Growing firewood

[sandspider]

 

A smidge over 4 years growth!

[Big J]

5 minutes ago, sandspider said:

 

A smidge over 4 years growth!

 

That is seriously impressive. The fastest growing of the eucs we've planted so far are on a site near Chard. They are 16 months old and the tallest in the block was 4.2m as of last Tuesday. It's growing 2.3cm a day though at the moment (it was measured at 3.8m 17 days previously). It's actually a denticulata, but the majority of the block is nitens, with many of them 3m plus. 70mm thick stems 500mm above the ground too.

 

What is the height of your tree and do you have any photos of the full tree?

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Big J

[sandspider]

That's also impressive growth, and a bit surprising- as nitens have grown a lot less well for me. Maybe 1/3 the height of Neglecta, and 1/10th the diameter, though the nitens have taken off a bit this year.

I'd guess my Neglecta is about 20-25 foot high? pic of whole tree hopefully below. (Nitens at front right)

 

[scbk]

Just shy of 3yrs ago I planted some hybrid willow whips, they were kinda swamped by weeds, thistles and the like in the first year, but I'm really impressed by the growth they're put on this summer.

 

(brick for scale!)

 

[spandit]

On 14/10/2021 at 23:26, scbk said:

Just shy of 3yrs ago I planted some hybrid willow whips, they were kinda swamped by weeds, thistles and the like in the first year, but I'm really impressed by the growth they're put on this summer.

 

(brick for scale!)

 

You'll probably find that splits at the fork - it's one of the ways they propagate (the fallen branch touches the ground and takes root) but mine will, in a good year, put on about 12 feet of growth. The pieces are broomhandle thickness and great for firepits or outdoor cooking (once dry)

[john87]

On 29/05/2014 at 12:01, Marko said:

To recap, we have been over the years planting our own firewood fuel for the future. We set off with a more traditional plantation of hazel, ash and oak coppice but since the problems with ash were not going to be abated, we added alder, birch, maple and, more controversially, sycamore and some SRC Willow hybrids. I am braced for the rock throwing but please remember that we are not planting woodland, we are planting energy crops.

 

I have been thinking about adding some Eucalyptus into the mix and sourced some seed from frost tolerant varieties. Even though I only sowed them this spring, I have had to plant them out as they are climbing out of their 2lt pots already (Omeo Gum) but all the other varieties are a bit more stable and will hopefully remain in pots until autumn.

 

After 8 seasons and for what it is worth, my non scientific thoughts in terms of productivity would be Alder, Birch and Syc are proving the best with the SRC Willow and Ash a close second.

 

Whilst this is even more difficult to quantify, the benefit to wildlife has been immeasurable and much more diverse than the most optimistic predictions.

 

I'm very pleased with progress but the trial goes on!

All very good, but you need to know what burns well and what does not, Willow for instance, is awful.. Here is a link to a place that sells firewood, interestingly though, in the section under "help and advice" they have a chart of different wood and what it burns like, You will all find this interesting!!

 

Different Types of Wood for Burning and their Characteristics - South Yorkshire Firewood

WWW.SOUTHYORKSHIREFIREWOOD.COM

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We would recommend burning one of the many hardwoods that are available in the UK on a wood burner or open fire -...

 

 

john..

Edited October 31, 2021 by john87
Missed a bit!!

[spandit]

2 minutes ago, john87 said:

All very good, but you need to know what burns well and what does not, Willow for instance, is awful..

Dry willow burns as well as any other dry wood. I find it dries quickly too - probably because the tubes full of water that make it up are larger diameter than, say, oak. Burns quite quick but certainly wouldn't dismiss it like that. I use it for cooking on. Haven't bought charcoal for years. Gives a nice flavour to the meat.

[john87]

2 minutes ago, spandit said:

Dry willow burns as well as any other dry wood. I find it dries quickly too - probably because the tubes full of water that make it up are larger diameter than, say, oak. Burns quite quick but certainly wouldn't dismiss it like that. I use it for cooking on. Haven't bought charcoal for years. Gives a nice flavour to the meat.

I have to say i have never tried myself, just been told it is awful.. Perhaps it is ok after all then?? Any idea what laurel is like or wood from leylandi type trees??

 

john..

[spandit]

2 minutes ago, john87 said:

I have to say i have never tried myself, just been told it is awful.. Perhaps it is ok after all then?? Any idea what laurel is like or wood from leylandii type trees??

Laurel is good - grows quick, quite dense, although there is cyanide to contend with.

Leylandii is also good, although I prefer to season it for 2 years otherwise it can be a bit resinous. It's fairly rot resistant too, so if the logs get wet whilst seasoning, they're generally OK.

 

Any wood will burn once dry, they just dry at different rates. That said, I wouldn't bother with horse chestnut again as it goes incredibly light and doesn't give you much return for the effort.

 

[nepia]

No cyanide in laurel once the wood's dry and the amount in it when green simply isn't an issue unless perhaps in a water course: I've cut and chipped loads and love the smell 🤪.  Good firewood.

I like Leyland too.

Willow when dry burns fast and with acrid smoke but gives decent heat