Just wondering what you all do with the bark that comes off when splitting wood. I've accumulated a pretty good pile and I assumed I could burn it in the stove. However, I've learned so much from this forum that I just wondered if there might be reasons not to burn my bark ie. would it produce too much ash or??
BARKING UP THE (WRONG) TREE
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I find the bark is hard to keep dry so I just toss it in my fill area. I have enough sticks and twigs for kindling
I've been using a lot of the bark I've gotten off logs as a sort of "shingle mulch" in my garden patch. I lay it down like a jigsaw puzzle and it helps keep the weeds down. Figure that come spring I can just till it into the soil. I may rake up all the sawdust from my cutting area and use that as well.
I usually rake up the smaller bits of bark and wood chips from around my splitting area and dump them in a garbage can, they dry reasonably well, and I use them as an intermediate step between the newspaper and the smaller splits I use for kindling. They don't burn for long, but they give enough heat and flame to get the larger stuff going well.
IOW, no real reason not to burn the bark except that it's not going to last very long, and may be more of a PITA than it's worth.
Gooserider
I usually rake up the smaller bits of bark and wood chips from around my splitting area and dump them in a garbage can, they dry reasonably well, and I use them as an intermediate step between the newspaper and the smaller splits I use for kindling. They don't burn for long, but they give enough heat and flame to get the larger stuff going well.
IOW, no real reason not to burn the bark except that it's not going to last very long, and may be more of a PITA than it's worth.
Gooserider
I've burnt it, but it also makes a nice rain proof top for a stack.
Some say it makes a lot of ash, but I haven't noticed any more with other wood.
Matt
Some say it makes a lot of ash, but I haven't noticed any more with other wood.
Matt
I have a cheap $8 wheeled plastic garbage can that i drilled holes in the bottom of, keep it by the back door, and put bark and twigs in that for kindling.
Not sure I would have even posted this question if it was today's bark. Have been splitting some wild cherry. The bark is thin but it is a pain to seperate the splits. The bark I was concerned about is mostly from an old Doug Fir - about 22" across. The bark is almost like having an extra split. I'll definitely burn it but may do something else with the cherry.
bcnu said:
I never make any effort to separate the bark from my splits - if it comes off that's great, but I don't mess with it if it doesn't. Long as the wood is split, the bark really doesn't impact the drying time that much, and it burns great as part of the split...
Gooserider
Goose, I agree. Guess what I meant to say was that when I split the cherry, the bark doesn't split - it hangs on so I end up pulling the pieces apart. I have more to split and will see if I can make it easier by using the maul to finish the job.
I generally don't pay much attention to the bark. If it stays on the wood when it is split - it stays on and gets stacked. I don't make any attempt to remove it. As far as the pile of the bark left on the ground after splitting - it gets raked up and goes over the hill into one of the many "fill" areas, where it eventually just rots down.
Unless you have a really good place to keep it nice and dry, I really wouldn't bother saving and using for kindling. The mess factor alone is usually not worth it to me. For kindling - I'll usually take a few of the nice straight splits and a hatchet, and make up a month or so's worth in just a little bit of time. It stacks and piles easy, and is much cleaner than trying to save or use the bark. I like the other ideas of using it for garden beds, etc. There's no real reason "not" to use or burn it though, as long as it is dry.
Unless you have a really good place to keep it nice and dry, I really wouldn't bother saving and using for kindling. The mess factor alone is usually not worth it to me. For kindling - I'll usually take a few of the nice straight splits and a hatchet, and make up a month or so's worth in just a little bit of time. It stacks and piles easy, and is much cleaner than trying to save or use the bark. I like the other ideas of using it for garden beds, etc. There's no real reason "not" to use or burn it though, as long as it is dry.
Gooserider said:
We use the bark in the garden too at least to a certain extent. Just be aware that if you till this into the ground, you'd do well to put some extra lime on the ground too. That is, any time you use bark or sawdust etc., the ground will turn sour. But lime is cheap so it is no big problem.
