ash borer. But, I am in a section that is mostly maple and beech right now. I always try to have 1/3 cord or so of ironwood ready to go for the winter. That stuff is the bomb! I keep that separate and throw a split or two in when it's cold. Unfortunately, no oak to speak of on my property.
I didn't want to go 12 hours, it's 60 now! House was baking already from that little tiny load.... Waulie, what's Iron wood look like?
In case it wasn't obvious, this^^^was poking fun at us Blaze King fanboys I got me a little ironwood last winter. Excited to see what it's about, but prolly next year.
60! Woah. Yeah, I guess you're not looking for a reload on hot coals are you? I'll try to remember to take a pic of a split when I get a chance. There are actually a few trees that are sometimes called "ironwood". Most commonly, and the one I'm referring to is Hop Hornbeam. It is typically an understory tree that grows very, very slow and doesn't usually get very big at all. I have a few live trees that are in the 12 to 14" dbh size which is huge for iron wood. I cut one like that that was dead a couple years ago. I also had one of the big ones loose a large limb recently. Then, I've taken a couple small ones that have been crushed by falling dead ash. I'm lucky to have a good amount of ironwood on my property. The bark is shaggy and very unique. The wood is DENSE. Sparks when you cut it. It has more btu's than oak, locust, etc., etc. Actually I just looked. Chimney Sweep has it listed as second highest on the list just behind Hedge.
Is there a reference post anyplace of various woods, how to tell them as trees, their characteristics etc? I need a good reference. I have a number of varieties here on my property and I "vaguely" think I know what they are, but I could be completely mistaken.
Waulie, did you count the rings on the big Ironwood? On my almost non-existent topsoil, any Ironwood that big is well over a hundred years old.
Not exactly, but I've started. I'm not patient enough to finish! They are definitely over 80 years and probably more. With our long winters and my dry, sandy soil trees grow pretty slow here to. I don't have any huge trees since this property was last logged around 40 or 50 years ago. But, I'd say the 12" ironwood are about the same age as the 3' maples.
I hate cutting a live tree. The nice thing about ironwood is that it is self limiting. It dies after it is anywhere form 8 to 14 or so inches in diameter. After a few years, it topples. The branches are usually really dry. Sometime after that, I harvest it; exactly when is dictated by whether the tree if held of the ground by branches, leaning on an angle and not all the way down, or sitting on the forest floor. Sitting on the forest floor, the tree will be fine for a few years. Up off the floor, it keeps just about forever. So, cut and stack when needed. A tremendous amount of my Ironwood gets burned about ten years after it has died, and is never split, just cut and stacked. I burn rounds up to about 8 inches.
I've never had the opportunity (pleasure) of burning hedge. Hedge is Osage Orange? We don't have it ....have Beech, Maple, Hickory, Cherry, Ironwood, Ash, a small amount of Oak, Apple, Small amount of Pine, White Birch, Eastern Cedar, Hemlock, One Basswood, One Tulip Poplar.
Try these: http://www2.arborday.org/shopping/trees/trees.cfm?TrackingID=115&gclid=CJu2rfXEnLsCFc07OgodjnQAoQ http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/ http://mushroomexpert.com/trees/index.html
