Just scrounged some dead standing wood that tests at 16% MC. Exception to the rule? Wood ID if pos

[oldspark]

Backwoods has it nailed, you just dont know, I cut some Oak that had been logged at least five years ago and it read OL on the MM, this was bigger branches (14inches) or so on the ground, but it WAS seasoned.

 

[Woody Stover]

Not 100%, but it looks like it maybe ash, if that's true the MC doesn't surprise me given all the insect damage. Burn it! A C

Does insect damaged wood usually end up dryer off the hop than natural dead stands?

I don't think insect damage contributes to drying all that much. The holes aren't very big, so only a tiny amount of air is moving through them. Standing wood tends to dry better than down wood for a couple of reasons. Rainwater drains off the vertical surfaces more quickly and the wood is higher, where there's a lot more air movement (and sun.) Oak, of course, is slow-drying so it will have to stand dead for many years before much of the tree will be dry enough. However, I recently found some down Oak limbs about 6" diameter out there that were off the ground and were just over 20%.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

It probably is Maple. I find that maple (I do not have any sugar maple) seasons quicker than just about anything else around here, even faster than cherry. It will get quite light after drying. As Dennis said you may want to check the really big pieces (the butt) as that is where the moisture lingers on a dead tree. Tops and branches dry first. Another possibility is Poplar, which is soaking wet when cut green, but drys rapidly and gets extremely light when dry. If it is Poplar it burns quick but not many BTUs as it is too light and creates alot of ash.

 

[oldspark]

IF it is Norway Maple its not a fast drying wood such as silver and red, it is a hard maple and takes longer to cure, just saying.

 

[scotvl]

IF it is Norway Maple its not a fast drying wood such as silver and red, it is a hard maple and takes longer to cure, just saying.

You are exactly right, I've got Norway I cut in the summer of 09 that is finally ready for this year. The Norway I CSS in march is still @ 26% and will not be ready until next year but one I scrounged in august that had an almost fully spongy ant infested lower trunk that blew over in high winds is @22% after three months. I think the ant infestation must have killed the root system and was probably half dead for a couple of years before it fell.

 

[firefighterjake]

One thing I've learned when burning wood . . . often there are guidelines and best practices . . . too often there is an exception to the rule. Bucked up a white ash that came down in a storm this past August or so . . . most of it felt pretty light so I set it aside for use as campfire wood . . . friend just took a bunch while out camping and said there wasn't a single spitter in the bunch . . . despite only 2-3 months of seasoning time.