Tips for foraging for wood

alleycat`

Swipe wrote: »

I'm afraid you'll find your ash will be no use until next winter.

This isn't strictly true.
Ash is one of the few woods you can burn when "green" and just about get away with it.
Typically the ash has a lot less moisture content than most other trees.

I would agree that burning freshly cut trees isn't a good idea.

Fishingtime

I sounds ideal getting your own firewood.
I used to think that when I moved into a house with a wood burner.
You have no car and it is a 15 min walk away,any wood that you manage to collect will only last a few minutes if you are having to carry it home

ajpaul

any wood that you manage to collect will only last a few minutes if you are having to carry it home

Eh? Does wood go off if you carry it or something?

alleycat`

ajpaul wrote: »

Eh? Does wood go off if you carry it or something?

I suspect what they meant was that the amount of wood you could forage on a single trip (at this time of year) would not last very long once the stove / fire is in full swing. Especially if this was hand carried.

If the foraging had started in late spring and gone through the summer then you might have enough built up to last some time.

It is quite possible in a very cold winter that the OP would need to consume several tons of fire wood.

Also the wood currently under collection will need to have seasoned properly (with some exceptions). So most of what is collected now won't be as dry as it should be going forward for this winter.

Mostly what the Op is collecting now would be excellent for next winter (if stored properly).

Thats my thoughts / interpretation anyway.

Fishingtime

At the speed I walk the wood,would go off :rotfl:

If it is only a short walk then it would be better getting a trolley that you can pull,that way you will be able to get alot more wood.
I built a wood store out of old pallets to season the wood

Skint_but_Optimistic

I think any is going to help... Ive already got a decent wood pile and I will be out fo a wood and berry forage again this weekend.

We live rurally, so its just woodland, not maintained and its just fallen branches and the like.

bernithebiker

We have 38 acres here in France. Alot of that is very overgrown with laurel, which is outgrowing the other trees (beech, chestnut, oak).

I put an ad out last winter for people to come and cut it down, and take anything they cut. We burn the branches.

Works very well - I get the land cleared and they get free logs.

Maybe the same kind of arrangement exists in the UK?

highrisklowreturn

You have no car and it is a 15 min walk away,any wood that you manage to collect will only last a few minutes if you are having to carry it home

This is untrue.

My rucksack is big enough to fit an 18inch chainsaw with guidebar in. In total, I expect I got yesterday around 25 good size logs worth of wood. Hardly only going to last just a few minutes.

And I'm specifically collecting Ash, which, moisture wise, is generally coming in at 20-35%, no not terrible.

In total I have have 4 large bags of wood which I can get through, the majority of which is Ash which I now seek out specially.

Swipe

alleycat` wrote: »

This isn't strictly true.
Ash is one of the few woods you can burn when "green" and just about get away with it.
Typically the ash has a lot less moisture content than most other trees.

I would agree that burning freshly cut trees isn't a good idea.

While ash contains less moisture than other wood it will still need seasoning. Last year I took some large branches from my father's ash tree, sawed and split them and left them for 4 months. They still sizzled on the fire. Burning unseasoned ash is a real waste IMO as when it is properly dry it is probably the best wood you can burn, along with oak (which can need up to 2 years to season).

alleycat`

Swipe wrote: »

While ash contains less moisture than other wood it will still need seasoning. Last year I took some large branches from my father's ash tree, sawed and split them and left them for 4 months. They still sizzled on the fire. Burning unseasoned ash is a real waste IMO as when it is properly dry it is probably the best wood you can burn, along with oak (which can need up to 2 years to season).

It depends on the time of year the tree was cut as to how much you "can get away with it".

I did also say it wasn't a good idea. We both agree it is a very big waste of an excellent wood.