So in my Black Locust post, you see a root log sticking out in the woods. I suspected Alder at first. The color was right when I was cutting into it but then the saw took long to get through. Really long. Alder is a pinch compared to this stuff. then I looked at the rounds and I smelled them. It was cheesy not rotten no but pungent. This tree had been dead for quite some time. In this aspect if off the ground it acts like BL as its resistance to rot is true. What came to make the final conclusion it was a bear to split you can see from the last picture that i had multiple hits with the maul. When this stuff is green its very peachy keen to split. Some of THE best wood you'll find. Marked at 22%mc. Oh boy....
Toasty! Limited supply so I'm likely to keep it for days when Im feeling a bit charismatic and wanna leave my stove alone for as long as I can.
No, but I've driven through there, and my wife lived there over the summers. You know, summer house on Tahoe. My wife's from the bay area, then moved to Humboldt, then Portland before moving to Wisconsin. I've spent a bit of time on the west coast too, lived in so cal for a couple of years. We like to get back to visit our friends and relatives as m much as we can. It's been a couple of years since we've been back though.
I just figured if you had this wood you had a place that was pretty cool at nights depending on the time of the year.
The Oregon coast can get cold. As well as the Sierra Nevada mtns.I didn't even realize I was burning madrone until afterwards. I knew it wasn't eucalyptus, and it certainly wasn't the Douglas fir that we would typically burn.
Haha yes that is true. You named a few. I have to admit I didn't know this was madrone until I started to split it. The smell was not something Im used to and probably had a lot to do with decomposition. No rot but gotta do so sometime. Not a lot comes close to this stuff but with your fair share of burning Hickory, is it comparable? I wondered if this tree were able to grow out in midwest, slow as it goes, become like ironwood like the hornbeam. Gah it is a tough wood to do much with when its this dry!
I'd say madrone might be a longer, or hotter burning wood than shagbark hickory. I've never burned any Osage orange, but I'd guess those are comparable, from what I see. I burn a bit of ironwood myself too.
Ive always wanted to burn some Hedge. Apparently its like burning a bunch of sparklers. But either way I got the similar report based on its BTU's. This black locust runs the race pretty close too but what seems to be the downside to locust is its tendency to coal up a lot and doesn't reduce quickly. Either way I got the options to explore this year. Like picking your candy, flavors and softness to hardness.
Yeah so wood I On a brighter note you have an awesome score there! I know you will enjoy it. I was visiting my folks in Nanaimo BC last month and was admiring all the madrone in the area. I think 23.7 mbtus is a better number Also my opinion of your score can be summed up by saying Our friends at The Chimney Sweep in Bellingham have a great btu chart which is the one I use. https://chimneyseeponline.com/howood.htm
Can't wait to burn it. I actually have a source for the hedge near me someone brings it from Kansas I guess for bow making. i asked him if he could spare a bundle that I could test. But that hasn't happened yet. Oh well. This huge score of hardwood all in one pile is one lucky one. Cherry too. Will add more later to this when I get it all home.
I have a yard cherry to process when I have some time. Should be good for food cooking. Going to give some to my friends as well.
So tasty when you get it going. If im smoking wood for that kinda thing I try to make sure that the wood is in really small splits. The summer sun just bakes it completely and all thats left is putting it in the grill. If you got apple around, mix it with some cherry. Bees knees.
Ive got a little apple and used some of it the other night to cook some west coast salmon. It was awesome. Ill try mixing it with cherry. Im really looking forward to the cherry (if the homeowner hasnt hauled it away that is). Its a lot of work for a medium size yard tree with lots of branches but then I look at what you pay to buy it packaged up in the store and it makes it a bit more worth while. I might be able to keep a few rounds from the trunk for the wood stove as well.
Plus a round or two saved for the fire can be nice! I got a bunch of apple during this season of spring but its still very wet. Some was split others I hauled half a trailer full home, still not processed but Im running out of stacking room. So this summer is likely to get me in gear.
That chart is nearly always the low outlier, so I don't use that one. Most btu charts show madrone at 32+ mbtu's a cord.
