Cutting firewood(Birch)

[Ray]

I have gone to the Alberta SRD office here in Calgary and got the maps and information about cutting firewood. I am presently interested in cutting Birch. The only site currently active for Birch is West of Alder Flats. Since it is 2 or so hours away from my house and I will likely need to rent a chain saw, I want to make sure I don't waste any time or money. Has anyone been to this site? Is it difficult to find the designated Birch trees? Should I do a scouting trip first, or is it relatively straightforward and I should be fine just heading out?

Thanks

[diamonddave]

Do a pre scouting trip...... Most of it has all been cut out and what is left is standing rotten crap.......

[honda450]

Just get Tree to cut ya some. Oh yeah forgot, his saws won't go threw birch.

Hope ya find some.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by honda450

Just get Tree to cut ya some. Oh yeah forgot, his saws won't go threw birch.

Hope ya find some.

Actually I did get some firewood thanks to advice Treeguy posted earlier. (contacting local tree removal companies) However, around here that means Poplar. I figure if I want some Birch, I'm going to have to work for it.

Thanks for the info.

[honda450]

Originally Posted by Ray

Actually I did get some firewood thanks to advice Treeguy posted earlier. (contacting local tree removal companies) However, around here that means Poplar. I figure if I want some Birch, I'm going to have to work for it.

Thanks for the info.

Well maybe that Tree character Ain't that bad after all. Need a little more convincing for my liking though.

But stihl uses a girly saw.

[bradleyk]

In most cases the "obvious" birch in the SRD sites have been harvested. It's unlikely you'll find any close to the road unless, as mention previously, it's rotted garbage. However, if you take the time to park and walk a little bit, there are frequent pockets of birch hidden from view of the road that are not too bad of a walk to lug out logs.

Kevin

[diamonddave]

3ft of snow in the bush out there, better bring lots of help or you will only be cutting tiny little sapleings

Originally Posted by Ray

Actually I did get some firewood thanks to advice Treeguy posted earlier. (contacting local tree removal companies) However, around here that means Poplar. I figure if I want some Birch, I'm going to have to work for it.

Thanks for the info.

Nothing wrong with poplar...it makes lots of ash but burns long and clean. It's all we burn.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Nothing wrong with poplar...it makes lots of ash but burns long and clean. It's all we burn.

I know about the 'lots of ash", I'm the designated fireplace cleaner outer.
Actually I don't mind the poplar (free is free after all), I just thought it might be nice to mix it up a little.

Thanks again for all the replies. Whatta site.

[honda450]

Dang Ray saw the biggest birch up near fox creek before Xmas. Biggest birch I ever saw in my life still alive. I got a 24 inch bar on my saw and no way I could of went all the way threw. I could of cut it but wasn't in my way so no need. The pipeline will get her. No way I would want to split that sucker. It would take 5 years to cure.

Estimate a 4 foot diameter.

[go-big-or-go-home]

Originally Posted by Ray

I have gone to the Alberta SRD office here in Calgary and got the maps and information about cutting firewood. I am presently interested in cutting Birch. The only site currently active for Birch is West of Alder Flats. Since it is 2 or so hours away from my house and I will likely need to rent a chain saw, I want to make sure I don't waste any time or money. Has anyone been to this site? Is it difficult to find the designated Birch trees? Should I do a scouting trip first, or is it relatively straightforward and I should be fine just heading out?

Thanks

i kinda live out by the flats and iv got lots of fireword from there. dont bother doing the scouting trip, a guy will have no problem finding wood out there at all, pretty easy to find wat ur looking for. u mite have to get a wood permit tho, but at the local store/ gas station in town there they sell them and they are only five buck if i recall. as for a saw, if im out in that area and not workin i could help u out for the day, but if im not jus rent one for a day or two, it wont take long to get all the wood u need out there. lots of birch and lots of lodgepole pine perfect for hauling

[TreeGuy]

Just to post the advice I gave Ray.

If you live in urban centers and want firewood, contact the local tree service contractors. If you're willing to pick it up, it's your's free of charge. If you're willing to take pieces and block them yourself, you will move up the list and may even get a call when something better than a poplar comes down.

I keep a short list of about 3 guys who'll pickup from me based on location. Generally the first to answer the call, or calls back first gets it.

