cultivating trees for firewood

[chrisser]

I don't have any property yet, so this is more a hypothetical.

Mom found a place nearby that has a bunch of "monkey balls" on the ground that she could take. I did some reasearch and these are apparently osage orange trees.

Reading a bit, I've found that this particular tree grows well on marginal soils, grows quickly and is an excellent hard firewood - nearly as much BTUs per lb dry as low-grade coal.

This particular tree has many thorns and was used to enclose fields in the days before barbed wire. That could be a plus and a minus.

Anyhow, should the wife and I someday have some property, I was thinking this would be a great way to both protect the borders from trespassers (and maybe also keep in livestock) and also would be a source for excellent firewood.

Kind of curious if anyone has purposely raised trees for firewood, how long it takes, etc. Any experience with this particular tree would be great info.

I'd like to find a piece of land that has enough wooded area to use as a source of firewood, but being able to "grow our own" might open up other land (former farms, for example) that we otherwise wouldn't consider.

Any thoughts?

[kawalekm]

Hi Chris
I'm planting firewood trees also, though I'm also a permaculture advocate, so I want to plant firewood trees that also produce something edible. First I'm trying nitrogen fixing legumes like Black, and Honey Locust. Both produce very high heat-value wood, both are nitrogen fixers (very fast growth), and Black Locust readily sprouts and is amenable to coppicing. Also, both are somewhat drought tolerant so can stand California summers.

Unfortunately for me though, both are so tasty to deer that a lot of my trees have been browsed to the ground and killed. Seedlings don't survive if they aren't protected with chicken wire. It's a work in progess.
Michael

[fredfl]

When I lived in NE I used to thin out the softwood trees and encourage the smaller hardwood trees to grow, in about 5 years they required thinning and after 10 years serious harvesting could begin.

[crafty2002]

I know a lot of people don't like popular for fire wood but I like it a lot. It splits easier than anything I have ever split, green or dry.
Mixed green and dry burns good and dry will put out a lot of heat fast in the morning.
I like it mostly when you need a fast blast of heat because it fires up easy when it is dry.
It grows about as fast as any other tree you can find anywhere and they pretty much grow straight up and not out so they can be planter closer together.
I have seen some of them hit 30-40 feet in 5 or 6 years.
And they are easy to cut with a chainsaw.

[MooseToo]

we need a bio-engineer able to develop a hybrid tree that grows to a max of 6 inch diameter for the full length of its 50 foot heighth that can be pushed over with a riding mower, and that will break up into 16 inch pieces when it hits the ground - and, of course, it should weigh the same as balsa and burn like white oak -
i'd plant some -

[kawalekm]

I saw that movie. The trees ended up eating all the people.

[Quietgentleman]

chrisser

Around here they are called hedge apples but the mokey balls gave me a good chuckle. The orange sage is highly sought after by bow makers. They say its some of the best wood for making bow for bows and arrows. The hardest part from what I have read is finding a section straight enough grain wise to make a long enough blank for the bow. The worst thing about using it for fire wood is that its hard on the chains of a chainsaw. The thorns can be a real pain too.

QGM

[cubcadet]

Depending on where you live, any wood that is available and splits well can be used for firewood. If you can, get the densest hardwood you can, as it will last the longest in the stove. Some woods will generate more heat and ash than others. For me, the best is the locally available hard maple, also known as sugar maple. I don`t have any problem using most wood types. Even pine is ok in a pinch, as long as it is well seasoned. Many folk think that the pine pitch will contribute to creosote buildup. I disagree. I have been told that as long as the wood has been dried properly, it`ll do ya good. It`s the water content, which prevents the wood itself from burning more completely, that creates creosote. Osage is a fruit tree, even tho the fruit is inedible. The goats my like it, tho. Fruit wood may be some of the best wood for burning as well as for bow making, due to it`s very dense, close grained wood. Unfortunately, the size may be a limiting factor. I`ve seen osage, and they don`t seem to grow very large, their limbs being very low to the ground. Below is a link that`ll show you the amount of heat you`ll get from various woods-

http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/firewood.htm

Joe