Best time to cut firewood

[blm28]

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.

[crashdown]

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).

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.

[blm28]

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.

[Great-Kazoo]

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)

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.

[SamuraiCO]

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.

[Big Wall]

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.

[Ah Pook]

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.

[Irving]

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

[BlasterBob]

No mention of anyone burning cedar??

[Ah Pook]

No mention of anyone burning cedar??

Naw. The old farts clear cut that years ago.