Another score from my tree service contact...Mulberry!!!

Even though I'm not quite done processing the Silver Maple from the score 3 weeks ago (barely an hour left to split/stack) I couldn't resist giving him a call when I seen the ad on Craigslist this morning....

Total amount was 1 1/2 pickup loads from 1 tree dropped yesterday about a mile or so to my northeast.

From 5" to 22" diameter thereabouts. Will get 1 plus load of fuel & 10 or so nice blocks/slabs milled for future woodturning,other craft projects.Mulberry is an excellent wood to work,normally shapes nice & clean,is dense & strong,very stable once dried,takes a good finish.Is quite popular though you rarely see the wood sold through commercial dealers,just occasionally locally and/or smaller mail order/retail outlets.

In most cases throughout its vast growing area its considered a weed tree by most landowners & those in the forestry profession & can be usually be had just for the taking.... Its long been one of my fav woods,have been using it since high school.Quite plentiful around here.

Great for fuel (equal to Red Oak,White/Green Ash once its dried 1 to 2 years) & especially good in the smoker or grill. I seen a while back at local grocery chain a 5lb bag of dry Mulberry chunks. Whatta you guess they wanted for that? $12.99!!!! At those prices one of my scrap pieces is worth around 20 bucks!

Taking a break today,I'll start cleaning up the pile tomorrow morning.....

 

A few more....

 

Craigslist heaven in Thistles part of the country. Nice to have an 'in' with a tree guy too

 

We had around 9" in 3 storms for November,barely 2" so far this month.Most every system has gone north or south of here.Last year now there was 6"-7" on the ground,with almost 10" for one storm coming later in mid January.

Hoping to see some next month,Jan-Feb is usually when we get the majority of it.At least the drought was over by last summer,so that's 1 less thing to worry about.

 

I got a mulberry CraigsList score a month or so ago. Posted about it here. Splits easily by hand.................or at least mine did. Thumbs Up!!

 

Nice score !
Sure is a pretty colored wood .

Good working temps today ?

 

0 at sunrise,about 6-7 degrees when they dropped it off.High for the day was 23.May see 30 tomorrow.

 

Nice haul yet again.

 

Nice! Doesn't get much better than that!!

 

Nice looking load. Never had any mulberry myself

 

That looks pretty straight compared to the mulberry I processed. I like how it turns dark brown as it dries. Love how it burns!

 

Nice score.

 

Good score of what we call premium wood. Like Drivn4wood said, the mullberry around here is no way as nice and straight as yours. They grow everywhere like weeds all bendy and curved. We make excellent firewood of 'em and I'll bet the grain is beautiful for projects.

 

This is unusual for Mulberry here too.Most I see either in yards/urban areas & even edges of forest/pasture is full of twists & turns.Especially once it gets some size & age to it. A straight branch free trunk over 6-7 feet long is rare.

 

Great Thistle - that contact is working out great!! Cheers!

 

Question for you Thistle, I think you have Bur Oak where you live so in a side by side comparison do you think the Mulberry is as good as the Oak?
I never thought it was as good even though it's rated the same more or less, I have a lot of it here I can cut and have a fair amount on hand, I should bring some in today and check it out again.
Have you ever noticed how light it can get when dry, Oak does not seem to do that for some reason.

 

I totally agree with you on the weight - definitely dries much much lighter. I've only burnt a little bit - the red oak seems to burn a little longer but the mulberry may be a little hotter. Both coal well compared to ash and my mystery wood.

 

I've got a chitload of Bur Oak around here both in older city neighborhoods (almost pure stands of it concentrated about a mile in all directions) plus rural outlying areas of 3-4 county radius especially though it grows basically state wide.Several large stands of it in a couple old golf courses,1 is a mile or so to my NW,the other is about 7 miles to the SE. Only about 10% of the Oak on parents place is Bur,rest is roughly half Red/Black & half White,with a smattering of Pin/Post Oak.Neighbor's farms/pasture/forest have a bunch of Bur Oak though.

From what I've noticed over the decades,Mulberry is pretty much equal to Red/Black Oak & White/Green Ash in density/heat value,but not quite as good as any of the White Oaks. That's still nothing to sneeze at though IMO.

Sad that in the last few years Bur Oak Blight is taking its toll on large very old trees,mainly effects those in groups or stands,single scattered trees in mixed forests aren't as vulnerable. ISU Extention Service & other Midwest sources have lots of info about the disease.