We use shoulder season wood, it's just another way of trying to keep our property somewhat clean after Mother Nature or the bugs knock down or kill a tree. We've used Bigtooth Aspen, Hemlock and White Pine for shoulder season wood. We have the room so it makes the decision easier, we usually keep 12 face cord stacked which covers two years worth for us since we heat from the basement. I did see a post that a member burns a pellet stove early on when it's not that cold, we do the opposite. We burn our shoulder season wood early in the fall and the pellet stove with the wood stove when it's really cold.
Same my processing area is probably 2 acres. Was a deciding factor on home purchase enough room outside. only down side is that 2 acres is majority of flat on property
Well, I don't go looking for it but sometimes it just finds me. For example; I cut a large silver maple for a friend and he gave me all the wood. He even hauled most of it to my place. Now I have about a cord of it. It just wouldn't nice to say no to a friend who even hauls wood for you.
I have a lot of odd ball pieces and if they do not fit into the stacks no matter what part of the tree, it gets used for shoulder season. My cord wood is for winter. But we all have different ways of doing things.
Others have said the same, but “shoulder” wood generally seasons quicker. As I was getting up to my three year plan it was important to have faster drying wood, and I actively sought it out. And, I still ran out of dry wood last winter waiting on the red, white (oak) and black to dry. I think I am good for this winter, and certainly for next, so I can refill with higher btu as I go. Also, I enjoy throwing a spilts of cherry on the coals for the grill.. so I don’t turn cherry down.
I'll put up SS wood because it seasons quickly. Now that my wood shed is well under way, I might gather less SS wood, but the problem with only having 19+ mbtu a cord wood is that you'll get chooched out of the house with 80+° temps of you don't burn the 14-17 mbtu a cord wood when you only need a fire to take the chill off in Spring and Fall. If my house gets over 73-75 in the heating months, I'll hear about it.
I wish I was on the 3 year plan ( or even 1 year). I am the guy you all shake your head at cutting a load of wood in the winter and right to the stove it goes (OWB, not a inside stove). This year is the first year I have had wood stacked over the summer to dry out. But in the summer I work sun up to sun down, will have clocked in around 70 hours this week after I get done with work tomorrow. So winter is about the only time I have time to cut wood. And normally its its about 10 cords a year, all cut and hauled out of the woods by my self. Last year was the first year I got a load of logs in (and man was that nice lol). So I cut and burn anything, elm, oak, poplar, birch, even weed brush like buckthorn if it is over 2in dia. Ect ect. Though after joining and hanging around this site I am trying to get better and get my stock pile up, I'm trying I'm trying!
I’m still working on building up A supply of stacks, so I’m willing to burn anything too. My friend offered me some tulip and I will accept if I can transport it. I ran out last year and then had a busy spring so I’m buying seasoned wood very soon for this coming season and processing and putting up my gathered wood in the cooler months. Once I’m on a three year lead time or more, I can be more picky, but right now I just sort it and once I split it will be in piles roughly by species or properties.
Lost the resource that gave me the luxury of being picky and a place to store it. Now it is a lot more of taking what's available. Recently got a offer from a neighbor to take as much of the silver maple and ash they had taken down. Also to let me take it at my leisure. There is a ton of both. Never have burned any silver maple. As Ralphie Boy has touched on it just wouldn't be nice to say no. Have burned a lot of cherry though with no complaints.
Up until now, I’ve never burned soft. But last winter was convinced that’s ok to do so if seasoned. So I started a SS hoard. Not because that’s what should be burned in the shoulder season. Instead, to take advantage of easy picking and even free delivery. I’ve got a couple cord of cedar and white pine getting ready for the 20/21 season. Fella I do saw work for asked me if i wanted any Hemlock the other day. Yes Please. He backed in and dropped a load in the process area. That’s easy Split it this morning.
I guess the bigger question is this.. What is SS wood to you? For me it's anything that is not high BTU. So elm, soft maple, cherry, box elder, pine, poplar, basswood, etc. Elm is definitely at the high end of SS wood at 19 mbtu a cord. I save the high bTU wood ( locust, hickory, oak, sugar maple etc ) for when its really cold. The colder it is outside, the higher the BTU wood i burn. With winter's apparently seeming to have a drawn our SS, I go through more lower BTU wood and that allows my high BTU stuff to sit even longer. Then again, there's so any dead ash trees around here that I could process those all day, every day. It's a great wood for burning, but those nights when you just need to knock the chill out of the air, ash is just too much and burns too long. I'd rather have box elder, pine, or basswood then, because those species really dry quickly.
Agree, in April often fill stove with box elder with 2 pieces of Ash on top. Just so I have coals for an easy re start.
