Cutting firewood at high elevation, I've been coming across this bark. This is a young tree and only 8-10 inch diameters that I'm cutting. Any thoughts on species? I'm thinking Douglas Fir. One thing I've noticed is that tree bark varies based on area, elevation and location. Thanks!
100% Douglas Fir. My favorite local wood. Grab all you can!! My dad always calls Doug Fir Salmon wood - due to its silvery bark and pink heartwood.
Where I am cutting at, I do not have any Douglas fir. Everything in the area I am cutting at is Lodge pole pine or spruce. I am around 8000ft.
Of course doug fir isn't even a fir but a spruce. DF can have very thin bark with pitch bubbles all the way to several inches thick, and course. The color inside or when a chunk of bark falls off is why people often call it Red fir up in Idaho/montana.
I’ve never had any trouble with it causing excessive creosote. I burn multiple cords of it every year. It’s really good stuff.
It's interesting because the B. Brown photo looks a lot like the Sub Alpine Fir here but it supposedly only produces 13.7 BTU or so. Tree bark I'm finding varies widely and doesn't look the same even within the same state. Cash Larue, most of it that's cut down at this property is in the 4-10" range but there is a 24-28" fir that broke at the base and uprooted. I think I can get a cord out of the tree alone! Time for my 562 XP with a 24" bar.
Side note: check out the growth rings on this thing (and it’s a smaller example). I frequently cut large diameter, high altitude Douglas Fir, where I lose count of the growth rings in the 300’s. High altitude growing is tough. That’s why this “soft” wood is so good. Most of it is older than anyone on this site.
Hey Cash Larue You are absolutely right about the growth rings. Around here there is doug fir and Doug Fir. Many of the yard trees are wide ringed softer wood. They are OK and close to scrounge but a lot of the trees are old growth or original second growth with tight rings and noticeable hardness and you can tell when you start cutting. The rounds are heavier maybe by as much as 15-25% and I suspect the BTU's per volume the same. The softer trees are large at the base and taper fast for their height with many branches. The best trees have little taper til the tops and the branches are higher up. Just my observations.
Chit, I remember seeing a picture of some of the guys on this site (No names mentioned, they know who they are) in their teens planting those tree seeds on the side of the mountain!!
