Wet or punky, Moisture Meter Question? And id.

[mrd1995]

So mid summer I cut down a 20" standing dead tree. No bark and all but the largest limbs were gone. The main trunk seemed sold as in I was getting a chip not powder from the saw and it had some stringyness to the splits. The growth rings are wavy so I am assuming elm, couldn't split it with a hydraulic assist.

Two questions:
Does everyone concur on elm, we don't have much around here that isn't red elm so I am not sure what this is?

Will dry punky wood read high MC? I held a fresh split room temp piece to my cheek as double check and it was warm. I also did the burn test on a campfire and had no hissing. Just curious why I am getting mid to upper 30% readings.

 

[moresnow]

Not a surprise to have those readings in splits from the trunk in my experience with dead Elm and others. You just cut it a few months ago? Replace your batts in the meter. Just as a confirmation. Mine gets wacky when the batts get weak. I don't know what you have for wood there.

 

[mrd1995]

Not a surprise to have those readings in splits from the trunk in my experience with dead Elm and others. You just cut it a few months ago? Replace your batts in the meter. Just as a confirmation. Mine gets wacky when the batts get weak. I don't know what you have for wood there.

Yeah probably Julie or August was Cut and split. Wonder if the split I checked today was from low down the trunk? Might be moisture that had wicked up the trunk.

 

[moresnow]

Yeah probably Julie or August was Cut and split. Wonder if the split I checked today was from low down the trunk? Might be moisture that had wicked up the trunk.

I cut a 75 footer that I had watched in the backyard for about 5 years recently. Dead that entire time. Still read O.L. out of limit on my meter for most of the main trunk. I know that was Elm. Another smaller Elm read the same and was still to wet this year after sitting a year.
I tried a armload of the second Elm batch for a experiment not long ago. Noooo good. It wouldn't hardly get going. I had to keep lots of primary air to it for the entire burn. It never sizzled one bit. Just not as ready as I am used to. Amazing.