I’m losing my fondness for hickory! Sure it burns hot but I’m not sure I’m going to collect it anymore. I have about half a cord css’d about 2 years ago and I got some of it yesterday to bring to the rack close to the house. It is the nastiest wood I’ve ever seen, the sawdust from boring bugs is unbelievable, it also seems to have degraded considerably more than expected. I should add that it has been uncovered until recently.
Hickory is a great wood but it does take a little more care it does not weather well and it is very attractive to bugs I guess because of the sugars in the wood if the wood stays wet (eg not covered or ground contact ) the carpenter ants love it !!!! JB
My downside for Hickory is the extra splitting time on bigger trunks. The dust can bother my sinuses, but most wood dust does. I started coughing yesterday after unloading oak. It will degrade if exposed to weather for too long. If kept dry it will last long long time ime.
This...top cover it and you'll have better results. I had a honey locust score that I left uncovered too long and the bugs/dust/leaves, and therefore, rot, did a number on it...the stuff that was top covered was fine
Yes Hickory is high on the BTU scale, but has its downsides. Heavy when cut fresh, takes 2-3 years to dry to optimal moisture content. Its "shelf life" whether in the woods or in your stacks isn't that great if left unprotected, and yes that powdery sawdust frass is a pain in the *** (I'll let you fill in the blank) My opinion is to keep some in the stacks for the coldest days and keep it covered. Even covered it seems the borers are inevitable. I have some oak and cherry that's infested with borers even though its been covered in a lean to since split. Frass pours out when I pick up a split.
Agree with above statements. Always keep it covered. Nothing you can do to keep the boring bugs out to prevent the dust piles. When I move it, I knock splits together as much as possible to try and keep it out of the house. It's some of the best wood available, especially shag bark, so any issues are completely worth it in my experience.
Hickory is best when split and top-covered promptly after being cut and bucked. As stable, hard and sturdy as it is, if left in the weather it decays very quickly. And even when top-covered the hickory borers will find it and munch on it. Once it's seasoned the borers leave. I love it even with.its quirks.
I still enjoy Shagbark but the other varieties I no longer drool over. They throw out a ton of heat but seem to burn up quickly.
Never had it. Hell, my first 5 or so years burning was like 90% ash. Got an occasional couple of big limbs of mulberry or hedge. I did get a Siberian Elm dropped off after I stopped and asked a guy clearing a lot to drop it off. He looked at me like I was crazy. Said it sucks to split and smells. We were both green back then, but I C,S,S and heated with it. Mental note made and filed about hickory. I don't top cover while seasoning, so if I happen upon any, I may have to cover it.
Hickory borers do love it but I still take it. A friend told me to scatter some moth balls in the fresh splits, now it did not completely eradicate the bugs but I believe it helped.
The frass is the real negative for me. The good sized one I just processed had laid in the woods for three full seasons. It stayed alive the first year (root ball still attached) but died end of second. The bugs worked on it all last year. The trunk and most branches were suspended while it laid. All the bark fell off it when I split it and the frass had been dispersed by the wind and rain. Great score. It'll only need a year covered but it'll get 2-3 probably. My biggest gripe about the bitternuts is how dang grabby they are with the saw bar. Downright frustrating at times when green.
