Purposes for ash logs

[SD51555]

I have lots of good ash that needs to come down in the next few years. It’s likely more than anyone can use for firewood, nor do I want to hump it all out to the trail.

I thought about using a bunch of it to make a base for rabbit shelters and then cover them up in brush while I’m clearing.

I could make some access trails into those spots where I’m gonna work next time I have the digger out there I suppose. Then I could at least go in each year and harvest a bunch until I get it all used up. Then my neighbor could also get in there to haul out as much as he wants.


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[Tree Spud]

I have several hundred that have been attacked by emerald ash borer. Curious on what others think for their uses.

 

[bwoods11]

It makes beautiful milled lumber ? I’ve seen ash floors, wall siding, man cave material?

 

[Turkey Creek]

I am going to evaluate ours this Winter. If I have enough large diameter stuff to make it worth while I am going to buy a portable sawmill and mill it myself. Store it for future projects. If I only have a little of it worthy of lumber I am going to haul it to a local guy and trade him some for milling some. If none of it is big enough for lumber I am going to be set for firewood for the next 50 years! LOL We have one 10 acre patch of timber that is 90% ash.

 

[Foggy47]

While I think there is always a value in saw logs....the logs that SD was toting about wont get any attention at the saw mill. I suppose they could make posts or be of interest to a small user for a certain project, but the diameter is not enough to get a timber value......IMO. Ash is relatively dense and I think makes good firewood?....but I have not burned it much....and am uncertain how it burns compared to others. I typically judge fire wood by it's weight.

 

[Kooch]

It burns a hell of a lot nicer than cottonwood. I can tell you that!

 

[SD51555]

It's no oak or ironwood, but it's right up there with them. If I had to choose one firewood, it'd be ash, simply because of how easy it is to harvest, how easy it splits, and how long it burns and keeps even heat for longer campfire cooks.

 

[Tree Spud]

I have cut and split 3 cords now. Very clean wood (no knots) and splits well. Started burning in our wood stove and it burns well, gives off good heat, just doesn't leave the same amount of coals as oak would.

 

[rocksnstumps]

White ash is a great firewood. Splits easy and find you can get it to burn a bit more green than oak if you are hard up for some wood. Very similar in most properties to red oak with ash having average specific gravity of 0.60 and red oak 0.63

Where it falls short compared to most oaks is tends to rot faster outdoors. For brushpile building is better than nothing and of course it's close by so why not. Just expect to rot quicker than most pines and oaks when in contact with the ground.

If used for trailer decking better apply some treatment and if left out in the weather all the time instead of in a shed would probably avoid and just pony up the money for treated SYP (southern yellow pine) which has about 80% the strength of oak. For trailer decking would stick to white oak if doing the saw your own method.

 

[rocksnstumps]

It burns a hell of a lot nicer than cottonwood. I can tell you that!

I try to avoid using cottonwood for firewood. When you first cut it, it is as heavy as any oak to handle as the water content in cottonwood is quite high. When drying it has a nasty sour smell. Rather distinctive. When finally dry it's pretty light and burns too quick. Ave specific gravity is 0.34 so compared to ash it's quite the lightweight.

 

[hillrunner]

I'm sitting next to an ash wood fire in the woods stove as I type.
I milled a bunch up last winter. I haven't started on any of the big projects I have planned but I did build a couple european mount stands with it.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

If none of it is big enough for lumber I am going to be set for firewood for the next 50 years! LOL

I'm in the same boat. EAB just showed up on my 45 acres. In the coming years I will have an endless supply of firewood. I've got some massive 32" to 38" trees that are not going to be fun to work with.

 

[cavey]

It makes beautiful milled lumber ? I’ve seen ash floors, wall siding, man cave material?

yes it does, cracks and splits fast though if left on the landing or stacked as logs, you need to get it cut pretty fast to release the internal strains on the lumber, once stabilized it makes beautiful wood. I have a pile of it in my shed drying. I have a table to make hoping enough of it doesnt split.

 

[SD51555]

yes it does, cracks and splits fast though if left on the landing or stacked as logs, you need to get it cut pretty fast to release the internal strains on the lumber, once stabilized it makes beautiful wood. I have a pile of it in my shed drying. I have a table to make hoping enough of it doesnt split.

My neighbor milled up a 24" ash log and gave me a piece he planed down. It was a great looking board, and I had no idea what to do with it, so I set it in the corner. It bowed something awful soon after.

 

[b116757]

Ash is very prone to powder post beatle attack so I use Timbor on ash lumber.

Tim-bor Professional

Tim-bor Professional

www.domyown.com

 

[SD51555]

I am planning on getting in on the transmitting game camera world next year. I am putting the cams up high and with solar panels. My plan right now is to repurpose some smaller ash trees for posts.

I was gonna strip and char the underground portion for something to do during a campfire. Crazy?

These would be for permanent installations only on my plots.


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[cavey]

Ive seen it done, ... the carbon is supposed to make it rot and bug resistant... and water resistant too,.... always thought that there must have been a fire that went through and burnt the bottom of the posts but the char extended into the ground. Thought it was cray cray to burn off a 1/2 inch of good wood all the way around ... does seem to work.

Burnt stumps seem to last longer in the woods than unburnt ones??

 

[Telemark]

I am planning on getting in on the transmitting game camera world next year. I am putting the cams up high and with solar panels. My plan right now is to repurpose some smaller ash trees for posts.

I was gonna strip and char the underground portion for something to do during a campfire. Crazy?

These would be for permanent installations only on my plots.


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You going to go full takisugi and oil it after, or just char it a bit?

I would char and oil the entire pole rather than just the underground part. I think it would at least help to hold insects and fungus at bay, as well as add UV resistance.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

A note on mounting cams up high- some cams have very narrow (vertically) detection zones so when they are high and angled down the area an animal needs to be to trigger is significantly reduced compared to a lower mounted camera. This is a significant drawback on the tactacam reveals, a deer can walk through the top or bottom of the camera FOV and not trigger the cam.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Ive seen it done, ... the carbon is supposed to make it rot and bug resistant... and water resistant too,.... always thought that there must have been a fire that went through and burnt the bottom of the posts but the char extended into the ground. Thought it was cray cray to burn off a 1/2 inch of good wood all the way around ... does seem to work.

Burnt stumps seem to last longer in the woods than unburnt ones??

Charring wood for better rot protection seems to be gaining advocates especially over in Europe where they want "eco friendly" options vs the chemical/heavy metal processes.

Even saw on a YouTuber video (Andrew Camarata) that a customer of his rebuilt a shed with totally pre charred siding. When all done that way and a metal roof it didn't look too bad.