Growing firewood

[Marko]

The Euc Omeo still in 2ltr pots. These were only sown early March this year. In my limited experience of germinating Euc it usually takes 2-3 months to get a decent seedling.

[Tim Stobart Tree Surgery]

Oh forgot to say it makes good charcoal as well ...........

 

I know it used to make the best charcoal for gunpowder back in the day of muskets etc, I keep meaning to have a crack at making some charcoal. Maybe i will if things quieten down!

[spandit]

You can make small quantities of good charcoal in a biscuit tin on the fire:

 

How to make charcoal easy and cheap (pic heavy) - Page 2

[sandspider]

An interesting read, and nice pics Marko - thanks.

[Yeti]

very very similar planting plan as myself, goat willow has taken remarkably well, hazel bit slow sycamore and ash growing like champions, spruce also taken well on one patch for future posts usage etc.

[Marko]

Re the ongoing willow trials...

 

We have been that busy propagating cuttings into some meaningful plantations that the stock has not been left alone long enough to produce the goods.

 

This year we did leave two trial patches to actually compare growth. Over the last year and from well established stools the ordinary basket making willow Salix Triandra grew whips of 10ft with a base dia of approx 22 - 25mm. The hybrid willow (unknown variety) grew 14ft whips with the rod base dia being consistently around 35mm.

 

From our experience, the basket making willow doesn't really do that well in a second year; it seems to send out more wispy shoots from along the stems rather than thickening up the main stem although this may well be due to the open aspect of where it is planted (so we are trying some in a more sheltered spot). We will leave the hybrid willow for another year and report back.

 

The photo doesn't really help but FYI the cut length is the basket making willow.

[Dan Curtis]

I missed this thread first time around. I've got a similar thing going on here at the moment. About 20 years ago, my dad planted a couple of acres of mixed natives under a grant and management scheme. The scheme meant that the wood had to be beaten up until it was 15 years old, and no felling of live trees was allowed until the 15 year mark. Somehow, at the beating up stages, we ended up with a load of Sweet Chestnut, provided by the FC.

 

We've got about 25% Oak, 25% Ash, 15% Cherry, 10% Field Maple, 10% Sweet Chestnut and the rest is a mix of Hazel, Hawthorn, Holly and a few Elms have crept in. The Cherry is yielding the most timber, but it's not particularly nice to process, being crooked and multi-stemmed. The Ash is doing great, lots of lovely straight trees that are growing fast. The Sweet Chestnut has really been forced by the older trees and grown well, there will be some nice timber trees at some point in the future.

 

At 20 years old, the wood is looking great. I started thinning it 3 winters ago, mostly taking wolves and whips out, along with a few dead trees. We left a certain amount of deadwood standing and lying down for habitat, the rest we've extracted as firewood. I've coppiced most of the Hazel, and I fenced the stools with the brash from the other trees that were removed. The rest of the brash has been used as dead hedging top replace the boundary trees and hedges that are slowly disappearing. I coppiced a handful of Field Maples too, as an experiment and they're coming along nicely. I cut them high, about 2ft. The higher ones have done better than the ground level, mostly I think because of rabbit and hare grazing. I tried striking a few Willows two years ago in the wetter areas, nothing survived unfortunately.

[spandit]

Our salix viminalis (common osier) grew 14' in 8 months (in a tight plantation) so maybe that's the species you have?

 

Just planted some salix triandra but it's for basket weaving so lots of thin stems will be beneficial - I hope it's vigorous anyway.

 

Wish I'd planted some eucalyptus now - we have one in the garden that I'm keeping an eye on as it's quite close to the house and I imagine it's the kind of thing that will do well in a warmer climate.

 

Love the picture of the chickens in the ash - how old are the trees in that photo? We weren't allowed to order ash when I planted my woodland (through the woodland trust) but I have a few seedlings my neighbours provided and there are one or two in the hedgerows anyway.

 

Cherry is doing very well too - will be interesting to see how it compares with the alder. Out of all the trees I planted, I think the tallest after one year was a crab apple, at about 8' (not including the osier) but that's fairly unusual compared to the rest that went in. The aspen has surprised me by not really doing very well at all, despite being a pioneer species. The whips I were sent were tiny, though, so maybe they'll accelerate this year.

 

Like a saddo I have all my trees in a database so I can see quickly what proportions I have and in what areas. Keeps me amused anyway

[spandit]

I missed this thread first time around. I've got a similar thing going on here at the moment. About 20 years ago, my dad planted a couple of acres of mixed natives

 

What kind of diameter are you talking? Would love to see some pictures...

[sandspider]

I missed this thread first time around. I've got a similar thing going on here at the moment. About 20 years ago, my dad planted a couple of acres of mixed natives under a grant and management scheme. The scheme meant that the wood had to be beaten up until it was 15 years old, and no felling of live trees was allowed until the 15 year mark. Somehow, at the beating up stages, we ended up with a load of Sweet Chestnut, provided by the FC.

 

We've got about 25% Oak, 25% Ash, 15% Cherry, 10% Field Maple, 10% Sweet Chestnut and the rest is a mix of Hazel, Hawthorn, Holly and a few Elms have crept in. The Cherry is yielding the most timber, but it's not particularly nice to process, being crooked and multi-stemmed. The Ash is doing great, lots of lovely straight trees that are growing fast. The Sweet Chestnut has really been forced by the older trees and grown well, there will be some nice timber trees at some point in the future.

 

At 20 years old, the wood is looking great. I started thinning it 3 winters ago, mostly taking wolves and whips out, along with a few dead trees. We left a certain amount of deadwood standing and lying down for habitat, the rest we've extracted as firewood. I've coppiced most of the Hazel, and I fenced the stools with the brash from the other trees that were removed. The rest of the brash has been used as dead hedging top replace the boundary trees and hedges that are slowly disappearing. I coppiced a handful of Field Maples too, as an experiment and they're coming along nicely. I cut them high, about 2ft. The higher ones have done better than the ground level, mostly I think because of rabbit and hare grazing. I tried striking a few Willows two years ago in the wetter areas, nothing survived unfortunately.

 

Sounds good! Any pictures, as Spandit said?