This is a great time to cut firewood. With the early snow melt, and cooler or slightly below freezing nights, it may be possible to get to some of those dead trees you’ve had your eye one.
Even if you can’t drive right to the trees due to soggy ground conditions, you can carry in your saw, gas and a small tool box and enjoy an hour or two of pleasant work dropping and slicing/dicing trees into convenient lengths. I have always preferred to split the blocks of wood out in the woods before loading. In this way the mess stays in the woods and I can load, unload and stack lighter pieces of wood, means less effort and less risk of back injuries.
You will get the great benefits of more heat and cleaner burning if you are able to dry your wood for two years prior to use. By working ahead two to three years, everything about making and using firewood gets easier and more satisfying.
If you are cutting ash trees, be sure not to move the firewood out of Rice County. This will be a habit we should all observe from now on to minimize the chances of spreading Emerald Ash Borer to un-infested areas. While no infestations have been found in Rice County, this new way of handling wood from ash tree should become standard procedure for all of us.
Once Emerald Ash Borer has been shown to exist in Rice County trees, you will be able to treat selected high value ash trees to prevent them from being killed by this destructive insect pest. Soil drench applications of Imidacloprid are over 90% effective when done at the correct rates, and these applications are very easy for people to do themselves. No spraying or injecting necessary.
Enjoy your time in the woods, cutting firewood! These spring days will be some of the most enjoyable of the whole year to do outdoor work!
I have also shared this post with the Northfield News for their blog section.
