GETTIN WOOD

>>866410
Try picking up deadfall first. Once you run out of that then start looking for dead trees that are not yet fallen. If you still can't get what you need, chop off limbs only from living trees. After that, if you still need more, chop the tree down about 5 feet about the ground so it may re-sprout and become a pollard where you can source wood from it years later.

Basically, there's no real reason to completely remove trees.

>>866410
Cutting trees down is both needlessly destructive, and also yields bad fire wood. The reason for the bad wood, is because live trees are very wet on the inside, as they feed water through all the wood to the leaves or branches.

What you want to use for firewood is "dead standing wood" trees that have fallen over, or even old logs that are elevated off the ground will give you the best fire wood, and will often times be dry on the inside, even under rainy/wet conditions. Try to avoid saturated branches and logs laying directly on the ground, as these will be wet, and burn cold and smokey, if at all.

It is better practice to burn wood found in the area you are camping, as bringing wood in from an outside location can introduce new bacteria and insects to an environment that wouldn't other wise have it. Also, medium to large size branches do just fine. You don't need big logs split up like your pic related.

Tl;Dr, find a fallen over tree, and cut that up for your fire wood

>>866412
>>866414
thanks friends. Do I need to get any sort of permit to collect dead branches/logs? The internet was pretty vague. I live in SW Montana if that helps

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>>866410
What type of fire will you be making, just campfires, stove fires, kilns/furnaces?

I use a rocket stove. This is the fuel I gathered for it just a couple days ago. All of the wood came from the dead branches of a boxelder. This 17gal tote has enough wood for about 50 meals I think. Maybe more.

>>866416
I highly doubt collecting deadfall has any regulations anywhere. If you are in a park, just ask.

>>866416
Of you're staying in a state park, or car style camp grounds, you'll have to buy wood from the ranger station, as there won't be any wood to gather otherwise.

Anywhere else, you're encouraged to gather/process fallen trees

>>866418
My new place has room for a fireplace outside so I wanted to collect some wood to have fires in the winter but I've never really done it before.

Also just looking for general tips on finding good firewood since I go backpacking pretty frequently

if it's something planned, bring it with...at least then you'll know what you're getting

geez, there are literally daily posts on CL by people giving away cut wood or offering trees to take down

>>866427
I should note that I don't have a chainsaw either

>>866425
Then most of what you need to know has been posted above.

For your at home fuel, gather it when wood is at its driest. That's what I've been doing this past week. A friend of mine exclusively heats her house in the winter with dead fall, but we live in the forest.

>>866429
Get a "Crosscut Saw", splitting maul, & an axe and learn how to use them. It's pretty easy if you follow general tree felling and log cutting guidelines and tips online with those tools.

>Crosscut saw manual from the USFS.
http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf77712508/pdf77712508dpi300.pdf

>>866429
if it's already cut, you'll be fine with just an axe

HF has an electric saw pretty cheap
reciprocating saw works too

My area has several dump sites for city crews that clear fallen or hazardous trees. You may need a chain saw because they're usually in 4 foot sections. Also scan craigslist free section because people are always trying to get rid of fallen or cut trees from their property. I have about 4 cords of seasoned pine from scavenging free wood.

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Not that this applies while you're in the woods, but as everybody has been saying, you really can keep yourself stocked up for an entire summer for free by keeping an eye on Craigslist (and owning a truck). At least some of the wood you find on Craigslist will already be cut into small enough rounds for splitting with a regular axe (or more easily with a splitting axe).

>>866640
When I have room, I will go out after bad windy storms and harvest all the downed trees across the roads. The state road guys cut them up and leave them in the ditch. If you are there when they are cutting, they will even cut them to your size specifications and help you load them and are happy to do so. I got a lot of black cherry logs that way, which I'm seasoning and will hopefully turn into an end-grain butchers block table.

>>866412
I LOVE finding dead trees, especially the thin ones because how easy they are to crumble.

I don't know if me and my friend are the only one but I always enjoy going around and kicking
dead trees as they normally just smash into pieces from contact.

>>866640

I've done this before. You just wait for someone to post and then get their first. A lot of guys do this on the side and sell it off in the winter. I used to load up my subaru and bring it back to the house I was living at because we hating paying for oil.

