Ash dieback effect on firewood quality

[Welsh cleaning services]

We are just starting to see the dieback in our area,and I would like to know how badly it effects the burning quality.

what is the best policy?,does falling it stop the rot as it were or will it keep deteriorating after cutting.

ps there are no public safety issues involved

  thanks

[Woodworks]

We have had it on our farm for a few years now. Once they are showing clear signs of dieback I fell them while they are still safe to do so. My experience is only the smaller branch wood is poor quality when felled at this stage. 

[BigRon]

Just my experience but I cut an ash stem up with dieback last year and it burnt like a pig.

Gave very little heat off.

[Vedhoggar]

Over the last couple of years I have been processing ash dieback trees for firewood from trees felled with up to about 50% infection in trees and not experienced a problem with the burning quality however if left too long the wood will become brittle and tend to break up and not always split cleanly I can imagine and probably not burn as well either. Ash seasons quite quickly, one drying season or less if spit.

[MattyF]

Absolutely , die back effects the trees ability to move water and nutrients as it closes down and blocks the cells the trees use, the lower stems and trunks seem to be ringing wet ...I've seen sap pour out when felled in the growing season as they can't transport it around the canopy.
This makes it a right pig to season ... when they are off leaf it still seams to make good fire wood though.

[little_p]

On 02/06/2022 at 12:49, Vedhoggar said:

Over the last couple of years I have been processing ash dieback trees for firewood from trees felled with up to about 50% infection in trees and not experienced a problem with the burning quality however if left too long the wood will become brittle and tend to break up and not always split cleanly I can imagine and probably not burn as well either. Ash seasons quite quickly, one drying season or less if spit.

I had an infected Ash that came down. It was probably around 18 months before I managed to get around to sawing and splitting it. The stuff closer to the trunk was horrible, brittle stuff to split. Didn't follow the usual 'laws' of how to split wood. It would either just shatter into two or nothing at all. Didn't have complaints about how it burnt but I suppose it was as good as healthy, well seasoned Ash.

[coppice cutter]

I've the first infected tree on the farm to take down shortly.

 

Seems the best policy will be to do it in dead of winter and treat the firewood as normal?

 

Shouldn't be any issues felling it as it's nowhere near the public and plenty of room around it.

Edited September 6, 2022 by coppice cutter

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, coppice cutter said:

I've the first infected tree on the farm to take down shortly.

 

Seems the best policy will be to do it in dead of winter and treat the firewood as normal?

 

Shouldn't be any issues felling it as it's nowhere near the public and plenty of room around it.

Are you felling it because you need firewood, or are you felling it because it’s infected.

 

If it’s just the latter, I would leave it…. It may surprise you.

[coppice cutter]

No, I don't specifically need the firewood, but I see what you're getting at.

 

It's not the first infected tree on the farm, but it's the first one I've felt the need to take down, it's also the biggest, so most likely to come down of it's own accord messily.

 

Been watching it a couple of years now and it's all been downhill, increasingly so more recently.

 

There's a young tree growing right beside it showing no signs of infection so far, as indeed are all the rest in the same hedge, so I think I'll take it out in a controlled fashion and give the young upstart it's chance to shine.

 

Don't want it falling on a sheep in a storm or something equally ridiculous.

Edited September 6, 2022 by coppice cutter

[Steven P]

On 06/09/2022 at 13:23, coppice cutter said:

Don't want it falling on a sheep in a storm or something equally ridiculous.

 

I was told be a shepherds wife once that a sheeps whole goal in life is to die, they'd probably hang about that tree just waiting.