A round the size in the picture?? … if it’s a standing dead elm it’ll be good when it hits the ground. An elm or hackberry that size that was taken alive I’ll split in half and give the hackberry about a year of dry time and the elm 2 years. Just my experience with my 2 most readily available species, ymmv.
Over 4" i split in half. Under that i leave round. If i happen to harvest a whole tree i take down to 3". Put them in your 3 year rotation and you'll be fine.
I've gotten access to a LOT of tree tops this year, this discussion will help me better decide what size to split. I'll be splitting a lot of thick branches, most will be 1 or 2 split size, but there will be a lot of limb sizes to grab as well. Limb sizes serve a good purpose for the stove. Fortunately I'm about 4 years ahead at this point, so I have the time to let the larger limbs sit, within reason. Most of what's available is white oak, shingle oak, and some hickory. From what I've read shingle oak takes as long to season as white oak, possibly longer.
White oak seasoning. Been thinking about that title. White oak is a very good seasoning Bourbon Oak Barrel » How It's Used for Aging Whiskey
Enjoyed the video and article explaining the why and how of white oak for bourbon. I've wondered how the barrels are made. I enjoy sipping bourbon, after a day of cutting white oak, I've got the craving. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is on my to do list. The same characteristics that make white oak good for barrels is also what makes it good for building ships.
Even fresh cut wood if burned down to coals will give you that! We used to burn slabs at the sawmill and even fresh cut cottonwood will give you a hot fire.
I didn't take the moisture meter to it, but it still had a high count. Just needed a little more seasoning.
A lot of oak barrels are made in Lebanon, MO right off I44. I split everything if it's for firewood. The bark and cambrian? layer trap alot of moisture in the wood. Big pieces get the bark and about an inch, inch and a half split off so the heart wood is all open to the air. Old rule of thumb I was told growing up in MO is a year per inch to age oak. i.e. every inch from a split surface needs a year to dry. So you only measure from an exposed surface to the middle. I split a lot of oak into roughly 4x4 pieces. It will dry faster. It's easier for my wife and kids to handle when I'm not home. It will burn faster in the stove too. I keep a few pieces bigger for overnight burns during the cold of winter.
