Cutting and Noodling Cottonwood

I decided to cut and noodle some cottonwood. I know cottonwood is a softwood and a lot of ppl don't bother with it, but I had it sitting around and I just like any excuse I can find to get some trigger time on the 660. Plus I just wanted to make some noodles.


Poor ants a were so cold I almost felt bad for wrecking their home, so I gave them a nice warm place to sleep.

 

Some big rounds for sure! Saving the noodles for tinder? How about the wood itself, going to CSS it? I only grabbed one roadside cottonwood log by accident last summer and didn’t think it burned horribly, just fast. I still have a few splits of it kicking around out back.

 

Ants…..gotta love those hidden gem nests!!!

 

looks like you and the saw had some fun!

 

Yep saving the noodles for tinder. All the wood is small enough that I can burn it in the owb. Cottonwood gets light after it seasons for a year. I like burning 50/50 hardwood softwood mix. I'm a stickler so I have separate stacks for softwood. Plus like many of us, its my hobby and I just enjoy cutting firewood.

 

I burn a lot of cottonwood and noodle it all up into splits for stacking. I just happen to be working on a big round right now myself.
It burns good but just fast as was mentioned.

 

Wouldsplitter nice looking stacks. Nothing wrong with some cottonwood. It has its place in my stacks.

 

Looks like fun to me!

 

I tend to go with what is the easiest and most economical on my firewood. For 2 summers I was the climber and was lead on a clearing crew in Valdez. Most of what I took down was cottonwood. For 2 winters in the Interior I burned it . It was imo much better than beatle killed white Spruce. It made a fair coal bed and made plenty of heat. We had plenty of cold weather those 2 winters and it kept us warm so, it burns.
Since the contract stated the company had to remove the wood from off the right of way. It got hauled up to a local place where it was easy for me to grab a load in my company pickup and bring it home.

 

Cool to read that it doesn't burn terrible because those trees can sure get big.

 

I would guess that cottonwood grown in Alaska would be much denser and burn hotter and longer than the cottonwood that grows here.

 

Lotta chicken food in that there wood…if I get wood like that I set it in my chicken run for a day or two and then it’s safe to bring in the house. Plus the little chickadees get a little protein treat

 

I dunno. It's Real soft most of the time. Very fast growing . Big growth rings.
Compared to white Spruce it burns a bit slower. Puts out good heat leaves good coals for an hour or 2.

 

That's a good idea!! Chickens are awesome good to keep around.