The only real problem is that its always green wood so you'd need to season it, which is fine, but I didn't want to start on a multi year endeavor at this place.

If I owned a house I would absolutely do this.

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>>866416
If you come into my wood and collect anything - ANYTHING - i'll sue the living shit out of you.

>>866416
Hi Friendo, I live in Helena at the moment, and spent a lot of the summer up in Kalispell, during which time I collected firewood, both deadfall and standing dead trees. I'm pretty sure you have to get a permit to get deadfall, but getting a permit isn't hard at all. You can read a bit about the permits at the link I've attached. Have a good time and stay safe!

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r1/passes-permits

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>>866708
Here's a picture of a cord I was working on at the time I took the photo. The tools there, plus a wedge, were all I really needed, and on top of those you'd want to get thick steel cable for pulling out deadfall.

>>866425
You gotta be careful with indoor fireplaces. There is something with hardwoods vs soft woods or some other shit that certain types will give off a lot more soot and creosote and you are just asking to burn your house down if you have fires with these types and don't clean the chimney a shit ton.

>>866729
Normal cleaning and high heat fires are standard protocal for owning wood burning equipment. It is like telling people to make sure they change the oil in their vehicles. The only problem with wood is wet new wood. It won't burn as hot. When flue gas temperatures lower, creosote starts to build up instead of being burned up. Badly designed stoves or improper air flow can also cause this problem.

It isn't because of the type of wood, per se.

>>866410
Look in your phone book for tree services. I do tree removals, and we can't give away our wood fast enough. They might even deliver it.

>>866710
That's not a cord. That's barely a face cord you dumb cunt.

>>866425
Check Craigslist. I see cheap/free wood on there and I don't just mean in the casual encounter's section.

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Just stacked this a few days ago. Mostly oak and almond.

Gonna go back for a couple more loads because it's all free and I have a good spot for another big pile or two.

>>867001
"A cord I was working on"
Learn to read you stupid faggot

>>866410
>>866414
>>866416
>>866425
>>866431
>>866684
>>866749
If you must (for whatever reason) use fresh cut wood chose white Birch as long as it is below freezing outside. In the winter they have an extremely low water content and will burn just fine.

>>867001
not the dude you were replying to, but maybe the rest of the cord is out of the frame?
jesus, it's like a real life "is this a school for ants!?" moment
>why you mad?

>>867275
Because he has a fucking axe handle in his sledgehammer.

>>867286
For the type of job he's doing that is the proper handle. The reason normal sledge hammer handles are the way they are is because it is more conducive to multiple types of jobs. When specializing in 1 type of job you use the proper handle for that specific job.

>>866694
huh?

>>867001
calm the fuck down
read what he wrote
and politely fuck off

>>867286
aaaaaaaaaaand faggot?

>>867288
It's called taking care of your tools and fixing them up right.

>>866410
Unless those trees are on your property, that's stealing.

As in: I can legally shoot you for stealing my trees.

>>867490
okay bub

>>867286
Yeah, because it works very well. I personally made it.

>>867528
Reverse image says you stole the.pic

>>867555
How's that?

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>>867555
>>867590
Forgot to attach image

>>867592
Didn't use TinEye

>>867555
>>867481
>>867286
>>867001

Triggering faggots 101

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Go to your local forest service or state land management office. Here in Idaho, that's Department of Lands. You will need a permit typically and they can explain rules and such.

Look for dead standing or deadfall, or snapped off 'green' trees that will be dead soon anyway (let this sit til next year when you get it home).

Let's talk saws and felling, I used to work innawoods:

1. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR DAMN CHAINSAW NIGGER
2. Wear saw chaps, no really, spend the $55 and GET SAW CHAPS DONT be dumb
3. Learn to file that chain, watch some videos.
4. Make test cuts in downed sections to see if you're wasting time on rotted wood. But, some rotted trees will have a good section others have skipped, so don't be hasty.
5. Be CAREFUL about birch or cedar trees if you are even allowed to cut them. These fuckers can be paper-fragile rotten inside and look fine outside. The second you start cutting they can sometimes snap off up top, or come down like Building 7 and bomb your ass. My father in law almost died once like this. Which brings us to the next point...
6. ALWAYS be glancing up while cutting. Never just look down the whole time. You don't want that fucker to pile drive you.

