tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5213936692074268533.post3773503958025183554..comments2024-03-28T18:28:36.765-05:00Comments on True Blue Sam the Travelin' Man: Just Say No To Ornamental Pears!David aka True Blue Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06221281748612938132noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5213936692074268533.post-63338532963982497082016-05-03T18:52:19.417-05:002016-05-03T18:52:19.417-05:00You're absolutely right, white oak takes forev...You're absolutely right, white oak takes forever to dry, but it makes wonderful firewood. You can burn pine, but you have to know the trick. First, it has to be absolutely bone dry. If the bark is falling off, it's dry enough. Let it burn hot and fast--don't damp the stove down. It isn't a wood to burn overnight. I've burned it since I was a teenager and if you do it The Freeholderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989697995675652792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5213936692074268533.post-6397954696659742172016-05-02T22:39:46.439-05:002016-05-02T22:39:46.439-05:00Norhtern Red Oak is a higher quality tree than bla...Norhtern Red Oak is a higher quality tree than black oak. Most of our soils in the clay pan area of So. IL are black oak sites rather than Red Oak. Red Oak's advantage over White Oak is the faster drying. That is why we like it. We can cut Black Oak and be burning it in a month. White Oak won't do that. <br /><br />We tried burning some white pine one winter and plugged our stove David aka True Blue Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06221281748612938132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5213936692074268533.post-45800318671942949682016-05-02T17:01:12.043-05:002016-05-02T17:01:12.043-05:00Black Oak isn't something you see around here....Black Oak isn't something you see around here. Red Oak and White Oak are our predominate oak species. I prefer white but red is a lot easier to get. However, I'm a big fan of "free" which means I've become adept at burning all sorts of wood. Fortunately, it isn't as cold for as long (usually), so I can burn softer woods most of the time and save the good hard woods The Freeholderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989697995675652792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5213936692074268533.post-73635127739422533302016-05-01T22:50:20.932-05:002016-05-01T22:50:20.932-05:00Bradford pears, Callery Pears, CLeveland pears, an...Bradford pears, Callery Pears, CLeveland pears, and others that are similar. They are pretty every year, but they have now become an invasive species as birds spread the seeds around the landscape. The wood is good to add to the barbecue or smoker. Dry it for a year for the wood stove. Our favorite wood is black oak for heat. The large spring pores allow it to dry fast and dry well. Wood David aka True Blue Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06221281748612938132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5213936692074268533.post-5211168216822662002016-05-01T13:22:17.768-05:002016-05-01T13:22:17.768-05:00Ornamental pears--are those also known as a Bradfo...Ornamental pears--are those also known as a Bradford Pear? White flowers, smell terrible when they bloom? If that is the same tree as I'm thinking of, they never manage to get that big here. Over-grown weeds. They don't even make decent firewood.The Freeholderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989697995675652792noreply@blogger.com