Every year thousands of homeowners find fall and trees, logs, and branches on their property whether it’s from strong winds, wet soil, or ground erosion. If you are one of these homeowners you might be wondering if you could use the tree is firewood?
It is generally safe to harvest firewood from fallen trees and branches but depending on the species, some firewood is better than others. Hardwood species offer better firewood than softwood such as fir, hemlock, and cedar. Cedar trees make excellent kindling as it splits extremely easy weaving those little splinters ideal for starting fires. Cedar is considered a softwood as is Spruce, pine, and redwood so the longer, hotter burning trees of Douglas Fir and Hemlock make excellent firewood for long-burning fires.
First, identify the type of tree that has fallen. If it is a softwood, you might want to hire someone to remove the tree rather than harvesting it for firewood. You want to cut the tree into smaller logs using a chainsaw or acts. Usually, a 16-inch long piece of firewood is ideal for most fireplaces and stoves. The larger the log, the more difficult it is to burn.
One major key to using a fallen tree is firewood is to let it dry. What firewood is extremely easy to split and cut but almost impossible to burn. Whereas the other way around is more ideal, dry wood is harder to split yet burns extremely hot and long. Most wood should be aged about 6 to 10 months to be used for firewood. You should stack the wood outside in a covered area or simply covered over with a tarp for 6 to 10 months.
If you don’t plan on harvesting the tree or large limb for firewood have the tree professionally removed. The longer it sits on your property the more damage it can cause to grass and nearby plants.
Contact Lineage Tree Care to have any large trees or branches removed safely and professionally from your property.