Best time to cut firewood

[SideShow Bob]

If you could figure out logistics from southeast kansas to you, my brother sells oak and hedge fire wood for $60-70 a rick.

Hedge is some great stuff, just go easy with it until you see how it burns in your setup.
the first time I stoked up the free standing stove with hedge I had in KS. It and the fist two sections of pipe above were glowing red.

[funkymonkey1111]

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 don't know the species (and I asked the guy at the place and he didn't know either), but when i was on vacation in oregon two years ago you could have a fire on the beach with s'mores, etc (from the hotel). the wood had an amazing smell. i mean, heavenly. i don't know of it was alder or madrone or whatever, but man, it was amazing. it'd be worth it to me to drive to oregon just to get some of that stuff.

[blm28]

No mention of anyone burning cedar??

Burn Cedar every year in hunting camp. If I had access to a good supply I would burn it instead of cottonwood.

[GilpinGuy]

When I was growing up in NY we would just let pine rot if we cut one down for whatever reason. Maple, oak, etc. is what we always burned. A bitch to split but clean and hot.

I clean my chimney 3x a year here. One a year back there. Hardwood is just too damn expensive here to buy, so pine and aspen it is.

[Ah Pook]

My best source for hardwood is $300+ a cord v.s. $150 for pine.

[00tec]

**thought**
we should put together a firewood trip where we scavenge the uhaul flatbeds and owned trailers and head up to gray a few cords. Each pay for the forest service service fees and take out a bit of the beetle kill. We can knock out a bit of the potential summer fires and make a few additional friends..

[Irving]

Set it up.

[RonMexico]

Search Craigslist! A ton of tree cutting Co will place adds there listing the address,tree type and date they are cutting down the tree. I was able to score 5 bed fulls and only had to drive 2 miles each way, but bring a chainsaw!

[encorehunter]

As said before, the best time to cut is before you need it. I usually have two chords of pine and oak to start out winter, but the Mrs.' is making me think I should start out with 5. I have gas heater, but leave the thermostat set at 50. For hunting season, I come home every night, so I usually bring a bed full of dead oak home each night. I gather it during the day near the road, and only take what I can push over by hand. I have been tempted to take my battery sawzall, but haven't yet.
During the winter when I run low, (more and more lately) I go to the river bottom and cut/pick up gray cottonwood branches. I'll load 4-6 foot sections and take them home and cut with my chop saw. No splitting needed, and all is dry. You can't get as much per trip, but for my it is only a 2 mile drive.
The Mrs.' has a friend who runs a tree cutting business, but most of the time the wood we get from them is still wet. I cut it into short pieces, usually 12" long, then split it with a maul and sledgehammer. One of these days, I'll get my log splitter back from a friend who borrowed it 4 years ago.

As to cedar, I used to burn it. I found out this last year that it is on my allergic to list, and it one I am off the charts on. I've found when I cut cedar pickets in my garage, I usually can't get out the door fast enough before my eyes start swelling shut.

I'd be in for some wood cutting if it within a hundred or two miles. I can bring a truck and good sized trailer with side boards, should be able to fit 7-10 chords. I'd be willing to drop off chords on the way home for the guys if they don't have a way to haul, as long as there are one or two left for me.

[rockhound]

Lucckily i am still mitigating my acreage so i have a nice supply, but the Hi meadow and Hayman burn areas are easy access to standing dead that is easy to cut split and is already seasoned.