I drive past an old colonial house on my way to work every day on a fairly large piece of property. Nice place, well kept, yard manicured. EXCEPT.... for the mountain of rotting oak rounds piled up in the side yard near a stone wall. It's pretty evident since I first really noticed it about five ago that what was once a decent start to processing a few cords has now turned to a pulpy, fungus-encased, rotting mass of waste. Any number of circumstances could have contributed to the unfinished job, so one can only speculate, as I have done my fair share of. And I know it's someone else's business and not my own, so who am I to judge? But still, I can't help but feel a few pangs of regret that so much oak is no good anymore. Anyone else have similar experiences driving around town? Ever get that sunken feeling when you see firewood going to waste?
Just think of all the Oak trees in all the forests that are laying down rotting away. You'll feel better about that paltry sum of Oak. Or not.
I know the feeling. I have to drive past two properties less than a mile away from home with wood left outside going to waste. The first has a number of large trunks left lying on the ground (someone spoke to the owner about logging them up for her but she refused) and the other has loads of oak rounds which are now look rotten.
I think more about the work that was put into bucking it up, and THEN having it rot. That's what does it for me.
I feel it's going to become more common in my are. Because of the EAB, lots of folks have had to have large ash trees cut down, in one case 11 just in the front yard alone. Many property owners have the limbs chipped and the trunk and larger limbs bucked to firewood length, maybe for the love of money, or, maybe for the love of the ambience of a fire in the fireplace. Now, these folks are not your average wood hoarder. They're what my mamma would have called fancy city folks. Fine, big houses, fancy cars, but not a splitter to be seen. So how long do you think Mr. Investment Banker is gonna last swinging a maul?!? It's earthy and great fun until it ain't no more! I've already seen houses with ash rounds piled in the back corner of the yard for 2 years now. A lot of prime firewood is just sitting there turning into termite food and mush. I've often thought of stopping to ask some of the owners if they'd like me to remove their problem, but I'm lucky enough to be a proud hoarder years ahead on firewood. And I have my own ash supply to deal with. I suggest that those of us that have the time and room stop at every house with an unkempt wood pile and ask if you can 'relieve them of their problem.' It could make you and them feel better.
I hate when I stop to ask about downed trees or limbs and am told”No, it’s mine” and 2 years later it’s still laying there untouched.
Are you sure it's rotted? The heartwood of oak will hold up for a long time.. Do a knock-n-talk and see if they'll let you poke around the pile. Maybe, cut into a piece or three and see how the innards look. You never know,
I've left birch in rounds ( and even some split) and not gotten back to it soon enough and lost it all. Pine too. Wood rots pretty easy around here if it isn't at least top covered. Red oak isn't too bad but I've had white oak get soft and not be much good. It happens. Mostly when I was working a LOT of hours and firewood wasn't exactly a priority. I snag tree branches that years ago I would have just tossed in the dump.
I know from personal experience that birch needs to be processed damm-near immediately after felling. I've seen that stuff literally rot before my eyes. But as far as this guy's mountain of oak goes it definitely looks like it's past its prime. Plenty of fungus, sitting in the shade... it's been there for years, and probably more years past since I've noticed it.
We did too. Got a bunch of oak 2 yrs ago, got busy with other jobs, finally got around to it this year, had a bunch of limb and top wood, had to just throw it away, the main trunks had good heart wood, but punky sap. I sure wasted alot of $$ ( Wood, time, equipment expenses)....
Hugelkultur: Hügelkultur - Wikipedia It's not a waste, just not being put to it's best use. I collect rotten wood for my garden. Lemonade out of lemons!
On my way to work someone had their woods cleared of all the dying Ash. They limbed it all, cut it into 12' lengths and brought it out to the edge of the woods and stacked it all. Probably over a hundred trunks 16-24" diameter. After driving by it for 3 years, I changed the route I go to work so I don't have to see it. That was two years ago. I'll have to go by there again once the "office ban" is lifted just to see if anything ever got done with it. I can't imagine Ash on the ground for a year let alone this long. I have enough wood here that I don't need to cut other than on our farm, so I never stopped. I'm sure they thought they had a gold mine that they could sell. Highly valuable Ash, you know... I'm sure it's full of shrooms now. probably 40 or 50 cord at least...
Well it is a natural order of things to rot and return to the ground. If that is what happens for what ever reason then so be it. I would like to see it go to good use but Se La Vie.
That's where I have an issue with it too. There's a big sugar maple that was taken down, all cut into 16-18" long rounds right down the road from my house. They quickly hauled all of the wood from right by the road where the tree was, to the side of their yard. 3+ years later, it's still in rounds along their property line, uncovered, presumably rotting. I would have taken it all, and had it split and stacked. In between that maple that's rotting is a guy that had to clear a bunch of red pine for a garage. Again, all those rounds just sitting again the fence line. One of these days this summer I might stop and ask if I could have those pine rounds.
Its all over the place around here. Lots of 2018 tornado wood, bucked and left to rot. I think people have good intentions and/or are giving it away then realize how much work is involved and give up. No one ends up coming for it. I did a paying job in early January hauling away some bad wood "Firewood" Makes Great Compost
Too bad, we have neither down here...our customers don't want that. But we burn some and so does my mama..
Numerous stacks of logs left on the sides of pipeline clearings in my area. Due to liability, no touch. I usually walk and bird hunt these areas, but no vehicle access allowed. Makes me cry to see hundreds of cords rot away.
It pains me when we have to go out and see so many trees that are dead with many of them already fallen to the ground. Lots for sure in the creeks and rivers. Like yesterday we went past one area that has been looking bad ever since the EAB took up residency. Along with the dead ash there are also some dead elm. I remember several years ago we were talking about it and hoping someone could get to them and make firewood. Especially because many are right next to a well traveled road. Well, some have fallen on the road but they just get cut enough to throw off the road. Most of the grove of trees are now down and others will fall. Another is a huge elm tree standing in an old fence row. The land is not farmed any more either. But that elm is huge for the normal size that elm gets here any more. The bark has all fallen off and it has stood for a few years until now some of the limbs are breaking off as it deteriorates. Soon the tree will fall over and then be no good for firewood. Such a shame that nobody gets it. For sure if we needed wood, that is one of the first I'd go after as that makes excellent firewood, contrary to what many people report.
