Filed under: cold, Farm, Minnesota, Trees, winter, wood heat | Tags: cold, cutting wood, farm, machines, Minnesota, trees, weather, wood heat
Some changes happened at my house today, can you see it?
The two spruce trees that have been in front of our house for at least 75 years are gone. It’s a big change.
We really had enjoyed those trees, it’s just that lately they have been losing more needles than they have been producing. They just had to go.
Count the rings
It was interesting to count the rings and see the record of the good years and the bad years the tree had survived.
I got home from my school bus route and the first tree was already gone, and they were notching the second one in preparation for dropping it. It came down exactly where it was supposed to.
The crew cut off and shredded the branches, cut the trunk up into manageable lengths, and piled the logs for me to process later.
They ground up the stump, leaving only a small hole for me to fill later.
My wood pile which was large before is huge now. I could have enough wood for two years out there now.
I do love a large wood pile with the prospect of a cold winter ahead.
Michael
Filed under: cold, house, Minnesota, weather, winter, wood heat | Tags: cutting wood, trees, weather, winter, wood fired boiler, wood heat, wood pile
Summer heat is not the time to think about winters cold winds. Those of us who use wood for winter heat must get out and cut wood anyway. My summer had not added enough wood to the stack to get me through winter. Now that the days have gotten colder I have found the energy to really get cutting. With several dead trees still standing at my dads place, we got the saws busy and cut wood.
The wood piles grow
In fact my woodpile has never been so big. I have been adding new places to stack wood wherever it is handy. Yep, that’s another trees worth of wood on the trailer looking for a place to spend the winter.
The tree I cut today had been bothering me for some time. It had to fall north, and the way the branches hung it wanted to go either south or east. With a building only a few feet to the south, and some trees to get hung up in both east and west, it would be an interesting cut. Besides that, the old elm had been dead several years and I could just see the winters winds blowing it into that building that was south of it. Today the wind was gusting out of the south, so I cut it. We had a bit of a scare when it tried to go south, but a gust of wind, and it fell just right.
With the outside wood fired boiler I put in two years ago I need a lot of wood. This year I have outdone myself in preparing for winter. I should have all of the wood I need to heat my house and shop already. The trouble is there are more trees that have to be cut and I’m gong to have to find a place to put the wood. There is always the next winter after all.
Michael
Filed under: Farm, Minnesota, snow, Trees, winter, wood heat | Tags: cutting wood, farm, Minnesota, trees, wood heat
For me, the time between the snow melting out of the grove and planting season is for cutting wood. We always seem to have dead or broken trees that need to be cleaned up. There are also some branches that are hanging over or near buildings, or out into the field. Well it’s that season, and I’m at it.
We still have some snow in the grove, but so far I’ve been able to work in areas that are not too wet. We cut an elm that somehow survived Dutch Elm Disease and are working on splitting and stacking that today. The size of the trunk has put my body to the test. I’m feeling old and sore.
So far I’ve only really looked at the trees at my dads place. Mine got trimmed out last fall. I also know I have a few trees I can take at my uncles place, so I will have plenty of wood. I’m going to try to get at least half of next winters wood stacked before planting. I should be able to finish the rest during the summer.
I have about a months worth of wood that I cut late last fall and early winter to start next heating season. It’s best if wood has at least 6 months to dry. Even dead wood on a tree can contain some moisture, so it needs to be cut to stove length and split. My stove will take up to a 4 foot log, but most larger logs need to be under 26 inches to go through the splitter.
I know I’ll be sore from lugging logs and chain saws for a few days, but I best keep at it. In Minnesota, winter is either here, or just a few months in the future.
Michael
