Wow Im am full blown out of control chasing Ash to sell. They are all over me. Im thinking about taking alot of maple because it will be much drier to sell. The free three year old grapple load of oak is still pushing almost 30% after being split in october. If im getting wood to sell and pushing low moisture content theres no way im cutting oaks and hickory soon to sell in fall. I would rather push the value of much drier wood. My maples stacked in a single row that were split in sept and october are at 25%, the black birch ( cherry birch) is the same. I got truckloads of cherry birch and maple from the quarry. So what do you guys think of continuing to go hard with thE ash and softer maples. I just got 3 monster red maples.
Go with the ash. Dries way faster than the oak and hickory. BUT don't wait to long to get the oak and hickory.
Get the ash and maple for as long as you have a sales rush. Hold off on the oak and hickory until things slow down in the summer.
Yup thats what im thinking, just got permission on 45 acres with nice truck access, iv also been roadside logging the 400 acre guy. I got a whole truckload of beautiful fallen Ash off the ground like pixy sticks. No pics wife had phone but i split it last night and its at 16% beautiful wood. I appreciate the feedback, i figure i go with the experts
People down the road cut logs, split, load and deliver. How do they do that? I dont know how people burn that now. ?????
We've got friends in Lyndeboro who buy fresh split oak in the spring, stack it in a dirt floor garage for the summer, and burn it all winter. "It's dry". Can't tell them otherwise.
Thats pretty common mentality in my area. I have only met a couple people that get wood for years down the road.
So with all of the species of wood i have access to rt now should i bother taking huge elm trees that are already dropped for me. They are big, can i use my new alaskan saw mill on them. Does elm make nice boards? ????? Is it worth taking for firewood. They might have to be 1/2’d on site to lift.
Elm burns fine in a stove I would not use in a fireplace as in my opinion it likes to pop and throw sparks..
Just get all you can. If the elm were dropped for you, take them, will be stringy on the splitter. The ash, maple and hickory will get punky before the oak. Just keep working and build an inventory once spring gets here. Hickory should be dry in 2 years if it was green when cut.
Maybe if split small on the hickory, I don’t want doubt such a guy as T.Jeff Veal but I think that Georgia heat gets to him I consider it hot when it gets to 80* and the whole state calls it a heat wave if 3 consecutive days of 90*. For reference we did not have a heat wave last year
Guess it all depends on where it is......we probably have a heat wave in May then...I really didn't think it would take hickory 3 yrs to dry...my bad...we do tend to split a little smaller, makes it easier for older folks to handle. And the heat has addled me a few times...my hunny tells me all the time I'm crazy...I feel her she married me...
T.Jeff Veal FHC drying chart lists it as 2 years so your in good company! I add a bit because you know ... “snow”.
I've cut dead standing ash and had it around 15%. I'm pretty picky about what I sell as far as MC. Lots of variables for everyone here as to how your wood dries. BUT as we all know there are some less than caring sellers and more uneducated buyers.
Oh thats all im cutting rt now is ash to sell. The free 3 year old grapple load of red oak i got in october i cant sell till next year or the dead standing oaks i cut in September. Im all about the ash and im killin it rt now 10 cords in 2 weeks all scrounged
I used to split big and love all nighters and all that but over the years iv quit on the giant all nighters and went with a fatty limbwood in the back of the stove on cold nights. Smaller splits dry better
In my experience, elm doesn't spark or pop at all. Elm also seems to hold up pretty good if it is in the ground, much better than ash or maple. Maple it seems is the worst at rot resistance. If someone dropped elm for your use, you should get it as soon as you can. Around here,. Shagbark hickory is ready in 2 years at worst once split and stacked. Where you are looks to be a tad lower longitudinally than where I live. So I'd think it's pretty similar drying time.
