Weather was perfect today to head out in the woods and get some more ash . I’ve been eyeing up this big one for some time but with power lines to the east I was a bit hesitant . The natural lean was to the north which was fine . Everything went as planned , I did take my time and made sure I was set to go . I still have standing dead ash here in mid Michigan. It’s been a good 10 years since the borer showed up . I didn’t get as large as a load as I could’ve . Just no frost in the woods so I downsized the load a bit . Still a good haul .
Nice haul! Same issue here, trying to ride the tide of frozen ground to haul. Your pics are sideways by the way. But I get the idea. Wish I was there today, sideways or not.
I want to warn all of something from experience. When you fell these dead ash trees be very careful of the limbs up top. When the tree begins to fall it tend to whiplash the limbs and they come raining down like death from above. You can’t hear them falling. Once the tree commits to fall run away from the base. The farther the better. Trust me on this.
I went out and cut some standing dead Ash yesterday, the first tree had no limbs and was about 30' tall 8"dbh. The second tree was still loaded with limbs I notched it towards the next dead tree it took out a lot of the dead stuff when it came down and Oh Yea! the sticks were flying. Nothing big but got a good amount of wood. This little bit of snow makes for easy skidding hope to get some more tomorrow.
We took a drive the other day from Lexington to Port Austin. For those not familiar with Michigan, that pretty much follows the lake Huron shoreline. What one can see all along this route is literally thousands of dead (or close to dead) Ash Trees. The EAB has accomplished in a couple decades to wipe out most of those mature trees. It is now a race for who owns what property or has permission to cut and harvest. This is typical for much of Michigan and other states as well. Some say they will come back, but if so it will be in another lifetime Oh, by the way Michigan Beech trees are suffering a similar fate.
Just walking around my own acreage I have noticed that the Ash, Cherry, Elms, Maples, Beech, EWP, some Oaks and Apple trees are dying off not sure if insects or Climate. I just know I don't like it! but it keeps me busy cutting.
I've cut a lot of standing dead Ash over the last several years. Most are in fairly dense wooded areas and I've had a few snap off about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the trunk when they brush or bump into another tree or large limb. About half of those ended up landing right by the stump where I was cutting it down. There can be weak spots that have developed rot where water can infiltrate the wood through a broken off limb knot, low spot in a crown that holds water, or bark defect. Definitely heed Brandon's advice and have an escape route clear and use it even if it all looks fine. When it happens, some of us old farts may not be fast enough to react if you are just standing there admiring the tree falling over. Standing dead trees are dangerous, no need to be afraid of them, but be aware of the dangers and treat them with respect. Overall, Ash is my favorite firewood for many reasons. EAB standing dead has heated our homes for many a winter.
We were hit hard , lots of ash trees in my neck of the woods . I live in an agricultural area with many wood lots in the center of a section . In the summer you could really pick out the dead ash . You don’t notice it as much anymore , trees are starting to take the place of the ash . On another note , I have 2 fence rows that have a bunch of new growth ash . Some are 6” or so in diameter . Will see what happens down the road ....
