Yay! Yeah I know that tree is pretty far gone, but there are some other darker, newer ones that are already split and stacked in my yard. They are so heavy despite the moisture content being quite low for fresh split. Very dense trees.
Absolutely, the wood is very dense. According to the chart (and my own experience) it’s right up there BTU-wise in the heavy hitter category. Firewood BTU & Drying Chart
I've heard it's the best kept secret in the wood scrounging world. I didn't realize how good it is to burn until I started looking up Birch species. Apparently this stuff burns better than Oak? There are quite a few limbs only about 4"s to 5"s around. Can I burn those as rounds once they're dry or should I split them? Does this species take a long time to season?
Welcome to the forum Rudy. They will dry as whole pieces. It can take awhile with full bark. The bark is waterproof on birch. That’s why the wood rots inside so fast. Just make sure to cut everything to length. In log form they’ll rot faster than dry.
Thanks for the info. Ironically those trees have been sitting in my friend's yard for 2 years. Just last week, I mentioned I'm looking for wood to scrounge for my next year pile and he said he had some wood I could have. I showed up the next day with my truck expecting maybe a face cord of old crap only to find Hickory, Red Oak, Cedar, Black Locust and Black Birch scattered all over the yard, most already cut to rounds. It's easily 3 seasons of free wood for me, and I get some exercise to boot. It's my best score ever.
Did you say Black Locust? Be real careful mentioning Black Locust on this forum. Especially seeing as you’re in Ct. we have a few deranged Black Locust addicts in our closet. You may wake the beast And an extra welcome to another Ct member. You’ll like it here.
I think Black Birch may be in my personal top 3. Its readily available here. *Seasons quicker than Red Oak *More BTU's than Red Oak *Coals nicely *Long burns *Doesn't grow too big (seems to max out around 24"-28" diameter), at least here. So fairly easy to process Definitely want to get it split quickly though, it turns punky quickly like all the birches. Like Joe said, the moisture gets trapped by the tight bark and rots from within.
I long for some Beech. Very little around me. I used to get my hands on a decent amount of Sugar Maple, but that's run dry.
Sugar maple very common around here. Been a banner year for black birch and sugar maple for me scrounge wise. Pot luck where, when and what ill get roadside or on FBM/CL. Havent had beech in a couple years myself.
Ugh, he did mention that they rot very quickly due to the nature of their bark not letting moisture escape. I'm thinking that downed tree might be rotted already?
I see you're in North Haven. I wonder if you're the guy I pass every day with the bucket truck always out there working on the huge wood pile?
It's quite possible. You'll know by the weight. Punky Black Birch will be very light weight. Good stuff will be super dense and heavy. If you hit it hard with a rock, hammer or something hard and it easily dents and is light weight, then its junk
