Things in my neighborhood

Free Firewood!*

(* of course you still have to collect, load and split it yourself.)

So this morning, my first one back after a nice trip to visit with H7HT members, I woke up early and joined my next door neighbor Chris and two of his buddies, Ed and Dwayne. We drove about 10 miles up into the hills and started looking for standing dead trees. Ed and Dwayne are old hands at this and they are able to tell between tamarack, red pine, white pine and all other trees after they are dead. Seems the red pine is the key to high BTU output in the ole' wood stove. I don't have a wood stove so I opted for the faster burning and more "crackley" white pine.

After finding the proper tree it is cut at the base and felled. I stayed way the hell back because I have watched a little of American Loggers or Extreme Loggers or whatever that show is and I know that someone dies in every episode. Then Ed hooks it up to his truck with a long cable and flogs his truck like a rented mule to drag the log out onto the road. Two chainsaws go to work to cut it length and then I throw it into the trucks, what I am there for.

When all is said and done I end up with a solid half cord of dry white pine cut into the 20" fireplace lengths perfect for my big stone fireplace for more or less free. Only cost me 4 hours of time in the woods with a couple of good ole' boys and 1/4 tank of gas. Sweet.
GBCH