When you have survived this adventure and not been retarded, you will have a few pieces of wood in your pickup. Go home. Split it. Stick it somewhere dry.

Don't do what I did my first couple years at my new house and just stick it under shit Harbor Freight tarps. These will ultimately leak and be a pain in the ass, and then when your 40mph winter arctic blasts rage through in January you will lose three of them down the hillside not to be seen until May. Build a woodshed. Stack it nice.

On stoves:

Rocket stoves will probably be the new gold standard eventually and they really are awesome. I burned one in my house for two years, but for various reasons it just didn't work out, so now I'm back to a catalytic wood stove. These are fine too until rockets are better.

>>867061
Underrated post

>>867596
Alright then. Where exactly did I steal it from then?

>>866694
faggo

>>866410
don't know what its like in the states but I work in arb in the UK and most guys in your area will give you soft wood left over for free if you pick it up, saves loading it onto the truck. Facebook groups are handy e.g. arbtalk, treebay etc

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This is my first foray into firewood
Got an apartment with a fireplace and want to have as many fires as I want this winter
Used a wedge and sledgehammer. Is this the pussy way to do it? Should I use an axe next time? What's the best way?

>>867932
I always did wedge and hammer for round stuff like 10"+ and then axe for the rest

>tfw no indoor fireplaces in South Florida
Not even sure if the house has heat

>>866694
Ok, zaboomafoo

>>867882
In the states, it is basically one of the most common posts on Craigslist under the free section

>>867932

If you're going to use a lot of firewood and don't want to cut it yourself, just buy a logsplitter.

>>868038
lel

>>867001
16x4x4

>>866410
You can do that. Most property owner wont care if you take poplar trees.

my father used to take wood from a house getting demolish or from tree that had branch removed because they were touching the electric cables.
But dont forget to stack the wood properly because otherwise the city might give you a fine.

>>867932
A splitting axe is most efficient

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>>866421
>in a state park, or car style camp grounds, you'll have to buy wood

If there's state / federal land around, just drive out there and gather up firewood (make sure you have an ORV sticker for your truck).

Bring a small chainsaw, (or manual pruning saw) a machete (to de-limb larger prices, but keep those medium-smaller branches) and an axe to split bigger chunks back at camp.

>2016
>not using a pellet stove

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>>866425
>My new place has room for a fireplace outside so I wanted to collect some wood to have fires in the winter

In that case, just buy it.

Here in metro Detroit, one can get a face cord of split seasoned hardwood for under $100, delivered right up your driveway.

Buy or build a firewood rack out of 2x4s and they'll help you unload and stack it and you'll be done in 15mins.

Spent maybe an hour or two clearing some junk wood from my woods today and making a path wide enough for an ATV to drive through

I have no issue downing, bucking, and splitting the wood but it's a pain in the ass carrying it 100-150 yards all by hand trip after trip after trip

Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to move the firewood out of the woods wih said ATV
No cart but maybe I can build a small rack on the back of it

>>870561
I use a sled made from the steel shell of a car door attached to my tractor to skid my logs out if the woods, maybe you can do something similar. Or you know, get a clue.

>>870561
>clear a wide path
>cut trees into 8-10 foot poles
>connect chain and drag out
>block and split close to where you want to stack

>>870692
>>870710
I'm planning on dragging all logs to a central point in the woods where I've beencutting splitting and stacking them but it's still a ways from where I stack them at my house

I would drag the logs all the way up but I have a lawn I would like to somewhat maintain

>>870839
Plus splitting In the woods keeps the mess where I dont have to clean it up
And it gives it some time for anythi g like ants and shit to move out of the wood before bringing them close to my house

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>>867932
When you heat with wood one of these is very handy.

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>>870839
>I would drag the logs all the way up but I have a lawn I would like to somewhat maintain

This plus a large tarp for the chopping debris is all you need. Just make to pull the log, don't push it like this guy is doing. Pulling is far easier over rough terrain.

As far as insects go, only termites are a problem and you can spot them right off and sequester the offending wood. Ants are always there regardless even until you chuck the wood into the stove, but are usually not a problem. In fact, stored split wood will have more insects in it than when it was in the forest.

