Best time to cut firewood

Most of the wood I get has been dead for several years. If I get green wood I usually let it age for a couple of years. I have a 27 ton gas powered troy bilt log splitter. It gets the job done but there are times when I wish I had a bigger splitter. We heat primarily with wood. About 4 cords per year.

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Originally Posted by blm28

Cottonwood is almost impossible to split without a log splitter. You end up with about three times the ash that you would get burning pine (have to clean the stove alot more often).

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But cottonwood doesn't have the creosote build up like pine.
Lot easier to dump the ash than clean the chimney.
Cottonwood needs to dry for a few years to not smell when burning too.
Splitting is a bitch, just buck it up in to smaller rounds.... I'll take cottonwood over pine any day.

I have never had cottonwood that didn't smell, regardless of age. Personaly I prefer the smell of pine, but I like the smell of free best.

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Originally Posted by funkymonkey1111

how long does the cottonwood take to season? I've had some over a year old that I thought was still moist. do you have a gas splitter? I've thought about one of those little electric ones (i'm just burning for ambiance at home and don't have the space for one of those giant gas splitters--but I do like to have frequent fires)

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rent a splitter, once toy have the OAL less than 30" make a day of it. $80 later your well stacked, splitter returned and no need for storage.

One reason I miss Oregon. We cut madrone and would let it dry for a year or more. It is hard and heavy. My dad would fall a small tree or take a branch from a larger tree. Cut rounds and my bros and I would throw down the hill to the road for splitting. Hot, dirty hard work dodging poison oak the best we could. All split and loaded by hand. Was a bitch but as stated previously builds character.

It burns hot hot hot with very little ash. Would love to have a source close.

I cut fire wood with my Dad in Oregon as well. We would stock up 6 chords for us plus sell a few as well. I was only 12 so probably wasn't much help. My biggest job was stacking it on our truck that held a cord of wood. There was hell to pay if it wasn't stacked tight.

Old (grey) cottonwood is a pain to cut and dull chains fast. It does burn fast and hot though.

Been seeing a lot of dead willows, in old farmer's ditches, on the flats. I'd like to get a cord or two of that.

I burn pine and aspen because it's easy to get a hold of.

When to cut firewood? Before you need it.

The good thing about Aspen is you can split it with an origami axe.

No mention of anyone burning cedar??[blaster]

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Originally Posted by BlasterBob

No mention of anyone burning cedar??[blaster]

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Naw. The old farts clear cut that years ago. [cigar]