Disposal of dead tree???

[marks]

Unfortunately we’ve had an infestation of a bark beetle that has killed numerous pine trees. During the past year I’ve taken down three 80’ trees, and now have all this wood to dispose of. Since no one responded to the newspaper ad for Free Firewood, I’m searching for ideas on how to best get rid of it. My only thought, short of hauling it to the dump and paying $50 per ton, is to pile it in a remote corner of the nine-acre parcel and letting the termites and nature do its thing. However the draw back to this idea is the thought providing another habitat for termites, snakes and the like. What do you guys think?

 

[HammerFour]

Wait until the rainy season, get a fire permit if needed and then light it up?

Leaving a brush pile is good from a nature point of view, having some shelter promotes the growth of all kinds of wildlife.

I do a little of both, some brush piles are burned, some are left where they formed.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Well, pine doesn't make very good fire wood. It burns fast and soots up the chimney.

However, quality pine is a very nice woodworking wood -- depending on the variety -- and a local portable sawmill guy may be willing to saw it up for you. Makes good siding, construction lumber, floor boards etc.

Cliff

 

[Highbeam]

I assume you can't just burn it? I burned lots of big trunks this weekend that would have made firewood.

Noone wants them for free, you can't burn them. Little choice but to either let them rot on site, bury them, or have a large chipper come out and grind them up. There are some mighty impressive chippers out there.

 

[AKfish]

If you chip it; you've still gotta get rid of all the chips! I've been burning and burying --- depending upon the season and how dry things are. Yup, up here and living 14 miles from the nearest town you need a burn permit! Whenever a fire gets a little out of hand... the forestry guys have to come out and they wanna know who's gonna fess up for the helicopter and bomber charges! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

It takes forever for anything to break down and disappear in Alaska -- so, it's burn or bury.

 

[NewToy]

I imagine Cali has lots of regulations on open fires? If not just torch them, have a kegger and some friends over and watch it burn.

John

 

[Highbeam]

Chips would rot sooner and can be spread thinner than a pile of logs. After spreading them over the property you wouldn't know you ever had them. Also, you could till them in or disc them in as a soil ammendment.

All this assumes you don't mind having the wood around that was infected with something that killed the tree. I would want to be certain that it isn't the kind of thing that will kill all the trees unless you burn it.

Burn permits in Alaska? That's nuts. Surely you are allowed a smaller unpermitted fire.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I imagine Cali has lots of regulations on open fires? If not just torch them, have a kegger and some friends over and watch it burn.

John )</font>


Or if regulations in your state forbid open fires that are set on purpose, then it might accidently catch fire /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RobertN]

Burn piles in Calif can be 4x4x4', yard waste only, in season only. Larger piles take special permits. Many jursidictions do not allow burn piles.

Part of the burn regulation and restriction is in place by CDF and local agencies. Another factor, the Air Resource Board controls a lot of burn issues, do to smoke and pollution issues. They'll shut down burning for air quality issues.

A good start point is the CDF Home Page