I kind of chuckle when I read this.. seems like the last few years I get stuff that's too big for farmer or his loggers to put in the processor. 3 years ago I got 2 sugar maple trees that were over 15 cord combined, Actually probably multiple trees that grew together. trunks where 48 inches high laying down 30 feet long, and leaders, main branches going up, that were over 24 inch diameter on average after using bucket of tractor to load onto horizontal splitter, I love smaller stuff 8 to 24 inch diameter is so easy to split . it's a dream. this year for next year was waist high logs of ash 16 to 24 foot long
I cut down to 2" when I am cleaned up at my brother's property. Probably not worth for the wood value, I just like seeing the woods clean.
OK when I take a u bolt and screw into round.. lift it with bucket on tractor and lower it on splitter I don't have camera with me cause if it slips I need a new one... this was 1 of 4 of ash logs... the maple I got a video of. but it was niece's boyfriend that dropped it one leader broke into another tree .. want her permission before I post.. but I've seen video. 2 300 year old maples dropped in unison.. it's cool.. I should see her round Christmas and will post then for this pic crazy crowd
I skid out the trunks, and leave most of the limbs right where the tree dropped. Branches down to 3-4" might come out, too, depending on how many trees I dropped and when the next snow is coming. So much more wood in the larger/longer pieces, and time is too often short. Occasionally I'll cut a few of the branches that size into 6' lengths and throw them into the bucket. It helps that most of my trees are 40' poles with few to no branches in the first 20+ feet.
Come on up.. but that's why I get them.. farmer, abutting land owner, got over 800 acres and has a wood stove, but his max size of round is 22 inches or they are heavy. loggers select cut his woods as its in management program so he gets choice.. what's too big for there processing or him I get... closest thing to a scrounge in state where 1 in 6 burn wood!
Doing work at parents acreage I save everything down to 1.5" or so if its sound. All Shagbark,Mulberry, Black Cherry & some extra nice long dead White/Bur Oak up to 3" is for smoker & weber kettle.Rest is piled neatly in scattered spots for wildlife cover through the woods closest to where I was working that day. Everything up to 4" is left long (up to 9 feet) in the woods,its cut to regular length after hauling back near the processing area outside the garage.I use older 10" Delta cast iron miter box for that - much faster than any chainsaw with its 1/8" thick carbide tipped blade,plus no bending over cutting/carrying all those dozens of small pieces back in the woods.Really saves on the back,larger stuff up to 8"-9" diameter is left long in the field also then is stacked on the sawbuck for cutting. Here in town on own property or doing work for others I might save down to 3/4" for kindling but only if I have the time or am required to remove everything.Normally I wont remove brush unless its a special situation.
Depends. On the temperature of the day. On the species of wood. On the time of year. On the dryness of the wood. On how stiff my back is from repeated bending over. Probably no smaller than inch and a half; rest goes to fire pit where I look at them being burnt up and think, "maybe I should've saved that one too".
I cut mostly softwoods in the national forest and dont cut anything smaller than 8 to 10 inch, on pines and firs its too many limbs to deal with.
I cut down to about 3" diameter but sometimes I'll just toss those limbs aside if I'm in the woods. If it's easy to get to and not too far to walk I'll take that small because I like a mix of sizes. Many times though if I'm tired they just get left for somebody else.
I'm not much messing with the branches unless they are 5 or 6 inches or more. I'm still trying to clear land; firewood is the bonus. The small stuff takes a lot of time and I put it on the bonfire pile or I feed it into my fire pit after cutting to a length I can move: put it across the put and burn it in half, repeat as needed. I got a nice 3 pickup load of oak rounds and branches. Had to take it all and it was mostly nice rounds anyway. Once I got down to the 3 or 4 inch stuff I gave up and piled it near my fire pit. In theory it was primo wood, but I had two maples and an oak down from the rains and winds and I could put up a lot more wood from the trucks of those than from the branches in the same time.
I will leave most under 6 inches or so and often bigger. To many limbs to deal with and theres lots of wood out there. Its to much work to go after the little stuff. I burn lodgepole pine, doug fir larch and a bit of birch. I think it really depends on your situation. If I had limited access to wood I would put forth more effort for the smaller stuff.
Agreed on the poles. I have a nice mature forest too, so the branches for the most part are a minimum. I was cutting down the maples around the yard, which are fully canopied out which is why I brought this up. I then realized 90% of the stacks on here are round free, so I had to ask.
Depends on if wife is working with me. If she is there, we keep some mighty small stuff. If she is not there, most small stuff goes into the brush pile.
