# How many cords in this tree?



## trek5900 (Jan 11, 2009)

I recently bucked a wind blown hard maple into fire wood. At the base it was 24 inches in diameter. It was 52 feet long, tapering to 11 inches. I used the weight of wood charts posted elsewhere on AS to figure the weight of some of the 16 inch rounds that I had cut. I am guessing at just short of a cord. I figured the volume of the biggest round which was 24 inches in diameter and 16 inches long and the volume of the smallest round which was 16 inches long and 11 inches in diameter and averaged those two figures. That figure was 2.45 cubic feet per round on average. I had cut 42 rounds. That would equal about 102 cubic feet of firewood. A cord is 128 cubic feet.

I don't plan on stacking it to see. 
With the tree top added in I think there would be over a cord.

Any math people on here have an insight on how to figure the volume/cords in that tree?

Thanks


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## Mikecutstrees (Jan 11, 2009)

I'd say 1/2 to 3/4 of a cord. thats what a tree like that usually yields for me..... Mike


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## ray benson (Jan 11, 2009)

I used an online calculator and came up with 95 cu. ft.
A cord is 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. containing approximately 128 cubic feet of bark, wood and air space. Air space can actually be as high as 40 percent but usually averages 25 percent
So a cord( 128cu. ft.) with 25% air space would be about 96 cu. ft. of solid wood. So your tree should be dang close to a cord once it is split and stacked.


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## trek5900 (Jan 11, 2009)

ray benson said:


> I used an online calculator and came up with 95 cu. ft.
> A cord is 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. containing approximately 128 cubic feet of bark, wood and air space. Air space can actually be as high as 40 percent but usually averages 25 percent
> So a cord( 128cu. ft.) with 25% air space would be about 96 cu. ft. of solid wood. So your tree should be dang close to a cord once it is split and stacked.



That was my best guess too.

Would you mind linking the online calculator?

Thanks


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## chainsawaddict (Jan 11, 2009)

before or after you split it???  


sorry couldnt resist.


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## trek5900 (Jan 11, 2009)

chainsawaddict said:


> before or after you split it???
> 
> 
> sorry couldnt resist.



I cut and split this before I got a 361. If i had the 361 it would have figured the cords split and unsplit. Right down to the nearest tenth of a cord.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Jan 11, 2009)

trek5900 said:


> Right down to the nearest tenth of a cord.



Mine goes down the the hundredth of a cord... :greenchainsaw:


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## ray benson (Jan 11, 2009)

The calculator wasn't working but this was a cached page which works.
http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=...s/vol/cone.html&d=NbKD1EfiSAcq&icp=1&.intl=us


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## johnha (Jan 12, 2009)

ray benson said:


> A cord is 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft....



So my 2' high, 2' deep, and 32' long isn't a cord?


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## projectsho89 (Jan 12, 2009)

johnha said:


> So my 2' high, 2' deep, and 32' long isn't a cord?



A cord is defined as 128 cu ft. Doesn't matter how you get there....


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## clawmute (Jan 12, 2009)

For relatively straight tapers you can add the large end diameter to the small end diameter and divide by 2 for an average. If the tree does something different then you can get the diameter at several places and come up with an average. It always works out to pretty accurate.

For this tree;

(24 + 11)/2 = 17.5" avg. dia.

(17.5/12)(17.5/12).7854 = 1.67 square feet, average cross sectional area

1.67(52) = 86.9 cubic feet

assume 25% voids if stacked 1.25(86.9) = 109 cubic feet

109/128 = .85 or 85% of a cord, about 2 1/2 face cords, +/- of course.

Anyhow thats the way I do it when calculating wood storage under log cranes or the trees I fell.


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## KsWoodsMan (Jan 12, 2009)

There is a chart on this PDF that gives a fair estimate of how trees of varying DBH you will have to cut to come up with a cord of firewood. I have found the information there useful several times. Also has an easy to read BTU chart for different wood.


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## trek5900 (Jan 12, 2009)

clawmute said:


> For relatively straight tapers you can add the large end diameter to the small end diameter and divide by 2 for an average. If the tree does something different then you can get the diameter at several places and come up with an average. It always works out to pretty accurate.
> 
> For this tree;
> 
> ...



Makes perfect sense to me. That was my line of thinking. I appreciate your taking the time with this.


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## trek5900 (Jan 12, 2009)

KsWoodsMan said:


> There is a chart on this PDF that gives a fair estimate of how trees of varying DBH you will have to cut to come up with a cord of firewood. I have found the information there useful several times. Also has an easy to read BTU chart for different wood.



I downloaded and read this file and saved it in My Documents. I think it will come in handy. 

Thanks for the information.


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## Brushwacker (Jan 12, 2009)

trek5900 said:


> I am guessing at just short of a cord.



I believe it will make better then a cord easy, split and normally stacked.
Roughly most of my 60+ cc saws when their good and sharp cut close to 1/3 cord per tank, (16").I usually estimate an 15" breast high tree about 1/3 cord and as diameter gets bigger volume increases very significant. Usually I'm not far off on my figures.


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