You hear a lot about Hickory being hard to split but if you get into a straight one without a lot of branching, it's not too bad at all.
I don't know if you've also not burned Mulberry yet, but it's primo wood on par with White Oak in BTU. It dries faster than Oak, and maybe Hickory, not sure. Love da "yaller wood."
There's a third thing to enjoy; Cows' gas emissions are heating the planet, which dries our wood stacks faster!
For sure he needs a second saw, to get the first one out when the bar gets pinched. 😏
I wish I'd been there; I'm guessing I'd have taken a lot of wood from that "rotten" White. Most hollow Oaks here, White or Red, still have lots of solid, long-burning wood left on 'em. If I'm lucky, the sapwood has rotted and fallen off, leaving solid heartwood cores.
Here's a nice one I recently dropped, that was long-dead, and too close to the house. 2' diameter.
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