Does a dead standing tree count as "seasoned"?

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My understanding is that standing dead like oak and elm needs 1 year to season. Very little drying is done across grain. Wood dries mostly from end grain.
 
From what I've read on this Forum, even bucked wood won't season properly until it has been split and stored in circulating air. Standing dead even less so...
 
It aint gonna dry out till you cut/ split it - but it won't take as long to season since the tree is dead standing.
 
summit said:
It aint gonna dry out till you cut/ split it - but it won't take as long to season since the tree is dead standing.

Last spring I bucked, split, stacked a cherry tree that was about 30" DBH. It had been down 2 years, not on the ground, held up by the crown and root ball. I had to cut down a couple standing/live small cherry trees near it (6" or so). There was only2% difference according to my MM between the trees.

Had I thought of it, I would have stacked it so that I could see if there was a noticeable drying difference..
 
I say it depends on the diameter. I've been scrounging dead stuff 24/7 last 2 weeks so as to enjoy my new Hearthstone. I have no really fully seasoned cord wood yet. Very frustrating

Dead oak 6" or so in diameter, standing or recently fallen, seems to burn good.

Great Navy Seal exercise though; slinging 4 foot logs over your shoulder, walking them up out of rocky, frozen wetland areas.
 
This is the best forum ever!

My question was addressed within 3 minutes of posting. Subsequent replies make valid points and don't just restate previous posters. I've been "surfing the 'net" for over 13 years, using many online forums. This one is in the top 2. Thank you all so much for your replies!
 
120inna55 said:
This is the best forum ever!

My question was addressed within 3 minutes of posting. Subsequent replies make valid points and don't just restate previous posters. I've been "surfing the 'net" for over 13 years, using many online forums. This one is in the top 2. Thank you all so much for your replies!

Bah.. You just got lucky :lol:

It's a cold January Saturday morning, and everyone's up feeding the stove so momma will get outa the fart sack and make biscuits.. ;-)
 
120inna55 said:
This is the best forum ever!

My question was addressed within 3 minutes of posting. Subsequent replies make valid points and don't just restate previous posters. I've been "surfing the 'net" for over 13 years, using many online forums. This one is in the top 2. Thank you all so much for your replies!

Top 2! Who the heck is our competition! :mad:


pen
 
Probably not after 3 years, but maybe after a few more.

Cut it down and look at the cross cuts.

I cut down some 12" (near base) dead hedge apple trees standing behind the house when I bought the house. The bark was COMPLETELY gone and the surface cracks on the wood penetrated the logs.
It burned really, really well that winter.
 
I have found that, with standing dead, the tops are more likely to be fairly dry, and burnable. The large limbs and trunk, even though the tree has been dead for a few years, still have a high moisture content and may need at least two years of seasoning AFTER being split and stacked. Virtually all of my experience has been with hickory and oak (water oak and pin oak.) Now, I love it when I find a standing water oak that has been dead so long that the bark is blown. It splits real easy and may burn pretty good right away but will definitely be ready after one year.
I just took down a standing dead water oak a couple of days ago. It's bucked out in the woods. I'm going to move it up to my processing area today. When I start splitting I'll stick a moisture meter in there. I suspect, from the look of the freshly cut trunk, that it's still very wet. The smaller limbs from the top feel solid, but light weight, and may be ready to burn soon.
 
On a side note, this thread probably should have been posted in the "Wood Shed" forum.
 
A good friend has a large acreage, with many dead pine trees on it.
He is cutting, splitting and burning the dead pines, and finding them to be fairly dry, about 18 to 20 percent moisture, as he splits them.
Most are several years dead though, not just a year or two. More like 4 to 6 years dead.
 
It depends.

Presently, the only wood I cut is dead wood. Mostly oak and locust. I cut-up a maple last summer that was dead also. All of these trees had been dead for years, the oak had bark falling off if it, the locust had become the meal for bugs and termites and the maple was suspended off the ground by the trunk. Many times the wood is standing, but dead as per above. All of it is very dry and seasoned, however, I still like to get it cut, split and under cover to further dry it out.

On the other hand, if the tree has been dead only long enough for the leaves to fall off it, I still cut it, but it goes into my 3 year out pile of wood.

Another thing about this old dead wood I cut is that it is fairly solid, but not like green wood that has been cut and seasoned. I am also watchful for bugs and other critters that may want to come out of the wood and live in my house. The old locust is the worst for this. I've even split this stuff to reveal wasps hiding. I think I'd feel better about seasoned green wood that is totally solid setting near my house than the old dead stuff I've been cutting.

Happy burning!
Bill
 
If I had no seasoned wood and wanted to be warm, I'd go looking in my wood for vertical dead standing with no bark on them.

The ones with just some bark missing are tough, though. The oaks have been withering that way with sometimes half the tree still alive, so there will be a mix of green and dead wood and everything in between.
 
pen said:
120inna55 said:
This is the best forum ever!

My question was addressed within 3 minutes of posting. Subsequent replies make valid points and don't just restate previous posters. I've been "surfing the 'net" for over 13 years, using many online forums. This one is in the top 2. Thank you all so much for your replies!

Top 2! Who the heck is our competition! :mad:


pen

http://www.Satelliteguys.us
 
120inna55 said:
This is the best forum ever!

My question was addressed within 3 minutes of posting. Subsequent replies make valid points and don't just restate previous posters. I've been "surfing the 'net" for over 13 years, using many online forums. This one is in the top 2. Thank you all so much for your replies!

What's the other one?

Inquiring minds want to know.

EDIT: Never mind, the answer is right over me! :)

Bye, gotta go! :p
 
In the years we've cut wood, we've cut much dead. For sure if it is dead and on the ground, most times it is not worth even cutting. If dead and fallen over but has not reached the ground then many times it will be good wood but not necessarily ready to burn. Standing dead is almost never ready to burn.

Some standing dead can certainly be good and ready to burn, at least on the top third of the tree. The bottom no doubt will be still full of moisture. Most times though the standing dead will not take quite as long to season as a live tree will.

For some good hints on dead oak, I would direct you to look at some of the posts from our friend quads. He cuts almost 100% dead oak and has for many years. He also will tell you that dead oak is not ready to burn. One of his recent threads is about folks who want his wood but he no longer has dry wood to sell....but still is cutting away at all that dead oak he has. Do yourself a favor and look for his threads.

EDIT: Here is a link to one of quads threads: quads thread on dead oak
 
Others have already given you good info on this. My experience cutting standing dead trees depends on the species. I have cut lots of dead standing elm trees and been very successful being able to drop, buck, split and throw in the stoves that day. Other species like ash are much more iffy. Sometimes I can split and throw in the stove other times I wait another year on them. Most other species I split and stack and wait a year. I will be removing some standing dead catalpa trees next week. I am not 100% if they will be burnable this year but I intend to find out. I think the best case is that you cut and split them and season the wood for at least one year.
 
120inna55 said:
Surely this has been addressed here previously, but search is not turning up anything for me.

So, I have several trees on my property that are still standing but have been dead for 3 or more years. Does this qualify as seasoned?
From my experience it all depends if your the firewood seller or the firewood user?
 
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