Backwoods Savage said:
Actually I use the wood ash from the stove... Even cheaper and solves the problem of what to do with it! :coolgrin:
Gooserider
Gooserider, I figured everyone put the ashes in the garden! Yes, you are correct in that ashes work like lime, but many not be enough depending on how much bark and/or sawdust is applied. Only real way to know is a soil test. btw, creosote works great in the gardens too and is very good for house plants.
and smells good too
I could be completely off base here, I know there's some chemical, science and engineering folks on here that would know better than me. I think the benefit of the ashes in the garden comes from adding Nitrogen (the first # you see on the bag of fertilizer). I think wood ash is somewhat acidic, so depending on the soil conditions in the area lime may be a good idea if you already have an acidic soil. Getting a pH test on the soil (a lot of times free at local garden centers) is probably the best way to go.
Harley I think it's the opposite, wood ash is somewhat alkaline due to the calcium carbonate in it. It tends to neutralize acid soil. It is high in potash and has a small amount of phosphorus. Usually it is very low in nitrogen.
But you are correct, too much can be a bad thing as it might affect plant's ability to intake nutrients. If the soil is already alkaline due to limestone in the soil or other reason, it's best not to use wood ash in the garden.
But you are correct, too much can be a bad thing as it might affect plant's ability to intake nutrients. If the soil is already alkaline due to limestone in the soil or other reason, it's best not to use wood ash in the garden.
What garden centers do you get free tests at? I've asked at several local places, ALL said to go to U-Mess. Amherst to get tested (for a fee) though some were willing to sell me a soil test kit (which several said was not a particularly useful item...) Last year I got the info on testing via U-Mess to late to be useful, but the test kit seemed to say I was in the right area. I figure after harvest is over this year, I will probably dig up the perennial type herbs, and add a bunch more stuff, then get tested in the early spring before laying out the plot for next year.
At any rate, last year I tilled in a bunch of wood ash and some "llamadoo" that I get from my bee supply lady - freshly supplied by her llamas. It seems to be giving me some pretty decent harvest so far. I figure this year I will add as much of the sawdust (mostly oak) from my cutting area as I can easily rake up, more wood ash, and llamadoo. Hopefully if I do this for a few more years I will end up with some really decent soil.
Gooserider
At any rate, last year I tilled in a bunch of wood ash and some "llamadoo" that I get from my bee supply lady - freshly supplied by her llamas. It seems to be giving me some pretty decent harvest so far. I figure this year I will add as much of the sawdust (mostly oak) from my cutting area as I can easily rake up, more wood ash, and llamadoo. Hopefully if I do this for a few more years I will end up with some really decent soil.
Gooserider
Gooserider said:
Guest: "This is the best salad I have ever tasted in my life."
Goose: "Thank you. The llama crap in my garden really did well this year."
Guest: "Excuse me. I am going outside to puke and call my lawyer."
Gooserider said:
The local agway (though some of the stores closed around here) would do the pH test for free (they want to sell lime and fert.) and I've seen signs around (usually garden centers) advertising for a free soil test - but that's usually in the early spring.
Around by us we are having another die-off of Elm from the Dutch Elm
disease. I've found the bark makes an excellent fire starter - starts easily,
burns well & actually "coals" somewhat. I like to save it as a result.
Rob
disease. I've found the bark makes an excellent fire starter - starts easily,
burns well & actually "coals" somewhat. I like to save it as a result.
Rob
Dutch Elm disease never left. Our elms don't get very big any more before they die off. Still makes good firewood though.
Goose, by what you are saying, am I correct that you have sandy ground? You are doing some of the very same things we do here on our sand.
Goose, by what you are saying, am I correct that you have sandy ground? You are doing some of the very same things we do here on our sand.
Backwoods Savage said:
I'm not sure just what kind of ground we have by the usual standards - it was mostly brush and weeds before I cleared it earlier this year and turned it into a garden patch. All I can say is that it is typical New England soil in that it supports a healthy crop of rocks... I think N.E. soil is supposed to be more clay, but I figure that adding more organic stuff can't hurt no matter what it is.
Gooserider
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