For all the new forum members looking for free firewood......

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Steven P said:

 

Bark maybe? The thinner stuff has more in proportion to the overall wood

Bark definitely has more ash from the minerals than actual wood, I wonder if it has a higher calorific value too.

[coppice cutter]

Inspired by my own comment yesterday I decided to look a bit closer and the thinner stuff is definitely more dense than the larger bits which are much more open and coarse.

 

Then again that could possibly be down to the willow itself which is all self-seeded, and I know that in the woodland especially there are numerous different types with considerable variations in both colour and texture.

 

Although that having been said, all the thinner stuff does seem to be denser so maybe it just becomes more open and less dense as it ages? 

[GarethM]

Maybe as it becomes taller it becomes more fibrous and filled with water to allow it to sway undamaged in the wind ?.

 

One would guess at a certain diameter it becomes more solid like a tree trunk and the ring structure contracts under the weight of the outer layers. Weight probably not the best word, tension as it grows like a balloon from the inside.

Edited November 16, 2023 by GarethM