We Have a New Wood Burning Stove

[MossRoad]

Hey Moss...I too am forever worried about having enough wood to last the season. I know a bunch of guys around here that hold off on burning until after Thanksgiving. I know you have a new stove and probably wanted to fire it up ASAP but just wanted to suggest that maybe next year hold off on that first fire.

Then again, if you have an unending supply, burn away!

I have an endless supply of wood and a limited supply of money!

However, most of my wood is still standing. I will be knocking it down in the next few weeks and get it ready for next year. This year, I am buying wood for 30-40 dollars a load. Just this morning I got over a cord of oak, split and seasoned, for 40 bucks. Can't hardly cut it, drag it out of the woods, saw it ans split is for that on my own.

 

[Egon]

I have an endless supply of wood

My apologies for digressing but seeing the above statment made me wonder: What type of trees and how much land would it take to produce say four cords of wood per year if the land was "farmed" for firewood?

Maybe instead of four cords an equivalent poundage of wood should be used but I'm not sure how to get at this number.

 

[MossRoad]

Good question, Egon. I do not know.

We have 20 acres, of which 10 acres have an established forest of black locust, maples, oaks and cherry. The locust was apparently planted many years ago as an erosion control project. It worked! The forester estimated 20,000 trees in that 10 acre plot. The back half is where most of the locust are. They range in size from sapling to 12-16" diameter and height of 50+ feet. Really tall, straight trees. If you cut them down, they regrow from the stump quickly. If you disturb the soil, they sprout from the roots. One of the local state parks planted a few acres as a "firewood factory" for their cabins.

As we use this stove, I will try to keep track of my usage, the amount of trees that we cut, how fast they regenerate, etc... but I am not going to cut the oaks, cherry or maples. The locust seems to be "the" crop for firewood in there, as I will not have to split much of it at all. And after all, I am lazy.

 

[DennisArrow]

Locust, if your climate will let it grow properly, is the best bang for the BTU buck. It burns hot, long, and with very little ash. As pointed out above, it's reproductive qualities make it pretty much self-sustaining. 5 acres with a tree each 10 feet will produce a lifetime of firewood for generations within 5 years of planting..........Dennis

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Moss,
I stumbled on a real bonanza today. The farmer just up the road from me had a good sized oak come down and on its way down it took out a beech tree. I asked him if I could have all of it and he said why not ! I have never burned beech before, I know its a very hard wood used sometimes for upper end wood working bench tops. I would think it seasons normally but dont know for sure ! This is down near my Ct home and there isnt much open farm land left in this neck of the woods, so i jumped on it !

I have plenty of wood on the Vt property but thats 178 miles away unfortunately !

 

[MossRoad]

Locust, if your climate will let it grow properly, is the best bang for the BTU buck. It burns hot, long, and with very little ash. As pointed out above, it's reproductive qualities make it pretty much self-sustaining. 5 acres with a tree each 10 feet will produce a lifetime of firewood for generations within 5 years of planting..........Dennis

That's encouraging. Thanks.

 

[MossRoad]

Good Afternoon Moss,
I stumbled on a real bonanza today. The farmer just up the road from me had a good sized oak come down and on its way down it took out a beech tree. I asked him if I could have all of it and he said why not ! I have never burned beech before, I know its a very hard wood used sometimes for upper end wood working bench tops. I would think it seasons normally but dont know for sure ! This is down near my Ct home and there isnt much open farm land left in this neck of the woods, so i jumped on it !

I have plenty of wood on the Vt property but thats 178 miles away unfortunately !

Can't beat free wood!

 

[escavader]

MOSS,
I was once told by a forester ,that a well managed small wood lot ,here in MAINE ,would grow a cord per year per acre.SO if you had a nice hardwood forest ,and you took care of it ,weeding out dead trees,softwoods etc ,an acre would grow 4 cord in 4 years.Having managed my own small woodlot for 8 years now ,i think he was about right.The section i cut in year one ,has grown back alot.Icut all the softwood ,kept the desired species[maple,oak,beech,ash]thinned it out for sunlite to get in and trees to grow,and didnt cut any"keeper" trees less than 6 inchs .Inoticed this year most of the trees are much fuller and taller,and are about 8 inches now.Using these techniques you have enough wood in them 10 acres for a lifetime of free wood easily.
ALAN

 

[MossRoad]

We had a 4 acre field planted with alternating rows of pines and mixed hardwoods in 1990. The pines are now 35' tall and over a foot at the base. The hardwoods are stretching up between them reaching for the sun and are nice and straight, but still only about 6" at chest level. Probably harvest them for veneer lumber in about, oh,... 40 more years.

We have a plan from the forester and that includes thinning the locust for desired species... in this case, more locust for firewood.

We will keep the maples up front and the oaks. I will probably thin out most of the cherries as they are a couple feet in diameter and starting to fall in the storms, meaning they are nearing the end of their life anyway, and they are so big they crowd out any small trees that try to come up underneath them.

 

[scott_vt]

I will probably thin out most of the cherries as they are a couple feet in diameter and starting to fall in the storms, meaning they are nearing the end of their life anyway, and they are so big they crowd out any small trees that try to come up underneath them.

Good Evenin Moss,
I see beautiful cherry planks all stacked in a row !
And beautiful custom built furniture !

MOSS,
I was once told by a forester ,that a well managed small wood lot ,here in MAINE ,would grow a cord per year per acre.SO if you had a nice hardwood forest ,and you took care of it ,weeding out dead trees,softwoods etc ,an acre would grow 4 cord in 4 years.Having managed my own small woodlot for 8 years now ,i think he was about right.The section i cut in year one ,has grown back alot.Icut all the softwood ,kept the desired species[maple,oak,beech,ash]thinned it out for sunlite to get in and trees to grow,and didnt cut any"keeper" trees less than 6 inchs .Inoticed this year most of the trees are much fuller and taller,and are about 8 inches now.Using these techniques you have enough wood in them 10 acres for a lifetime of free wood easily.
ALAN

Good Evenin Alan,
I often felt that I could keep myself going in firewood supply with what I have growing around my hedgerows. And I have a bit of woods that I own up behind me, plus whatever I could scrounge from my Vt neighbors ! I like the open fields out in front of me but it doesnt heat the house !