Huge oak fell!

[Larry Caldwell]

Larry, do you think that is from the bark? I'm asking because of a recent visit from a vendor who installed an upgraded wood stove insert in my fireplace.

I told him we only burn oak and madrone; he said it was OK to burn pine just don't burn the pine bark. He said "all" the pitch in pine is in the bark, so if you don't burn the bark you don't have the creosote problem in the flue. Never heard of that before.

We talked about madrone having virtually no ash or residue. He said it is because it has almost no bark.

No, I am burning oak that was down 2 years before I cut it up. All the bark fell off, but I still have to shovel out the stove every couple days. I should have cut more madrone, but the oak was laying on the ground...

Madrone (arbutus menziasii) is the premium firewood. Lights easy, burns hot, leaves a good coal with little ash, and is clean to handle with no moss, bugs, or bark. It also grows like a freaking weed, so there is no shortage. I have reformed my ways and am cutting madrone this winter.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm surprised that Cottonwood lasted as long as it did. It was a clump of small trees growing together.

 

[Jstpssng]

Never heard a sound when it fell, weird because about 400 ft downhill from house.
Made really big holes in ground.

You may have just answered that age old question about a tree falling in the forest with nobody around to hear it...

 

[jmc]

You may have just answered that age old question about a tree falling in the forest with nobody around to hear it...

And its corollary, "If you make a decision and your wife is not there, are you still wrong?"

 

[Fuddy1952]

I'm all tuckered out!
Dad & I used to cut & split lots of wood for his Fisher momma bear stove. It sits out in their dining room, through a steel plate (about 4ft square) covering fireplace. Years ago I put a vent above stove with a 5" quiet "Boxer" fan in 6" flue pipe that goes through a utility room (we insulated pipe) to another vent in wall opposite stairwell. That works great blowing warm air to upstairs bedrooms.
Dad had the chimney lined years ago and of course his favorite was hardwood but he said if it burns I'll burn it.
A chimney sweep cleaned chimney every year $65, he'd remove that steel plate bolts and vacuum it out after brushing chimney.
Lots of times visiting them I'd fall asleep by the stove.

 

[plowhog]

Madrone (arbutus menziasii) is the premium firewood.

Here's a pix of a void in a large madrone on my property. Last winter part of it split away-- revealing the void in the center. I got about 2 1/2 cords of firewood from the part that split off.

The measuring tape is locked at 30". Would probably be out to about 48" if the tree was still intact.

 

[ponytug]

One heck of a madrone!

 

[Fuddy1952]

Never heard of madrone, probably because I'm on East coast, nice learning new things.
It's a pretty tree.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Never heard of madrone, probably because I'm on East coast, nice learning new things.
It's a pretty tree.

Coppices like a bandit too. Whack it to the ground, wait 5 years, and you will have a madrone thicket. They are almost impossible to kill. Hack and squirt is the only way to get rid of them, or dumping gallons of herbicide from a helicopter. It's a broadleaf evergreen with deciduous bark.

 

[ovrszd]

Coppices like a bandit too. Whack it to the ground, wait 5 years, and you will have a madrone thicket. They are almost impossible to kill. Hack and squirt is the only way to get rid of them, or dumping gallons of herbicide from a helicopter. It's a broadleaf evergreen with deciduous bark.

Sounds like Honey Locust here in Missouri. I cleared a short fence line of old Honey Locust trees 10 years ago. Every Spring new shoots come up from the root system of those removed stumps. I can show you the size of the root system by where the shoots pop up. I fight Honey Locust all the time.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Only invasive thing we have here is privet, poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, wild grape, honeysuckle, poke berry, thistle, chickweed, periwinkle, johnson grass, assorted ivys, knotweed, bamboo, crabgrass, locust, paradise, and about 100 other things.

 

[MossRoad]

Only invasive thing we have here is privet, poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, wild grape, honeysuckle, poke berry, thistle, chickweed, periwinkle, johnson grass, assorted ivys, knotweed, bamboo, crabgrass, locust, paradise, and about 100 other things.

Sounds like a nature preserve.

 

[plowhog]

No, I am burning oak that was down 2 years before I cut it up. All the bark fell off,

Not sure if you do this or not.

I save all the oak bark when I split wood. Then use it in my BBQ for meat-- gives a great smoky flavor to whatever you cook ...

 

[riptides]

Only invasive thing we have here is privet, poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, wild grape, honeysuckle, poke berry, thistle, chickweed, periwinkle, johnson grass, assorted ivys, knotweed, bamboo, crabgrass, locust, paradise, and about 100 other things.

You forgot to mention Bradford pears and their off-shoots. LOL.

 

[LD1]

Not sure if you do this or not.

I save all the oak bark when I split wood. Then use it in my BBQ for meat-- gives a great smoky flavor to whatever you cook ...

Never used oak....and most the other "smoking" woods....bark isnt really desirable.

Having burned alot of oak....it doesnt seem too aromatic for me to want to try and smoke meat with. My go-to's are apple and cherry.

 

[plowhog]

My go-to's are apple and cherry.

I have some mature/downed apple trees I am cleaning up right now. So I will give that a try.

But if you feel like it, give 100% oak bark a try in place of bbq briquets. I think you will like it.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Not sure if you do this or not.

I save all the oak bark when I split wood. Then use it in my BBQ for meat-- gives a great smoky flavor to whatever you cook ...

Oak pit BBQ is one of my favorite flavors.

 

[LD1]

I have some mature/downed apple trees I am cleaning up right now. So I will give that a try.

But if you feel like it, give 100% oak bark a try in place of bbq briquets. I think you will like it.

Might have to try that but the majority of oak around here that I have access to is either red oak or pin oak. Both have a very thin bark

 

[riptides]

Never used oak....and most the other "smoking" woods....bark isnt really desirable.

Having burned alot of oak....it doesnt seem too aromatic for me to want to try and smoke meat with. My go-to's are apple and cherry.

Or pear. LOL. (see earlier reply)...

Great for pork.

 

[Oaktree]

You may have just answered that age old question about a tree falling in the forest with nobody around to hear it...

Well, at least I got your original joke.

Madrone (arbutus menziasii) is the premium firewood. Lights easy, burns hot, leaves a good coal with little ash, and is clean to handle with no moss, bugs, or bark. It also grows like a freaking weed, so there is no shortage. I have reformed my ways and am cutting madrone this winter.

Is it something that's very regional to your area? Never heard of it before, never even seen it on any those lists that rank firewood (of which usually 2/3 is stuff that doesn't grow around here).