Otherwise, give my friend, Ken a shout if you're in the Calgary region. An exceptional person and brilliant horticulturist. Cheap too!

http://www.bowpointnursery.com/

Tree

[mikelikefish]

if u wait for a cold night or day to split your birch it will be the difference between a workout and a walk in the park I think the sap that keeps it togeather in the mild temps helps split it in the cold or get a log splitter and relax

[deanmc]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Nothing wrong with poplar...it makes lots of ash but burns long and clean. It's all we burn.

Do you maybe mean Aspen? I dont even like poplar for my firepit.

[rhuntley12]

Originally Posted by TreeGuy

Just to post the advice I gave Ray.

If you live in urban centers and want firewood, contact the local tree service contractors. If you're willing to pick it up, it's your's free of charge. If you're willing to take pieces and block them yourself, you will move up the list and may even get a call when something better than a poplar comes down.

I keep a short list of about 3 guys who'll pickup from me based on location. Generally the first to answer the call, or calls back first gets it.

Otherwise, give my friend, Ken a shout if you're in the Calgary region. An exceptional person and brilliant horticulturist. Cheap too!

http://www.bowpointnursery.com/

Tree

^^^^ Make friends with him

Was lucky when we moved into our new place last fall there was a huge stack of firewood here that will probably last well into this year.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by mikelikefish

if u wait for a cold night or day to split your birch it will be the difference between a workout and a walk in the park I think the sap that keeps it togeather in the mild temps helps split it in the cold or get a log splitter and relax

My "log splitter" is actually my teenage sons. For some reason kids think splitting wood is manly. I love the sound of wood being split while I'm in the warm house.

Originally Posted by deanmc

Do you maybe mean Aspen? I dont even like poplar for my firepit.

They are basically the same thing.

[super7mag]

Black poplar has the lowest btu's /cord of all the northern boreal trees, white poplar is about the same as spruce/pine. the most btu's /cord is birch. But why be picky, I have lots of deadfall poplar so thats what I burn. But I did find some birch this year, and there is quite a difference on length of time burning between the 2.

[Cooeylover]

I would definatly take something with you so that you could bring some back if your gonna scout it out first, "make'r pay" lol.
If youre goin to travel a long ways to get wood like that, may i suggest to split it up into burnable peices when you put it into your truck or trailer. The longer or bigger the peices your put on your truck will result in less wood once you get it home and cut up. There is less air pockets in a rank of fine split wood.
As my grandfather would say, "if yer gonna go, go with a load".
A good splitting axe is all you need if the wood is green standing in the winter, its frozen and if decently straight grain, it will knock in two pretty easy. The really knarly peices, split with a saw about 2/3 of the way through and then finished with an axe.
Those big splitting mauls will just bounce off a block of frozen hardwood if it is green, been there, done that. I used a nice thin axe with kindof a thick blade, when you come down on that hardwood, tilt your axe jsut a 1/8 of a turn so that it dont get stuck in the top of the block.
Splitting 8-10 cord of beach, sugar maple, or yellow birtch every fall will get you practiced really good at the art of hand splitting firewood, lmao. Heck, if i lived closer, ild go with ya jsut to relive childhood memories, some of the funnest times i ever had with my dad was while cutting firewood.
Good luck and look at it as a family outing, not a chore.

[deanmc]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

They are basically the same thing.

Not at all.

[AxeMan]

Most people refer to aspen as white poplar but technically there are differences and many sub species.

[rbook]

Originally Posted by go-big-or-go-home

i kinda live out by the flats and iv got lots of fireword from there. dont bother doing the scouting trip, a guy will have no problem finding wood out there at all, pretty easy to find wat ur looking for. u mite have to get a wood permit tho, but at the local store/ gas station in town there they sell them and they are only five buck if i recall. as for a saw, if im out in that area and not workin i could help u out for the day, but if im not jus rent one for a day or two, it wont take long to get all the wood u need out there. lots of birch and lots of lodgepole pine perfect for hauling

Where do you go for wood there? I have a lot at Buck Lake and looking to do a wood run.
Are you able to get a OHV in the woods to haul wood out?
Randy

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by rbook

Where do you go for wood there? I have a lot at Buck Lake and looking to do a wood run.
Are you able to get a OHV in the woods to haul wood out?
Randy

Note that you're bumping a 7 year old thread and the fellow you posed the question to has not signed in since Sept 2015.

[TBark]

Yep, old thread, TM66 permit is still $5 I think.
Still some good info.

TBark