# Can you burn standing dead tree's ???



## KFC (Jul 14, 2008)

I've got some standing dead oak tree's on my property, how can I tell if they are burnable? Don't know how long they've been dead but the bark is starting to loosen up.


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## gtstang462002 (Jul 14, 2008)

KFC said:


> I've got some standing dead oak tree's on my property, how can I tell if they are burnable? Don't know how long they've been dead but the bark is starting to loosen up.



Cut 'em down and split 'em open... Needs to happen anyhow before they fall on something or someone. If there is moisture in them they need to dry if they split easily and more importantly dry then toss them in the stove.


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## cimalt (Jul 14, 2008)

In my experience standing dead wood is a great burner.
It dries out well without the fear of rot (not lying down).
If the bark is coming off then it has been drying long enough I would say.
Knock her down and burn her up.
Don't leave it too long as they will start to rot from the middle depending on tree and climate!


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## woodbooga (Jul 14, 2008)

What kind of oak? 

If it's red oak, split some rounds to get a sense of moisture content. If the heartwood is a deep marroonish color, it still needs to season. If its a weathered pinkish/salmon color, you're fine.

And of course, there's the unmistakeable smell. Unseasoned red oak has an odor somewhere between Ragu spaghetti sauce and dirty sox. No stink once freshly split means the puey moisture is gone.


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## Mike Van (Jul 14, 2008)

What Treeco said - Most oaks never really dry good till they're split, stacked, & covered on top. [my 2 cents anyway] Maybe some real dry climate would be different, but not in New England.


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## Jkebxjunke (Jul 14, 2008)

"Can you burn standing dead trees?"
only if you cut them down and cut them up to fit in your stove or furnace.. :hmm3grin2orange: 
now if you can fit a whole standing sead tree in your stove... man i would like to see that firebox :jawdrop: 
but seriously... BE VERY CAREFUL CUTTING THEM DOWN..IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. THEY DONT CALL THEM TYPE TREES 'WIDOwMAKERS' FOR NOTHING!!
I am sure there are lots of stories of close calls and worse on here of dead trees/limbs when felling a dead tree...


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## Ductape (Jul 14, 2008)

woodbooga said:


> Unseasoned red oak has an odor somewhere between Ragu spaghetti sauce and dirty sox.




Tonight i'm going to pour a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce into my dirty, sweaty socks just to see if you are right !


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## Jkebxjunke (Jul 14, 2008)

Ductape said:


> Tonight i'm going to pour a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce into my dirty, sweaty socks just to see if you are right !



I can see it later... " WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR SOCKS??? NOW HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THAT OUT ? and where is the last jar of sauce?" 

someone may end up in the dog house LOL:hmm3grin2orange:


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## gtstang462002 (Jul 14, 2008)

Jkebxjunke said:


> I can see it later... " WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR SOCKS??? NOW HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THAT OUT ? and where is the last jar of sauce?"
> 
> someone may end up in the dog house LOL:hmm3grin2orange:



The woodshed probably has a little more headroom....


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## woodbooga (Jul 14, 2008)

Jkebxjunke said:


> I can see it later... " WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR SOCKS??? NOW HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THAT OUT ? and where is the last jar of sauce?"
> 
> someone may end up in the dog house LOL:hmm3grin2orange:



You're probably like a half hour drive from me in the Lakes Region. Lemme know if you're bound for Snoopy's condo and I'll put you up. Plenty of room in the barn. But do yourself a favor first - put on a new pair of sox.


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## Zodiac45 (Jul 14, 2008)

TreeCo said:


> In my experience most standing dead trees still have high moisture levels and could use some drying time after being cut and split.



Absolutely right. Especially oak.


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## KsWoodsMan (Jul 14, 2008)

Ductape said:


> Tonight i'm going to pour a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce into my dirty, sweaty socks just to see if you are right !



Ductape: Hey hon you sure this pizza is OK ? it sorta reminds me of green oak stumps.

His Honey: (While putting away the food processor) Oh dont let that bother you. You know you been out cutting all day and I wanted to fix you something nice for supper. BTW are your feet OK I noticed the stain on your sox but didnt find any snags. hope you like your soc like that I doubt the stains are going to come out. 

