I woke up early that normal on a weekend day today, and dropped a few trees for next year, and 2 years from now and I cut up a heavy face cord of dry dead elm for this year. Some went to plan, others not so much but no harm, no foul. I'm just sore as I did it all myself. Got back from the woods with a half hour ride and a 4x8 trailer full. Is a heavy face cord of mostly dead standing and down elm. That's for this year while I work on my years out plan. Here's my pics of my handiwork. I had the local hardware store use their sharpening machine on my chain. It needed it, but I'll have to lose the rakers as it could be a little more aggressive. A good shagbark hickory that was rotting at the bottom, so it had to come down. It got really good only about 2 feet up from my cut. It pulled a kickstand on me. But it came down with a bit more work. This will get split by spring and stacked for 2016.
Here's a 3 foot section right above my feeling cut. Center rot. It had a nice natural lean to the direction it fell. I got it all down and cut up. I love hickory. I saved some branches for smoking.
Here's another tree I cut up today. Dead standing whatever it is. I think it's elm, based on how a piece shredded on the felling cut. This will be for next year. I didn't cut it up yet, I'll wait until my cutting buddy can help, and we'll get splitter we borrow and load it up that way
. Yeah it's hard, great btu's though. This was the first tree I cut today, with a freshly machine sharpened chain. I don't notice any degradation in cut speed even 7 hrs later.
Here my worst screw up of the day. I think it's another elm. Hanging exactly where it wouldn't have gone wayyyyy up there, but only by a couple of branches. I hope, and have a feeling the 30 mph winds tomorrow will get it down. This will be for 2015/16 winter. To be split with the other trees in a few weeks.
I cut up a downed decent shagbark in the background, just below the snow line. That may be good for next year once split. It was nice and solid and straight. About 10" in dialer at biggest end and straight for a good 20 ft. At worst, 2016/17. The downed elm I showed before, the bigger one that actually fell all the way to the ground:lol, is in the foreground. Note more standing dead elm, and some dead learners. I ran out of gas, and energy to cut more in the parents lots. I didn't even walk up to the upper part where there is more shagbark and ironwood, along with cherry. I had to cut a trailer load for today that I could get out and on the trailer. So I had to save some energy. I have Kubota envy.
An easy way to id dead elm is by the beetle galleries under its bark. If you see this you can be pretty sure it is elm. (And that the tree succumbed to the Dutch elm disease.).
Just my parents lot will early keep me loaded for wood for as long as I can cut. But I still have even more acres to cut on at my buddy's 24 acres. He actually has oak there. There's maybe a couple oaks on my parents land. But I can't complain. I think I like hickory best. I know there's some massive box elders I can cut that are dead or dying too. Those elders I'll need to use my buddy's ms460 on. Is a big multi trunked beast.
Yeah. That would be one way, but most of the elm I get doesn't have the beetle marks. I didn't really look at the bark. And to be honest, I dropped it and went to the next tree and didn't check out the bark. It could be a maple. But the splitter will tell the truth. There a lot of sugar maple in the woods. We used to tap them and make syrup.
I'm done this weekend. 8 hours of cutting and clearing is hell on a desk jockey, even if I'm a big guy. Right now I use a little more than 2 cords, I expect to use a little less wood next year if I can get an insert. And get more heat out of the wood and save more on my gas bill. I'd love to see the gas bill very very small next winter. We do have a gas water heater and gas clothes drier and gas range. We cook a ton, and have dogs so, the drier and gas range will always get use.
Yeah, there's always been good BTUs in that woods. It's actually on a road named "hickory hill Dr". I lived there with my parents from 1981 until 93, when I graduated high school. We always cut a lot of wood there, had a low efficiency insert and an add on wood furnace to to furnace. I think we'd bring in at least 5 cords a tear, bare min. We always cut a ton of wood to keep that huge house warm in winter. Heating my 1700 sq ft house with a high efficiency insert next year should help me more. But yes, I need to cut more.
Yes, it was, but I'm still sore. I'll only be going to the dog park, and watching football. A nice hot shower after stacking the wood helped, but maybe using the jacuzzi tub is in order tomorrow.
For a desk jockey to do that much work says a lot for you. It is hard work but even harder for those who don't do much physical work. You have earned that hot shower and jacuzzi!
