Anyone else keep a small stock, or even larger stock of premium wood on reserve for certain times? I have sugar maple to make nice coals when I try to bake in my stove, or caveman steaks. Then I have black locust for the below zero nights. Bonus pic is of my Christmas tree growing!!! Anyone ever see this?
I started keeping a few types of locally available wood around. Ponderosa pine for ordinary use. Oak for when its really cold or i want coals. Cedar to kick off the Oak and get it burning well. Resinous Pine/Piñon for lighting.
A large part of my wood is SBH, hardhack, and hard maple. I don't really set it aside but if it's in the rack on the porch and the weather turns mild I find something else to burn until the temperature drops again. I have cherry, apple, cedar, white birch, and basswood for this.
I have about 1.7 cord of black locust waiting for the 2022-2023 season. Also for that same year, a little shagbark hickory and white oak. For 2023-2024 I have about 3 cord of red oak that will have been drying top covered for about 3.5 years, at which point I'll consider it premium. Then there's the beech, sugar maple, yellow birch... Ah who am I kidding? It's ALL premium once it's dry
I kept a rack of all small apple and cherry pieces for bbq but ended up burning it Christmas to try to impress the inlaws with a aromatic nice burn haha also got my screened in porch filled with hickory chunks …cut it smaller for my smoker hoping it seasons quickly suprised my wife hasn’t complained about the eye sore yet
I have 1.5-2 cords of (black and honey) locust that's been split for around 5 years still resting. Also have Osage hanging around, but it's still growing in the ground so doesn't count.
Wood stacked and covered on the side of the house for use if we get a blizzard or big nor'easter. About 2/3 of a cord.
Wood skid with tin roof is for daily use and I replace with another skid when empty. Wood in short metal racks is for when I can't get to a replacement skid. If not used it's the last wood I burn at the end of the season. All oak from hurricane Sandy for this years burn.
Hurricane Sandy?! I remember that storm well. Let us know how that 9 year old oak burns. That sounds like it'll be some good stuff.
From everything I've heard about it, Osage/Hedge would be the premium wood of the premium wood. Sadly I'm surrounded by Osage, but I don't have a source for any. Last summer we saw a 5th wheel camper for sale and stopped to talk to a lady that was close to 90. We got to talking about wood burning, and she mentally drifted off and a smile came over her face, and all she said was she loved Hedge. As far as my own stash, it's mostly top grade with red and white oak, and hickory.
I keep a wall of locust and it's got some oak in there too at my parents. They are the ones burning this year although my dad is getting up in years and explaining how the bottom air control valve is important to conservation of wood heat to make the fire last keeps going in one ear. Maybe I'll get him fitted for a hearing aid so it doesn't go out the other. The pile I'm talking about hasn't been split but most of the wood was standing dead locust. I've also got a pile-stack of Holly I need to work on though....hopefully it'll be soon.
Burned most of it last year and am finishing it up this year. About a 1 1/2 cords left. Burns very hot. Has been under cover since split. Bark falls right off.
