A farmer just a few miles from home took down two nice ash trees this weekend. I think I'll be able to fill my wood yard off of this score. I got one load today and I could've done more but it was 85°, waiting for cooler weather.
That will make great firewood for the future. You cannot go wrong with ash for firewood. It usually splits easily, it dries in a year, and it's got great BTUs. Too bad so many are dead or dying.
That’s a nice score Woodchucker , I was pondering attacking a brush pile with Osage, Mulberry & Cherry in it but when I started leaking sweat just standing there so I re-evaluated & decided to wait for cooler weather.
Quick load after work. Had to do some noodling and I could still barely pick up the halves. Hoping to get a few more before the weekend.
I gave one round 5 or 6 swings with the maul and figured I'd be better off saving my energy for lifting them into the truck. Even on the hydraulic, I tend to have to run all the way through it. Thats how most of my ash has been lately.
Cutting in a field or woods, away from home and the need to load it into the truck/trailer. Plus some never hand split anything, I'm one.
I never had much experience with ash until last year when I got maybe 5 cords of it or so. This year I've had 20+ cords of logs dropped off due to EAB and a lot of splits like butter but I've also come across a decent amount that doesn't split as easily and the grain is more wavy once split with the hydros. Everything I get is pretty much yard trees and I haven't really figured out why there's such a difference in how it splits.
Blame it on the wind. On the farm we quickly learned the difference between cutting a tree in the woods vs cutting one in a field or fence row. (Or along a creek.) Wind does it as they grow.
That is true. Tree growth is adaptive and influenced by loads, the environment, and the availability of essential resources.
Yep, I've cut some Ash that grew tall & strong out in the open that split more like Elm. You get the straight ones that grew in the woods & they'll split with a table fork. Just the way of nature.
I can definitely see this when comparing a field line to deep in the woods but I wouldn't think the difference would be as glaring when comparing yard trees to other yard trees. Some of the ones I notice a difference in come from the same yard.
In most areas the wind has to constantly change because of obstacles. Not only other trees but all the buildings too. In addition, in hilly areas things can change fast. such is Nature.