I get my Forestry firewood permit every six months.($20) It is a dead and down type deal here and hardwood only. The problem with this is you rarely find a dead and or down oak that is smaller than a maxed out 16 inch bar can cut (from one side) and those are usually knocked over by the one that actually fell and needs to be cut from both sides with a 28 inch bar (usually not full cut from each side). I guess this is a big one...... That's a 24 inch bar on a 6421.... I'll mess with one this size if its next to the road (or in this case across the road) .... anything bigger than this is a monster in my book and I don't mess with those unless it's right on the road and bucked into logs already (by forest service)and only if I can park the splitter right next to it and process in place. I do run across some locust that are smaller, but the smaller oaks seem to stand well to the wind. Poplars come down fairly often when they get about 24 inches, but I've got enough of those on my place already.... I don't haul them from elsewhere for free. Although not hardwood, we have a lot of big white pines in my area and I burn them in the OWB, while most folks refuse to burn it at all..... I don't haul it for free either, because I have plenty at home, but if someone wants to pay me to take it away I don't let it go to waste.
Here's a small one blacksmith and I did a month ago...... That tree was close to 48" DBH, and around 100' tall. That would probably be considered a bigger tree.....
Small enough to lift with one hand, small enough for two hands, small enough to roll up the ramps, and "nope."
Just two sizes for me, "firewood" and "too big". If I can get it in the truck, it's "firewood". I just put a 1000 lb. capacity crane (hydraulic jack) in the truck, so "firewood" has gotten bigger. Sometimes I have to noodle them half way before the splitter will bust 'em. I recently had a full load that was 9 rounds. Still "firewood"
Around me trees just don't get big enough before they fall over due to gravity... It's very hilly here so they usually can only get so big before the size of the tree over powers the structural integrity of the ground. The large trees around here that you commonly find are sugar maple, hackberry, hickory, ash, beech, black walnut and tulip poplar. Everything else seems to fall over before it reaches anything beyond 24" unless it's in a rare flat area. I find 10-12" black locust fall overs all the time and honey locust seems like it doesn't get larger than 18-20" before it dies. I pulled out a 18" persimmon blow down from my friends back yard in town where it's completely flat, makes me wonder why rarely any of mine ever blow down on these hillsides.
Moparguy..... I think we have similar lay of the land and the bigger ones do seem to come down more so from the ground (not to much flat ground unless it is bulldozer assisted)... the exception to that rule (here anyway) seems to be the white oaks... they can grow anywhere and don't fall.... much more deeply rooted than the more common red oaks and even the chestnut oaks come down easily in comparison.
I size trees by, 1) I can lift it easy, 2) Wow this is heavy, 3) I'm gonna need help with this one. And finally, 4) how the heck am I gonna get this home?
I think I need to change my answer to this question. 1. It stays in the woods. 2. The kids can pick it up. 3. I can pick it up. 4. The tractor can pick it up. 5. It stays in the woods.
The fool has a sure-fire three-category-system: To small to bother with Worth the trouble No frikkin way
I like Turbo's definition. I would fell his small and medium trees. The big and monsters I would call in more experience person. Where my wood comes from I get a lot of big trees, by definition, and they can be a bear to split and buck.
Under 8" is more handling for less wood, 8" to 20" is just right in my book, over that is not much fun. that 48" maple was a massive pain even after noodling each round into quarters.
