Great, Im out of wood. and its still cold

[SWI Don]

I started out this year really short on wood and knew it was going to be close. I have sawn a lot of dead elm, some dead oak, and a couple of standing dead silver maples to stretch out what I had.

Good luck finding some wood.

Don

 

[JBinKC]

I am very low on wood also with about a face cord in inventory. I have a storage constraint at my house which I can hold 2 1/2 cords tops, a portion of the pile was ice covered and tarp frozen solid for a month which hasn't happened in the Ozarks for decades and the weather hasn't complied often to gather deadfall that is off the ground which is still damp from the ice and snow.

I have burnt more wood at this juncture already this year than all of last year.

 

[Mkarlson]

I've not done it myself but two local farmers cut and split osage orange (hedge) as they need it in the winter. They say it burns good similiar to seasoned hedge. Last year we had a late season cold snap after it had been warm for a week or so and one of them tried it and it wouldnt burn worth crap. I'm assuming when the sap is down below it will burn and when its up or moving up it wont burn green. Cant hurt to try if you have a little time and access to hedge might be the answer to your wood emergency.

 

[Shipper50]

Pretty good guess, the cordwood calculator said that 3 of those would be 1.02 cords.

Ian

Thank you for the calculator. It makes figuring out things much easier. I learn something on this board everyday and that is a good thing:hmm3grin2orange:

Shipper

 

[Peacock]

I've not done it myself but two local farmers cut and split osage orange (hedge) as they need it in the winter. They say it burns good similiar to seasoned hedge. Last year we had a late season cold snap after it had been warm for a week or so and one of them tried it and it wouldnt burn worth crap. I'm assuming when the sap is down below it will burn and when its up or moving up it wont burn green. Cant hurt to try if you have a little time and access to hedge might be the answer to your wood emergency.

Hedge is one of only a few woods that will burn very well when green. Doesn't matter if it is still wet or if it spent 10 years sitting in the mud.

White ash is also very good to burn when green. Though is does deteriorate pretty quickly.

 

[Leebo]

I'm good for this year. I've got 3 1/2 cords of Red Oak split, stacked and seasoned a year and another 2 cords or so in rounds ready to be split this spring. I've gone through 2 cords in a Hearthstone Mansfield heating a 1850 SF 2 year old house about 90% with 10% propane in a 95% efficient furnance. Weather looks like it will break next week...they are calling for highs in the mid 40's.

 

[logbutcher]

Running Out ? Cut or Scrounge Now.

OK. You want to heat with wood 100% ? It's time to get wood now for next season. Don't feel bad or dumb--it took us years in the 70's to figure out how :looser: to get enough firewood for each heating winter . A very big "DUH".
Around here in Downeast Maine, winter is the best time to harvest firewood. Frozen and snowy ground makes it easier to get around boggy areas in woodlots. Cold temps make it easier to do the work felling, bucking, hauling, piling the cuts for spliting and stacking later in the season. In below zero or single F temps you get warm fast.
We're shamed by 80-something neighbors who cut ALL year, every year for their heating AND cooking wood. And, they use softwoods --spruce and fir here--for cooking on a 100+ year-old cook stove.
If you have to buy wood, get it green now or early spring when the clearing and loggers want to sell or get rid of it. Ask town workers, arborists, developers, foresters, real estate people.....you get it. Get the word out that you need firewood. After awhile people will beg you to take or cut unwanted wood. Most people do not want to do the work. JMHO :hmm3grin2orange: Scrounge on weekends with the pickup. 10-15 loads should get you enough over the year.

 

[aarcuda]

well last night it was 17 degrees. the heatpump couldnt keep up and the heatstrips kicked in. I wasnt amused. Im going out this week looking for anything I can. I have a friend in construction so hopefully, I can grab his scraps. Thanks for the tips. ya, I know, poor planning. I guess I was thinking that I had enough- this is the second year with this house and stove. And the first year Ive tried to heat using just the stove.

 

[wdchuck]

Getting a little thin here as well, had 5chords planned for the winter but one cord was limbwood, 2-3" stuff, so it went quick. With this three week cold snap we are well into the oak savings pile, and the 5 split/stacked cords for next year and the 3cords for 08/09 aren't ready for burning yet.

