Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Helogabals]

Firewood for the winter of 2025/26. I'll block and split it late this winter or early spring. Gives it 2 summers to dry. One in the sun and then into the shed.

View attachment 848091


gg

Normally I am splitting ASAP. 3 reasons
1. It's rather tough job. To me it's better to swing axe while it's cold. Just take off jacket and go like hell. No mosquitos, etc
2. water doesn't migrate trough bark. Even splitting just in 2 chunks is a big deal for drying
3. I like to do THAT on snow. because wood remains clean. easier to work with chainsaw - not a big deal if chain hits snow
* and additional #, it might be just "placebo". I have got a feeling that frozen wood is splitting better. Somehow ice is helping to breaking structure. Maybe that is just my illusions


Fun thing is, I don't recognize any species of trees you have in that picture. Nor logs nor those, still vertical. To me they all looks different to those which are growing here. And you also have snow, so should be rather cold climate either.
Like those green with needles I have seen in Italy, Spain. If it's pine, our looks very different

 

[Gordon Gould]

Normally I am splitting ASAP. 3 reasons
1. It's rather tough job. To me it's better to swing axe while it's cold. Just take off jacket and go like hell. No mosquitos, etc
2. water doesn't migrate trough bark. Even splitting just in 2 chunks is a big deal for drying
3. I like to do THAT on snow. because wood remains clean. easier to work with chainsaw - not a big deal if chain hits snow
* and additional #, it might be just "placebo". I have got a feeling that frozen wood is splitting better. Somehow ice is helping to breaking structure. Maybe that is just my illusions


Fun thing is, I don't recognize any species of trees you have in that picture. Nor logs nor those, still vertical. To me they all looks different to those which are growing here. And you also have snow, so should be rather cold climate either.
Like those green with needles I have seen in Italy, Spain. If it's pine, our looks very different

That all makes sense. It is different here. In early spring it is still quite cool - below freezing at night and no bugs. Comfortable working weather. Wood pile stays frozen until then and off the ground does not pick up any additional water. There is lots of mud and water in the woods then so it is a good time to work in the sun where the ground is dry. I like to keep logs clean and the saw out off the dirt too.

The log pile is a mixture of hard wood. Maple, Beech, Yellow and White Birch, Ash, and Hop Horn Beam. The trees with the long needles are Eastern White Pine. We have Spruce and Fir also like you have. Your forest looks very good. I agree with you that wood splits easier when it is frozen using a maul. That first swing into frozen wood does not get cushioned by soft fiber.

gg

 

[Loaderman22]

I also like to do firewood when it's cold, was out on Sunday clearing some trails at a local park.

Sorry, no tractor this time either. The 4 wheeler is faster, lighter, and with the log arch, I can move a decent size log. This was a fallen dead ash. It was about 20°F outside so we didn't tear up the trail, & come spring, only a leaf blower is needed for final clean up. We moved and stockpiled about 15 trees, most were recent blowdowns, mostly ash, but some cherry and a maple or 2 mixed in. We were at it about 4 hours total.

 

[Helogabals]

That all makes sense. It is different here. In early spring it is still quite cool - below freezing at night and no bugs. Comfortable working weather. Wood pile stays frozen until then and off the ground does not pick up any additional water. There is lots of mud and water in the woods then so it is a good time to work in the sun where the ground is dry. I like to keep logs clean and the saw out off the dirt too.


View attachment 848144

The log pile is a mixture of hard wood. Maple, Beech, Yellow and White Birch, Ash, and Hop Horn Beam. The trees with the long needles are Eastern White Pine. We have Spruce and Fir also like you have. Your forest looks very good. I agree with you that wood splits easier when it is frozen using a maul. That first swing into frozen wood does not get cushioned by soft fiber.

gg

Thanks !

I am living like 2 1/2 h drive away from my "rancho" and I am not there every weekend so I can't catch that perfect moment when sunny places are already dry, but it's not hot, etc
Your approach makes perfect sense. Would love to do your way, but if I can't grant it, then I prefer stay on the snow

From your pile I recognize Birch. Easily. Looking on pic I would say that we do have perfectly same, but just we don't split yellow / white. Birch is birch.
And I would guess that those green chunks are maple
Then here we have Ashes. Love that wood. Have floors, doors, furniture. Don't see one in your pic.


For Beech is too cold here.
And it's first time have read "Hop Horn Beam". Googled it, seems similar like Beech


What kind of log tractor is holding - have no idea.

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To stick with thread
Few years back got from sawmill oversized oak

needed some efforts to make them like this

 

[John_Mc]

I've been enjoying finally being able to get out and work in my woods, now that the ground has finally frozen up. It's been the warmest, wettest year I can remember in my 23 years of owning this property. I do enjoy working in the cooler weather. A few days ago it was around 15˚F (approx -10˚C) I was out working as hard as I wanted and staying warm without having to go full winter gear (just a long sleeved short under a chainsaw jacket). By the time I headed home, it was 5˚F (-15˚C). The ride home was a bit chilly, but tolerable, since I was out of the wind. Hoping it lasts. We had a high right around freezing today.

Unfortunately, the rest of the week looks as though it will be above freezing.

 

[groundcover]

Got a nine load of ash today !

 

[Gordon Gould]

What kind of log tractor is holding - have no idea.

That is Red Maple or Soft Maple as compared to Sugar Maple or Hard Maple.

I do see a lot of work in that big oak. I am surprised you can grow oak but it is to cold for beech. What species oak do you have ?

gg

 

[Helogabals]

That is Red Maple or Soft Maple as compared to Sugar Maple or Hard Maple.

I do see a lot of work in that big oak. I am surprised you can grow oak but it is to cold for beech. What species oak do you have ?

gg

Simple oak

Quercus robur - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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I was googling "beech", just to be sure: Beech - Wikipedia

As a naturally growing forest tree, beech marks the important border between the European deciduous forest zone and the northern pine forest zone. This border is important for wildlife and fauna.

In Denmark and Scania at the southernmost peak of the Scandinavian peninsula, southwest of the natural spruce boundary, it is the most common forest tree. It grows naturally in Denmark and southern Norway and Sweden up to about 57–59°N. The most northern known naturally growing (not planted) beech trees are found in a small grove north of Bergen on the west coast of Norway. Near the city of Larvik is the largest naturally occurring beech forest in Norway, Bøkeskogen.

It's interesting, as Bergen (NOR) is little more north than we are, but it seems that Golf stream comes into play

We are just at 57N. 57th parallel north - Wikipedia


I was right. Latvia's Wiki page about Beech is very short. Latvijā savvaļā neaug neviena dižskābāržu suga, lai gan apstādījumos ir atrodams

It says - in the wild there is no Beech in Latvia, however there are some in cultivated gardens

 

[Gordon Gould]

Got a nine load of ash today !
View attachment 848308

It must have been interesting watching that tree get dismantled limb by limb. Looks like it was pretty tall.

gg

 

[dodge man]

How are people measuring to cut fire wood to the correct length? Maybe a better question is how are you marking it? I’ll hold my chainsaw bar sideways and use that or just guess and I end up all over the place.