I carved up a massive maple tree here this week (6 foot DBH) and hauled 3+ cords of it here for the wood. They have a huge atlas cedar that hey are taking down as well, and I was wondering if it is any good for firewood. Its a true cedar, not a cypress or thuja like other so-called cedars around here. I can get 2 cords for the cost of cutting and hauling it. No one seems to know what the wood burns like around these parts (like a lot of stuff that I cut and burn from the burbs here).
I have so much hardwood available to me I wouldn't even know if cedar was something worth getting. You don't hear of guys mentioning it too much, let's see what others say.
Cedar dries to near feather-weight, so I'm not sure how much BTU value it has. I would personally get it though just because I love cedar. It'll make your yard smell great
I don't know how the stuff would burn, but I'd get it, split it, stack it, and burn it for sure. I rarely turn down wood. I used to have a disdain for boxelder but have changed my ways. Only thing I don't really think I'd bother with is willow, but if a guy dropped some off here I'd feel obligated to process it
I don't know what variety of ceder I have around here but as someone else said they dry to paper weight. I split and stack them when they are on my own property but I wouldn't bother taking it home. If it is all I had then I would but I have other choices.
I'd grab it just for chits & giggles..... Only thing I wont cut or bring home is Ailanthus & Willow.Everything else i.e pine,cedar,spruce etc is fair game.
Cedar we have around here dries to nothing but I like it. Burned about a 1/4 cord last year. Seasons quick and acts as a good shoulder season and mix in wood for start ups etc. Kinda like white pine. Very clean too, not much bark or rot and no bugs.
Burns very fast and very hot. Love to have it to get a fire started from cold...great for shoulder season too.
Heck if its huge maybe you can grab it and mill it and sell some slabs? Otherwise I would burn it cant beat that smell.
No time for that. Its at an apartment complex and they want it gone ASAP! Its also all crotch wood with swirled grain. I would guess that it is 80 years old and maybe 100. It would be great for slabbing, but I have not interest in that. One guy there wanted me to cut off a 2 ton chunk for a chainsaw carving. No way to hoist or haul that for carving. Its gonna be medium density firewood.
I do not have a mill, and I do not have any means to hoist or haul multi ton wood logs, nor a place to store stacked and stickered wood, nor anything to do with slabs. Nor do I have the time or inclination. I am a firewood ho... I stash it and burn it. Cedars come in a lot of different types. What most people refer to as cedar here in the states is eastern and western red cedar (which is pretty much the same species). They are thuja. Completely different genus. Atlas cedar is a true cedar, in the genus cedrus, and comes from the middle east and is different than what we call cedar here in the US, which are all pretty much either in the genus cypress or thuja. I burned a cord of western red cedar last year and it was OK for shoulder season. Light. I am burning Leyland cypress now, and the stuff that is not pithy or rotted is pretty dense and burns hot and long. About like doug fir, but it has a lot more ash. The wood species I do not go after are cottonwood/poplar/aspen, Tree of Heaven, willow, sycamore, white pine, and birch. Birch because of you do not split it here and keep it dry, it will just rot. They told me this Atlas cedar was a fir at first, and now they are calling it a pine.They have not a clue these Mexican tree butchers. I just nod and say, 'bueno'. They are climbing with a 660 with a 36 inch bar to cut the tops off that are about a foot in diameter. Yesterday they were smacking the roof of the neighbor's house with limbs. I was just cringing while carving up the maple.
I guess I will get a cord of it and leave the rest for the other wood scrounges. It has a unique smell to it. Not like any other cedars I have cut.
I took your advice before reading it. Western mental telepathy. I went back and no one was there, so I filled my truck and trailer with all the better and easy to cut stuff. Then a guy showed up with a big metal quad tire trailer and I said he could have the rest. It was all big 4 ft. diameter crotch rounds. He only had a 261, poor sod. He was cutting rounds the hardest way, so I took pity while straightening up my trailer load. I gave him a 5 minute lesson on how to noodle up rounds. He was grateful.
