Dead tree for firewood?

[JDgreen227]

Back around the fall of '99 a windstorm broke off a black walnut on our property, the trunk was about two feet across at the base. I used a jack to lift it up and put concrete blocks underneath to keep it off the ground. This summer I finally dragged it up to my woodshed and sectioned it up with a chainsaw, after 5 years the wood was still pretty solid under the bark. I gave most of the straight sections to my woodworking buddies and the rest became firewood. It burns GREAT even after the long outdoor exposure.

 

[billbill1]

I got to clean up some old oak that had been laying in the timber for years after a logging operation removed to lumber sections. Oak will get rotten an inch or two from the outside but stay solid in the middle. You can tell when you saw it up, if it's soft all of the way through it's probably no good. It remains heavy to pickup if it's still good. Usually a tree that is standing, even without the bark will be good solid firewood and it's ready to burn as soon as you cut it. I've cut up tons of barkless elm, it's hard to split without a hydraulic splitter but burns OK.

 

[Currmudgeon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( With oaks it is possible since the sapwood may remain long after the center is rotted out. )</font>

Another problem with standing, old hollow trees, is the grain sometimes goes funny, making the stuff difficult to split. It still burns fine, though. It just warms you a couple more times.