A Little Honey Locust Turns Into a Lot

I usually split HL a little smaller because of the density and the drying time. Even in optimal sunny spots here it takes 2 years to season the smaller splits and 3 years for larger splits when cut green. Most of mine is cut after it was girdled and standing dead for a few years to eliminate the hickory borers making dust in the fresh cut stacks that restricts the air flow. Sure is fine firewood after that though!!!

 

Interesting to note that when I unstacked my 3+ stack of HL there was very little evidence of the powdery frass.

 

We get the Hickory borers bad in the fresh cut Honey Locust here. In the video you can see some of them as I'm spraying but that stack literally had thousands of them in there and I saturated the whole stack with liquid Sevin spray.



https://youtube.com/shorts/qIrAUzCqUvA

 

I noticed a little frass trail on a shag round that is a few weeks old waiting for the splitter. HL should slowly get SS by end of month...just don't quote me on that!

 

Just got a text. Tree guy there today. I know where I'll be cutting tomorrow afternoon.

 

Everything I have read online says not to spray your firewood because of the toxic fumes that it might produce. Don't think this would be an issue for a wood burning stove though. I do spray my pallets and top covering with permethrin mainly to keep the wasps away. I was stung three times last Fall when loading for deliveries. Wasps are very territorial and aggressive when you disturb their homes.

 

I normally don't spray. That video was a few years ago and I no longer cut down "live" Honey Locust mainly for that reason. I girdle them and wait a few years before dropping them. But I'll take the possibility of a little toxic fumes out the chimney while I'm warm in my house over a swarm of bugs attacking my wood... The day I sprayed that pile I had driven past that stack and saw them swarming. I stopped and shut off the truck and I could hear them munching on the wood!!! I was shocked that I could hear them.


About the drying time... I cut this HL today that was girdled 3 or 4 years ago down by the pasture. I will CSS it out in the south meadow to be stacked in the sun and it should be ready for 25 / 26 season, but I'll check it before bringing up to the burn staging shed by the house. I was surprised it read this high on the meter. This was right after cutting it and it measured the same on both A and B ranges.

 

@MF143. I would have no concern about spraying firewood in the Spring if it was solely for my personal use. Would think the pesticide should weather away by Winter . However, I can’t risk spraying on firewood since I sell to restaurants and residential smokers. Opinions from others?

 

I'm a woodstove for heating guy and never even thought of the cooking / smoking side of it. I agree with your abstinence of spraying of cooking / smoking wood or any wood that I would be selling.

 

Excellent grab, Brad!! I love burning HL! Firewood doesn’t get much better!

 

I was moving some old plastic at storage yesterday and got stung by a yellow jacket. They had a nest started under it. I was kinda caught off guard as its usually a couple months until they are prevalent.

I sprayed it and plastic getting tossed.

 

I agree with you for the selling purpose. I wouldn't spray either.

 

we rarely go to the basement in the winter…just too damm cold when the stove is going upstairs. I gotta got the little one installed before burning season so I can get back to watching football down there and get my reloading equipment set back up.

 

I'll take a little frass on a shag. Powdery or not.
If that comes with some fribble, I might even consider paying for it.

 

Fribble?

As in a milk shake/frappe you could get at Friendly's?

 

Inside joke with Dave and I. PM and ask him.

 

Hit the score early this afternoon. Rest of tree had been taken down. Rain and showers changing the days plan. Cut for a bit despite the sweltering humidity. I cut mostly smalls with the 241. Another half load. 25" stump so well over a cord for the tree. 22" DBH tree yields a cord. Nugget pile growing. Gonna be a lot more shorties when I'm done. Split it all including Wednesday's haul. Couple face cord so far. Some logs will be mill fodder provided I can load them. May hit it again tomorrow.

 

My little score of honey locust from today is gonna stay a little score. Picked it up from the town tree dump. I just grabbed the easy splitting good pieces. Mostly so I could get another entry into the species competition

 

I did the same with the crabapple the other day.

 

Brad, you have a talent for making ugly crotchety wood look beautiful. When I try to dress up the ugly stuff, I tackle it from what you or Chris In the Woodyard would do.