There are some dead standing elms, no bark, well checked that can come down, that will probably be enough to get us through to the end of March.

October and April are crapshoots on heating with wood, if it's in the 50's we just use the gas furnace to take the chill out.

Besides, getting 5+ cords of FREE wood each year is one thing but 7+is a bit of a stretch. Buying it from the tree guys by the truckload of stems is an option, if we get short on time that will be nest cheapest way to go. $300 for 5-7 cords in log form dropped where you want it, no premium wood though.

 

[okietreedude1]

Last winter i was giving away wood of species I didnt want to keep for various reasons (elm, pine, sycamore, silvermaple, cottonwood) - unsplit of course. well, I ran out of wood to sell about 3 weeks ago. I think this yr im keeping everything. I might still give a little away, but not nearly as much. I also stumbled across a guy that heats a welding shop so he doesnt care about the kind of wood, so as it burns.

I have burned about 3 ricks this yr. Not trying to heat a house.

 

[sredlin]

I try and cut wood or scrounge for it all year long and seem to have pile here and there that can be used in an emergency until it can be stacked better. Last weekend I went out at -5F and cut up a dead standing elm and hand split for a few hours just to get out of the house. It was quite peaceful outside and no emergency to find heating wood but I ended up with enough to heat the house for a week and preserved some of the wood I already have. Just have to work it when heating with wood. I enjoy busting it up so it is sort of relaxing.

 

[goof008]

I'm out except for the knalry scraps. I've been dipping into the rounds I have set for next year. They were standing dead Ash, so they are plenty dry, I just hate using wood I set aside for next year...guess I'll be busy this spring/summer!

 

[turnkey4099]

Down to a couple armfuls in the porch. Gotta get off here sometime and haul in some from the shed. Had spell of around 0 a few weeks back and my 'ready' supply shrank like a snowbank in firestorm. Still have about 2 full cord in the shed and 20 plus in the outside piles.

It's pretty springlike out today, supposed to be in the 50s and sunny (is currently). I just hope the swamp between the porch and the shed will be a bit dry for the wood cart.

Harry K

 

[wahoowad]

I'm running out too. I'm down to my dregs - stuff I scrounged up in the dark one trip before I realized what crappy wood it is (alyanthus?). Well, it's keeping me warm tonight! I need to find some dry treetops.

 

[Millman]

I'm so confused!!!!

Sorry for the confusion. I was thinking the length of my stacks and not cord length. I burn about 4 feet a week or 1/2 a face. My stacks are 12feet long by 4ft high and 16" wide. I have a Avalon Rainer and heat just the downstairs and part of the upstairs if the heat decides to go up the stairs. No heat runs up there.

Millman

May I ask what brand of woodburner you have? Okay, What brand of would burner do you have?

I have a Silent Flame Wood Hog ( Okay I added the "Wood Hog" part on). Does okay in mild weather, but when it's cold, it drinks those "Quarts" of wood. I am heating 3500 sq. ft. including the basement where the stove is located.

 

[1CallLandscape]

Burn them pallets

Find a local pallet place or lumberyard etc. Most give away pallets for free. I get them all the time to stack firewood on. Most should be dry, and many are hardwood, even oak.

Good luck

I had si simalar predicament 3 years ago. i burned old oak pallets for a whole winter. nails and all. they are a pain to cut up but provide FREE awesome heat. i scavenged them at local loading docks and fish piers

 

[Firestarter]

I'm running low to i got about 3 days left in the shed. My wood pile is under about a 2 ft snow drift. I put a tarp on it before the snow. but i cant get to it right now. but the temps are to suppose to be in the 40's next week so maybe that will melt enough to get to my pile.

 

[Gark]

Have used more wood here than any previous winter also. Had to haul some of next winter's stock into the shop already and will likely need even more. What we learned is: NEVER turn down firewood, get all that you can.
To borrow a quip from the 70's (and apologies to certain 70's people) - "It's better to have wood in times of no money than to have money in times of no wood".