Property right next door to me on the south. Neighbor said I could cut anything that's down. It's a small lot about 2 acre but all wooded. Large red oak that split and one half died and finally fell off. Here's the part I've been working on. It looks pretty ugly but was only hollow for about 7ft. Got 3 of them split and in the small garden trailer and back to the house. Realized I have no where to stack. So switch projects and now I'm scoping new spots for racks and setting up racks before I continue more cutting. Plus there's leaves to do this weekend. I'll try and get some more pics as the day goes.
That' great! Can't beat red oak right next door. I'm sure you'll have a spot for it ASAP. Bring it on home!!
The other half of that one still standing has the same fate for a future. It should/could come down. I'd tag it and ask first though if they only want completely dead removed. Despite being hollow that log looks not too punky. Rain water dries out pretty quick split and stacked. (solid) Ugly oak burns just as nice pretty oak. I had 8 cords of dead standing 2 years ago and 6 the year before that. A little punky and messy but it all sure did burn nice. Better than swamp maple.
Got leaves off the driveway. And started blowing some of the yard. Before that i cleared a couple bushes to extend my firewood rack. Still gotta set up the cinder blocks and 2x. Then I'll be able to continue my scrounge.
The other half is pretty big. I'll have to get a tape around it and get a number. If it comes down naturally it'll go in an 80ft ravine. The tree is healing and looks like it has been for some time. Again I'll have to get more pictures. Some of the ugliest wood burns the best. That's the kind I look for when we go camping. Stuck this one with the moisture meter and it read 17 outside 20 half way through and 28 in the middle. All test were done on the end grain of the 5th cut. As long as you keep it dry the punky outside isn't bad. Just a little messy. I'll split to minimize this though.
The bark can "heal" but once the heartwood is exposed it's like tooth decay it just keeps growing. The wood gets softer starting in the center and then in a good wind storm a crack appears. Sometimes that will "heal " over , but bark doesn't have much for structural support. The other side is probably hollow too. Usually starts with a broken branch or stump rot in oaks. Sometimes the termites or carpenter ants get into it. Wind and decay can take its toll on trees like death of a thousand cuts. If nothing else watch it if you live there long enough.
Amazing ,here birch would be compost inside the bark if on the ground like that Nice looking firewood !
Well not much wood getting happened Sunday. Heck the rack didn't even get set up. Plus the yard looks worse than I started.
Blew the leaves off twice now, doesn't really look like it now, but at least they're not as deep, there is still a lot of oak leaves to come down
Sounds just like my house. Did leaves this last weekend then 2 weeks before that. Blew driveway off tonight by flashlight.
Even a dead standing birch is fast to rot inside with no visible signs Like it has an exoskeleton Dangerous bump or push on it, the top breaks out, Look out below
To my eye, anything that looks that solid is pretty. It's just a bonus when most of the Oak sapwood is already gone. Looks like a nice forest judging from the leaves. I think I see Red, Black and White Oak, and some Sugar Maple and Black Cherry.
I don't know what happened. One minute I'm cutting the red oak on the ground, and next thing you know the rest of the red oak came down. It was a Christmas Miracle for me. :-0
Yes it's a decent woods. Haven't really walked around a bunch yet. You have a good eye for leaves. All of those are out there plus more!! Now that I type this I probably need to walk that property and the check things out. Have permission from the next neighbor over to get in his woods to. So then they all connect. But then I have my dad's arberist friend drop loads off at his house that we both use. There's probably 2-3 cord over that needs to be cut n split. Plus I have this golf course that has probably 2 cord waiting to be picked up. I like being out in the woods though. What's a guy to do?
Yeah, I've got stuff here, there and everywhere that's waiting patiently. Hopefully I'll get in some serious winter work this year, for a change. It's the perfect time to get caught up on this dead/down stuff; No bugs, brush is down so I can see where I'm going in the woods, don't hafta sweat my butt off. But I just haven't been able to get myself out there in years past...this has gotta be the year! I'm ahead pretty well so I'll just grab primo stuff for us. A lot of the Red Oak, White Ash and what-not can go to my in-laws' for them to split and stack. They need to get further ahead.