Ductape: No. no , I'm OK I just had to try something I read about on AS... ( thinks to himself WoW she found them and didn't even get mad about it. She's being too nice I wonder what's up and when it's going to happen. )


Note to self: remember to destroy the evidence of anthing I try from this site. These guys will get me bagged and laugh at me after it happens. Who could ask for better friends !


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## toddstreeservic (Jul 14, 2008)

be careful not to start a forest fire! And take pictures!


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## husky455rancher (Jul 14, 2008)

i burned all dead trees the first year i had my fireplace. i cut em from my dads land. thats how i learned to cut all dead oaks lol. im still here injury free  just be careful i had some big limbs come crashing down a couple times. did it with the mighty poulan 2150


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## Joshlaugh (Jul 14, 2008)

I think it depends on the species. Tonight I cut down two dead standing elm trees for a friend of the family. Looking at them afterwards, I plan to burn them 1st this coming winter as they seem to be pretty well dried out.

Josh


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## bama (Jul 14, 2008)

TreeCo said:


> In my experience most standing dead trees still have high moisture levels and could use some drying time after being cut and split.



+1

I cut some standing dead elm with no bark on it. It wasn't rotten, but is was dripping wet and smelled like pee. They burned well, but it took a while for them to dry out and the smell never did go away. Dad called it "pi__"(another word for pee) elm.


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## KFC (Jul 15, 2008)

*Dead Oak*

Thanks to all who responded to my question on cutting / burning dead oak. At this time tomorrow I'll be smelling dirty sox or spaghetti sauce.


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## oldchuck (Jul 15, 2008)

KFC said:


> I've got some standing dead oak tree's on my property, how can I tell if they are burnable? Don't know how long they've been dead but the bark is starting to loosen up.



Depends on the tree in my experience. If it is light and wet then no good. If heavy and wet then maybe. If dry and heavy then very good.


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## pdqdl (Jul 15, 2008)

*Dog poop !*



woodbooga said:


> ...
> 
> And of course, there's the unmistakeable smell. Unseasoned red oak has an odor somewhere between Ragu spaghetti sauce and dirty sox. No stink once freshly split means the puey moisture is gone.



I split about 2 cords of red oak a couple of years ago and stacked it under the eave of the house, ...right under the daughters bedroom window, ...during "attic fan season".

My wife was talking harshly ro me about "never do that again, it smells like dog *$!#." I kept reminding her that "NO, it doesn't! It smells like freshly split red oak; it smells great!". 

Somehow, she didn't come around to my point of view. I remain unpopular on that topic to this day. It took until winter for that scent of red oak to not be brought up at least once a week. 

Until then, it never occurred to me that split red oak smelled like anything but red oak.


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## Rocosil (Jul 16, 2008)

pdqdl said:


> "NO, it doesn't! It smells like freshly split red oak; it smells great!". Until then, it never occurred to me that split red oak smelled like anything but red oak.



I couldn't agree more - it smells to me like the best firewood around, at least in these parts. Love the sound of them powder post beetles to.


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## Wood Doctor (Jul 17, 2008)

Oak lasts almost forever if standing dead--up to ten years or more. Last year I cut down three standing dead burr oaks on a friend's property and burned it all. Even the rather punky stuff burned hot. These trees were standing dead in the woods for as long as my friend could remember.

Red elm is another good wood that resists rot off the ground for a long time. Soft maple and birch are about the only common hardwoods I know that dry rot and are practically worthless after about 3 years standing dead. Perhaps as a forum we could make a list of quick dry rotters to avoid. There may not be very many.


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## Mike PA (Jul 18, 2008)

It can really depend on how long the tree has been dead. If the bark is still on but there is rot beneath it, it will need to dry. I've had the best luck with standing oaks that have lost their bark. As long as it hasn't rained recently, they tend to be dry. The bark will hold a lot of moisture in, especially if it is coming off some places and not others. If it is wet, it can still be burned, as it is not as wet as live wood. Split it and let it sit for a month and it will dry.


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