Had to be at work early for a meeting, just as the snow and wind starts here in Northern In. Calling for 8" to 12" of wet heavy snow, wind gusts of 50mph. After the meeting we get to our control rooms and one of my co-workers approaches me about some trees. His dad bought a house last fall and then recently he acquired the 2 lots next door. He said his dad wants all the trees cut down and if I was interested I could have them. Huh, I am always interested, but a little skeptical. We all have been approached like this and find out the trees are sumac or something equally as bad. He took some pics and showed me. Wholly heck bat man! Appears to be about 15 - 20 mature White Oaks! In the pics they look about 24-26" diameter at breast height, and he says about 70' tall. Some smaller 14" to 16" also. Uh, yeah, I"ll take them. As soon as the weather straightens out, I will get some pictures of before and after to post. I am hoping next week it gets a little nicer out so I can get started before the offer goes to someone else! I am pretty stoked!
Sorry man, he already gave that deal to me. Come to think of it I can't find his number. What was it again?
That sounds like a great score! What kind of equipment do you have, saw(s), vehicle, trailer etc, how far away from you, and how will you access the wood?
Noob question. What is wrong with sumac? Otherwise, that is a fantastic score. Wish I could come help you just to get the experience. Post pics, please!! For all of us living vicariously through this awesomeness!
I have heard of Poison Sumac, from when I lived in Indiana, but I thought that was just the leaves. Thanks for the info!
I have an old Chevy pickup, I bought a trailer off craigslist a year ago that has semi tires on it, looks like an old military style trailer with about 5.5 X 10' bed. I mounted a 12 volt 2000# winch from harbor freight on a swing arm boom. The boom had a hand crank winch that I removed and welded the 12 volt on. I use a deep cell trolling battery to power it with large long tongs. My saws are an 066 magnum with a 28" bar, an 029 super that I changed sprockets on and run 3/8" chisel chain, and a 192T for limbing. When I get my trailer back from my buddy I will post pictures of it. I have an old 20 ton MTD splitter that has split everything I have ever run through it. At 52 years old the only thing I really need is my ambition back from when I was 25! LOL.
If I was stranded in a blizzard on the side of a highway and sumac was all I had, I would burn it, but short of that, no. I am not a wood snob, but I have been blessed with a lot of good hard wood in my section of Indiana. I take all the free btu's I can get, but have a definite preference for Oak, White is #1, Red #2 then Pin oak in that order.
I am sure there will be all kinds of pictures once this friggin blizzard and wet snow leave, GRRR. We are under a state of emergency right now for Laporte county Indiana, but 40 degrees is forecasted for the weekend. After that, game on!
Poison sumac is not at all like the staghorn sumac we get around here. Many of the members of the sumac family are rather innocuous.
Exactly you can even make a lemonade type drink from the stag horn sumac fruit. We used to call it Indian lemonade when I was a kid. I understand that isn't quite PC these days. But Native American lemonade just doesn't roll off the tongue the same way. As far as firewood its gopher wood.
Absolutely. Sumac berries are a spice used for cooking, traditionally for middle Eastern dishes. Only poison sumac is bad stuff. I've burned sumac outdoors on the fire pit. It doesn't grow very big, otherwise I'd probably harvest some for burning in the stove.
Iceman7668 , it sounds like you are more than set equipment wise to cut a lot of wood. Can you just drive up to the lot?
