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Ultimate Firewood Tree
4 October 2013, 08:27,
#1
Ultimate Firewood Tree
Okay, winter is upon us...even though it's still over 20degrees down here.

Time for the firewood to be brought in from the log shed.

But, the fun start with the next question, do you grow your own fire wood? It's the ultimate renewable source. In fact, it's actually carbon neutral.

We have a 100 foot garden and have been in out house for 8 months now. We're sorting the garden, slowly (really damn slowly actually) and although I'm planning the loft and sorting that out, I do like to do a bit in the garden when I have time (yes I really should just stick to one at a time, but I don't have the attention span to do that). One of the things I've been looking at is which trees grow easily, can be cut right down, grow back super fast, but still produce awesome amounts of wood.

Research has led me to 1 winner, but 2 options.

Firstly, the second option, just because it's a brilliant plant and nearly impossible to kill. Enter the Buddleia (Butterfly bush). This plant manages to smash through concrete with it's roots and will thrive on your chimney stack, if given half a chance. You see these growing out of the sides of bridge brickwork, they are that awesome. One thing to consider, if you can get one (easily available) they can be cut right down to pretty much just a stump, and you'll have a beast of a plant by mid spring. Come summer, you'll have even more! Not the perfect fire wood, but a great way to see butterflies and still have plenty to burn, year after year. The real reason for including this little beauty is for those of us in urban areas. A few seeds here and there in derelict areas, or even post SHTF, and you'll be laughing at how much wood you'll have to burn. Also a great way to do a bit of organic vandalism (is that not the best expression you've heard in a while? S13 original haha).

Okay, time for our winner...I hope you're ready...

Imagine a tree where you can cut off about 2 feet of the end of a branch (literally as thick as a finger) drop it on the flood, and within a month it will have sent out roots and started growing. This thing is about as hardy as a hardy thing that went to hardy university and passed with hardy honours. You can cut it down to a stump and you'll come back a year later and have buckets of new branches, as if you'd never even cut it back in the first place. Actually, cut it well and you'll not even realise you've cut it a few months later. You'll just have the same tree you had last quarter.

Welcome in, the Willow!!!

We plan on planting a small row of these over the next 12 months (hopefully we'll have time in the next year) and they will produce an absolute bucket of wood every year. Work on a 3 year rotation to get really thick growth and chunky logs that will burn all day long, and you're set.

Here is a link if you want to read more.

http://www.thewillowbank.com/willow.firewood.facts.htm

Enjoy your step towards carbon neutral prepping haha.
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4 October 2013, 09:08,
#2
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
I have cleared some ground ready for this fast growing supply of firewood , and good security screens as well .
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4 October 2013, 12:06,
#3
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
willow will take lots of water out of your ground,we have loads around here flood plain.

also today brewing my morning cupper on my hobo seemed to take forever i think its the wood , i use pallets choped up almost always made from pine, problem some of it is sort of spungy and for wood soft, this dont burn so well as the other stuff seems to smolder more than burn also gives off a lot more smoke anybody know why ? Smile
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4 October 2013, 19:16,
#4
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
Both of those woods burn about as well as a wet phone book!

Then if you cut them and age the water out of them for a couple of years they go up in a burst of flame that lasts only moments.

Almost any fast growing wood is going to have a very high water content and sustain this problem.
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4 October 2013, 20:03,
#5
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
I've used willow in the past, and once it is well aged it burns as well as oak. A friend of mine used bulk willow pellets to fire his boiler - worked well.

But, give me oak, ash or beech anytime. That lovely golden glow from well aged wood. Can't wait for winter and open fires again.
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5 October 2013, 09:22,
#6
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
best wood for anything is ASH.
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5 October 2013, 09:38,
#7
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
(4 October 2013, 19:16)Mortblanc Wrote: Both of those woods burn about as well as a wet phone book!

Then if you cut them and age the water out of them for a couple of years they go up in a burst of flame that lasts only moments.

Almost any fast growing wood is going to have a very high water content and sustain this problem.

I've found the Buddleia to burn very quickly, yes, but when you are starting a fire, I quite like that about it. As for the willow, we used to use 1 year dried willow back in Basingstoke (we had an awesome log burner there...miss it loads) and we regularly went to the same guy for the willow because it was so good. Good burner and a good price.

The thing is, if you want to wait for a willow to grow before you start the fire process you can. If you want to do the same with beech, oak, or something similar, it's a damn long wait.

Willow is sustainable, useful, and gives an awesome bang for the buck.
Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism - Thomas Jefferson
Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither - Benjamin Franklin
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5 October 2013, 12:22,
#8
RE: Ultimate Firewood Tree
(5 October 2013, 09:22)bigpaul Wrote: best wood for anything is ASH.

yep best by far and you can coppice it too on a 7-10 year cycle if I remember something that i read on a website. an you need about 7.5 acres to be self sufficient

but in light of the recent ash disease I would also be looking at a mix of trees for a coppice just rather than putting all the eggs in one basket
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