I CSS a small (10"dbh, 40 ft) beech today, tipped over last winter, but still alive and wet. How fast does it dry? How does it burn? I'm putting in a stove this Spring to be ready for next Fall burning season and I am desperately trying to CSS as much as possible and trying to focus on the faster drying woods like ash, maple, birch, but I will take any oak that I can get for the 3 yr plan. Whatever. I'll probably have to buy some kiln dried firewood for my first season... Thanks in advance for any input.
We usually like Beech seasoned two years, the Beech I cut has been down or dead so it will season in a year. We like Beech more than any other wood we burn, once I can get back in to cut, Beech is the first I look for.
Thanks for the info. In addition to the green stuff. I got some that was cut 3 yrs ago when the prior owner had the property logged, and has been up off the ground ever since. It's reading 16-18% MC already! Now I just need about 3 cord more of that kind of wood for next winter.
We always have 6 face cord of white pine and hemlock for the shoulder season so we don't burn our better wood. 16-18 percent is great.
Woodlands, just curious, why do you like beech more than sugar or ironwood? I like beech too, but would put it on a par with sugar and inferior (if you can even use that term) to Ironwood.
Cut split and stacked a dead standing (about 10" at the base) last summer. It burned very well in February. Have more in the stacks that was cut green last summer, CSS in February. Will try it in 2 years. I have a lot of beech and this dead standing was a test. Like the burn.
Only because I get more beech down than sugar maple, I like the ironwood but being a smaller tree it would take a chit load of them for us to fill the stacks. We do have about two face cord of ironwood stacked, all damaged from the ice storm. I also like leaving any good ironwood standing so the wildlife can eat the small nutlet.
We burned some two year old ironwood this year, how long do you like yours seasoned. Our first year burning we had a chit load of sugar maple, it's a very good btu thrower.
Beech is a better btu maker than sugar maple. Though sugar maple is only slightly lower than beech btu wise. It sucks to split, and yeah, needs longer than 1 year to season. I like hickory better. But only slightly, and mostly because hickory is easier to split, and I have more hickory. Can't complain about that.
Woodlands, I only take the Ironwood that has fallen. It usually stands dead for quite a few years before it falls, and is always still rock solid when it falls. The tops are definitely ready to burn at that point. Since I keep the trunk in rounds unless the diameter is above about 8 inches, I stack the rounds for a year or two. The splits are ready after about six months normally. Have to admit, I sometimes keep Ironwood rounds for many years. I have one round that is hidden at the bottom of my copper bucket as a last resort safety, and it may stay there my lifetime. I have eight large rounds inside on my rack that have been there over a year, as well as two on the floor to the side of my stove to keep my handicapped brother away from the stove. I have watched them dry further, and crack, and the bark peel off them this winter. They are both about 8 inches. Really tempting to burn them, as I am sure they will burn beautifully. However, we are past the worst of the winter. So, I am considering unloading my rack, putting them at the bottom, and moving two other rounds to the side of the stove for the remainder of the season, which, having just looked at the weather forecast, seem as if it is going to run for another month at least. Single digits again tomorrow night. This year most of my wood was sugar. When I got to the bottom third of my first cord and ran into Ironwood, I moved on to the next cord, to save the Ironwood for next year since I have mostly sugar next year to. So, I ended up burning very little Ironwood this year, mostly small branches, despite the bitter cold. I probably should have gone back to the first stack and used some Ironwood during our worst days, but I had it in my mind to save it for next year, and it didn't even occur to me to modify my plan based on the ridiculous outside temps. Oh, well, if we have a three-peat of the winters during 2015-2016, I'll be ready.
A bit back I bucked & hauled home a few truckloads from a BIG old beech that Sandy pruned badly. I'd read that beech is difficult to split. Not so with that tree. Left it c/s/s covered in the stacks for a couple years- other stuff to burn first. Got to it this year. Very nice, now I'm looking for more. Just don't see much available in these parts though.
I love burning beech and I keep every piece of it I cut......it seems to season quite fast and puts out a pile of heat, lights off quickly, and smells great when burning too. It is a very wet wood when you cut it but seems to dry out pretty quick in our climate here...
Mike, split small you can get by in 2 years with beech but I still like 3 years the best. Some of it can be a bit testy to split and of course lots of it is crooked as some folks I know but it is great firewood.
I find that it season's well in a year also. (css under tin) Suprised to hear the 2 years from some folks. Got a bunch here that's got/getting the bark disease. The only cure for that is to light it on fire .
I just got back from an errand to the post office, to see a big beech being taken down at the end of my street. I'd like to try some of it, but as usual I'm very short on storage space. I walked back to the corner to watch for a while, and it was painful to see them hacking at it with dull chains, taking several seconds to see-saw through a 2" branch. I had to walk away.
