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I have a dead tree in my back yard I need to cut down, it seems to be central to only the one tree, would it be OK for me to use it as fire wood or should I have it hauled away? I don't want something to spread to my other trees.

I have a tree that has been hit by lightening a number of times and branches fall constantly. I usually cut them up and use them for firewood so I would think you could do that.

I think this one's issue may very well be lightning, I have one in the woods on the other side that got hit by lightning too. I will have to get my husband to investigate this further in spring.

I don't think there is any issue of spreading anything if it's dead. If it's dead from bark beetles or some kind of insect infestation, burning the wood might actually be a good thing. If you plan to burn the wood inside, you'll want to make sure the wood is good and dry, otherwise you could be creating a problem for your chimney.

I've never used dead/dying wood before in a fireplace. The only concern I would have would be the smell but as people have said above, they've done it so I'm guessing that's not a concern.

abeja_reina_1989 said:

I've never used dead/dying wood before in a fireplace. The only concern I would have would be the smell but as people have said above, they've done it so I'm guessing that's not a concern.

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You don't mean to imply that you only burn living/live wood ?? :smile:KennyV

Right! Your firewood has to be "seasoned", meaning it is completely dried out. If you are using "green" wood, it won't burn very well because of all the moisture, and it will play havoc with your chimney.

When I come across dead trees I look to see whether the wood is rotting and crumbling, or infested by bugs, or is of a type that I would not burn anyway (like pine). If it is none of the above I'll cut it and stack it. The next year I see how it looks and how it splits. If it looks good and splits OK, then it goes on the woodpile. If not, it becomes home for chipmunks.

We burn a mix of green wood and seasoned wood and we try to make our wood stove as efficient as possible. I find burning the mix makes it burn longer than completely green or completely seasoned.

Here's a picture of an oak tree that was struck by lightning almost two years ago. It made great firewood.



Nobody has mentioned to be sure that any firewood that you bring in or near your house should be checked carefully for termites, etc. I don't take chances. You can still burn it but store it away from the house.

Two-Stroke said:

Here's a picture of an oak tree that was struck by lightning almost two years ago. It made great firewood.

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Looks rather handily already split and ready to use as firewood... :smile:KennyV

I am not sure I have ever seen a termite where I live. We have plenty of pests, but not sure we have these ones. The worst thing we find in our wood is sow bugs.

That is a great pic of the tree, can I ask what type of camera you were using?

As for the firewood, if its not something you would want to burn inside you can always keep it around for an outside burning (like a bonfire). Every July 4th we have one and its great when its a semi chilly night.

greengrass said:

That is a great pic of the tree, can I ask what type of camera you were using?

As for the firewood, if its not something you would want to burn inside you can always keep it around for an outside burning (like a bonfire). Every July 4th we have one and its great when its a semi chilly night.

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I took the photo with a Kodak compact digital camera -- one that has died and been replaced by Polaroid digital camera. The light was in a good place (near sunset, light at my back) so the photo came out pretty well -- thanks for the compliment.:smile: