We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
In North America, Beech is the most dense and heavy wood second only to Ironwood (which is a slender tree). Up here, Beech, Oak, Hickory and Maple tend to be climax hardwood forest. Beech will wear out saw blades fast. Wildlife love the beechnuts. White Beech is native, but Copper Beech is not, and is vulnerable to the evil fungus.
With the help of my hearty and cheerful Colombian friends, and a 22-ton splitter, we produced around 3 cords of beech firewood in a nice cool rain. Not splittable by hand - that wood is like iron and the knots are like steel. The unsplit logs have been seasoned since March, so they are quite dry. That dense hardwood will burn forever. Priceless, and smells good too. Sorry that monster tree had to go, but it had the fatal fungus and the falling branches could kill somebody. Around 3 cords I think - that's a double row.
I plan to plant a Pin Oak next to where the Copper Beech was. Nice trees, lots of acorns. Reminds me of the old axiom "When's the best time to plant a tree?" Ans: "20 years ago." Realistically, best time to plant a tree is fall. It will get a good head start in spring before the weather warms.
Ready to go as soon as my chimney sweep shows up to clean out the flues. We luckily have 3 fireplaces in our cottage. Homey, cozy, New Englandy is what we like here. Wish we had a wood stove in the kitchen, but I'm planning for a stone firepit out back so outdoors and s'mores can be year-round.
The song was written after they had met with Bob Dylan, and is supposed to reflect something he might have written himself. If you listen to it imagining Dylan singing it, you can tell they did a pretty good job of imitating him.
Beech wood is difficult, but elm will just kill you. It doesn't fall straight or split straight, and it's not all that great to burn. But if you have some that's in the way - such as dying within a few feet of your house, as I had - you've got to get rid of it somehow.
#1
Assistant Village Idiot
on
2019-10-13 13:39
(Reply)
Elm is called Pisswood because of how it smells, burning.
I never listened to it before today, but was quickly convinced.
#1.2.1
Assistant Village Idiot
on
2019-10-14 18:13
(Reply)
The region of beech doesn't reach into Missouri. However, we have an abundance of the king of firewoods - osage orange. But the sunspot hot wood needs to be toned down with other woods to avoid cracking the firebrick.
Missouri provides with white oak, locust (black & honey), maple, plus an over-abundance all those dang tough n stringy elm trees, felled every year from the dreaded disease that plagues the species.
#2
locomotivebreath1901
(Link)
on
2019-10-13 14:03
(Reply)
Osage Orange, Horseapple, are what I know as Bois D'Arc (or bodark). The wood sinks in water and is tougher than ironwood on a chainsaw blade. You can make fenceposts out of Bois D'Arc and it will take root and grow you a row of trees along the fenceline. In the Great Depression, poor people would plant the tops and bottoms of sprigs in a running overlapping fashion and they'd end up with a living Bois D'arc fence of running hoops - hog proof. But that stuff will flat out kill a chain saw.
Wish my wheelbarrow looked like that. Mine is over 50 years old and has helped put in two new landscapings from scratch, one in Los Angeles and one in south Alabama. It's warped longways, the handles don't match (broke one 30 or so years ago), and the bottom of the bin is rusted and battered like it was caught in a huge hailstorm. Paint and cement is splashed all over the exterior, plus it's on it's third wheel/tire. Even with all that I think it will outlive me.
Not familiar with beech, don't have any on ,my property.
But the locust trees do a great job of quickly dulling saws. And they grow like weeds. Didn't know trees had thorns until I moved here. If you have them on your property and don't get rid of them, you have a lifetime supply of wood.
With the help of my hearty and cheerful Columbian friends...
Glad to hear you are employing college students from Columbia University of Roar Lion Roar fame, who can certainly use the money to pay off their high tuition fees. Then there are ColOmbians, from the country of ColOmbia , not many of whom make it to the hallowed halls of Columbia. Que quilombo con Colombia
Here it's live oak, live oak, and live oak, though there's mesquite not far away. We're building an outdoor kitchen with a wood-fired bread oven that we're eager to try out as soon as the masonry has had a month to dry. There's still lots of downed oak from the hurricane two years ago, more than we can easily burn up on the 3-4 days a year when it's really cold enough for a fire in the indoor fireplace.
Us too. Harvey passed 300 yards to the West of our 5 acres in Rockport TX (around the corner from The Big Tree). Our 50-60 foot Live Oaks are now 18-22 foot, the ones that weren't up-rooted, that is.
Them Yankee boys (I were one once) always forget about the Live Oak, Quercus Virginiana.
When dry, it has a Specific Gravity of 0.88-0.98 (ours are on the high end, due to unrelenting coastal wind), so actually DENSER than Black Locust (0.79) and in the same ballpark as Osage Orange (0.91), although not as pretty as either. It splits suddenly, under extreme pressure, and with a loud bang; much tougher than Beech. Burns white hot & makes superb charcoal.
I miss the smell of it. The buttery, sugary, earthy, root beer smell of it. Shame we won't cut much ourselves this season. On a crisp night like this, my Father would cut wood until the blue hour. I'd "help" by staying exactly where he said to stay, only straying to fetch a wedge or some other tool. I'd watch the long sunset and the first stars emmerge. The stillness only cut by the sound of a sledge hammer on steel. I use a gator for stuff 8 " or less, my husband cuts the big stuff and we run a splitter so it's a much noisier affair, yet still as satisfying as a good meal.