>>870710
If the end closest to the tractor aren't elevated or on a sled the end is going to fetch on every rock, root and hole.

>>871528
....tarp for chopping debris? Are you English? Holy fuck if I ever saw some dumb cut t doing this I'd kekkle to death
>>muhh muh lawwwwwn

>>871522
For old cunts only, only fat asses split their wood this way.

>>871543
It makes good kindling you homo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgaRd4d8hOY

Is it OK to burn palletts? A lot of people give those away on Craigslist but some might be treated with chemicals etc

>>872249
Burning pallets is fine as long as you can recognize treated wood and avoid it. No one really goes for them since they're usually rotting, softwood with debris and more effort than its worth to them to break down to burn.

>>872326
I heat my shop with pallets, reciprocating saw with a demo blade busts a pallet down in less than 40 seconds, and yes I timed myself.

>>872382
That's a good idea, I usually use a crowbar and a hammer but that actually makes way more sense. I think I have a demo blade for my recip that will cut through the nails too.

>>872382
I'm all for it if they're free and you have the space but there's something special about putting 3 hardwood logs on my furnace in the winter and never having to worry about it until I wake up.

>>872326
Even the heat-treated ones are usually treated with chemicals if they are second hand. There's no law about treating labeling pallets you get from another company and not reselling them. Some companies treat them with their own chemicals when they get them in.

Where I live it costs $3 for each pallet. They were once free. Now all those millennial hipster types have been DIYing crafts and shit with them from pintrest and instructables and you can barely find pallets anywhere.

>>872973
Notice how he mentioned his SHOP and not his HOUSE.
Sweet fuck you millenials, kys.

>>872981
Any industrial park, you will find all you can handle for nothing.

>>868489
Well I like to play with my wood. How could you do that with your faggy pellet?

>>868489
>Paying for wood fuel ever.

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I recommend drying wood for a year. Get busy now but just order precut stuff for this winter. I made two log sheds at my new house. The nice one has a dry and wet side so I can restock each spring. I also have a temporary one made from pallets and spare roof tiles. I used an electric chainsaw but would recommend getting a stihl. Splitting ace I used a fiskars x27. Split when the wood is fresh for easy cuts. Use a small hand are to make tinder bits. You can also buy a hydraulic wood splitter if you are lazy. Make sure the drying wood is off the ground and able to be ventilate for fast drying.

Pic is me cutting wood, backyard is finished now and doesn't look like a hobo camp spot.

>>866681
Hell yes, kicking over what amounts to a 25ft stick barely stuck in the ground makes me feel like paul bunyan. I will fuck up any zombie tree pretending to be alive.

>>866412
>Basically, there's no real reason to completely remove trees.

t. someone who doesn't know proper forest maintenance.

>>874219
The forest maintains itself well enough. It is when humans interfere with it, that it becomes a problem.

>>866416
Ohhhhh shit I'm in Bozeman. But for firewood you can collect as much deadfall as you want, but to make a campfire outside of an established site or campground you need a permit.

>>873844

This.

Like anon said, it burns a lot better if you let it dry for a year. Dries faster with good ventilation and rain cover, too.

t.Finnish firewood-heated sauna specialist with several cubic meters of split firewood in my back yard.

>>874227

Exact opposite mi amigo, forests can't maintain themselves worth shit, at least not anymore since we killed all the old growth and introduced 30 different invasive species. Forests are far too crowded for healthy growth, ground cover choking other plants out, etc, etc.

>>867932
Me and my brother tend to have a system where he will go at the logs with a splitting axe and if he can't get the job done in one or two whacks it moves on to me where I go at it with wedges n' sledges.

>>866694
>freedom intensifies

It depends on the law. I know in the state park here, you aren't legally allowed to take anything, but people do. They expect you to buy firewood at their posts, but fuck that. I collect deadfall like any other trip. In National Forests, you can collect deadfall, but I think you need permission to cut down trees.

Here in BC, Canada you would need to get a free use firewood permit from the BC government website. It's... uuh free. It just lists areas where you are not allowed to chop down trees. Peace officers will check for this permit if you chop down trees on crown land.