Fast growing tree to produce lots of firewood!

[skyhuck]

Ash!!!!!!!!!

[pembswoodrecycling]

What about willow? seems to grow like wildfire with us.

[born2trot]

There was a willow grower on telly not that long ago and he said that the rate it grows at far outweighs the burning properties.

[kernowstu]

ash for cash

[pgkevet]

I was mulling over what to do with a field this morning. The field next to it has been planted on its top half about 11 to 12 years ago. The utility arbs cut a swathe through it a few months ago..blocks of ash, birch and oak mostly. The ash I can just about lift and slide down the hill like javelins but the birch I can hardly drag - at least 50% more wood. (obviously the oak was ignored)

 

It's pretty steep up there so not big enough to justify heavy machine that can access - horses perhaps if one had a lot to do. There's about 5 acres of the top half of the other field I'm thinking of getting some advice on. There's no SC on the farm and it'd be cool to try some blocks but heavy soil for the first 9 inches and then slate...not ideal for SC?

 

A small disused quarry has mostly ash and some ancient (ten inch) hazel growing in the exposed veins on the planted field and some big oaks on the boundaries- an obvious clue to what'd grow best but then adding variety would be cool too.

 

It may be a case of play safe with the majority but plant a few test blocks of other stuff and adjust things later. If I am going to try that then I might as well be radical - perhaps add to stuff just for fun and variety rather than simple economics...

 

I'm in my 60's so I'm not going to see much of the end result (i hope to see it but unlikely to be cutting it)

 

blocks of maple, walnut, monkey puzzle.. trees that i like. I did a small test germination of MP this year and got 80% .. next year do a big batch, pot grown and transplant them up the hill in 5/6/7 years...

[Big J]

If it were me, and taking into account that you are in Cumbria (not ideal for sweet chestnut), I would be planting Birch. It requires the least maintenance, self seeds constantly, burns beautifully, is in my opinion the most beautiful tree and I think best suited to your Northern west coast climate.

 

We possibly have a job coming up next year clearing birch out of a sitka plantation because it is outgrowing the sitka.

 

Jonathan

[Stereo]

I'm in the same boat and go from Sycamore to Ash to Poplar and so on. I want a harvest soon but I'm buring Ash at the moment and it is by far the best firewood really. Like sycamore, a lovely ember bed.

 

I'm looking at sycamore because it thrives where I am but it does go some damn mouldy in a pile. Poplar will grow fast and be a good fuel but is harder to manage once felled.

 

I guess a mix...I dunno. I'm still at the planning stage.

[Chalgravesteve]

willow.

 

Check out bowhayes farm on google. They produce hybrid willows that grow at a rate that will astonoish you. Buy the cuttings at about £1 each, plant as described by them and you will not believe what comes up.

 

I use their willows and poplars on the golf course and they are collosal after 6 - 7 years and a decent size after 18 months

[easy-lift guy]

What about willow? seems to grow like wildfire with us.

 

Willow over here grows way to fast and is very brittle, might be good for switches for tanning ones bottom otherwise I would not use for firewood.

easy-lift guy

[arbmark]

mix it up.

if you sell the wood or whatever at least it wont all the same.

you'll get sick of the sight of the same logs

its a poor situation for woodland diversity

i have seen monocultures of young ash heavy with canker.

 

I wouldnt go for much sycamore its a dominant one and low on the biodiversity stakes. If you want some firewood quickly go for a single block of hybrid pops and willows. Ash is a good mainstay for the rest and cherry aint far behind. I wouldnt plant as close as some of the others have said. my ideal would be 3m spacings. It takes a long time planting and thinning can be quite laborious when you could be busy doing other stuff. More to spray etc.

If you want to establish a healthy coppice of the usual native stuff its going to take 20yrs till the first real crop (2nd cut) spacings increased to 5m+. Obviously hybrid stuff will be half this timescale, but then good things come to those who wait!