On the north side of our road, west of the crest, is a fairly long vein of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). The species pops up in other places on The Mountain, but I see this stand every time I come and go.
Black locust is outstanding firewood, and the owner has given us the green light to cut whatever we want or need. Though I don’t plan to take it all, or even much of it, I’m always delighted to spot one of these trees leaning, standing dead or encroaching on the road.
Such was the case Tuesday. Directly across from where the summit trail comes out of the woods I spied two — leaning away from the road, their trunks hung up in (and held up by) other trees.
I saw evidence of rot on the larger tree, on either side of a break. The lower part of the trunk looked better, and it sounded solid enough when I rapped on it with my hatchet. I came back yesterday to harvest what I could.
Dropping a leaner, especially when it’s caught up in another tree, should be approached with caution (and I do). They’re basically man-traps, so gauging tension and fall — not only of the target but of surrounding trees as well — is an essential survival skill.
This pair of black locusts presented the typical challenge, but I managed to bring them down without so much as a hiccup. I carried log lengths across the road to the Ranger and bucked them there.
Stout stuff. Hard on the saw.
Before leaving, I also took a secondary trunk from a third, living tree. It was arched over the road, so I cut it before it caused a problem.
Altogether, this was a great find. I loaded the rounds into the Ranger, as usual, and trucked them to the wood yard.
Other than a little bit of branch wood, it all needed splitting. It didn’t give me any trouble — every piece fell to a single hit.
Stacked with Tuesday’s haul, this more than doubled what already was on the pallet. And it probably tripled the BTUs. It’s that good.
By the way, I set aside one particular chunk of black locust — a green short, about eight inches long and between three and four inches in diameter. I didn’t split it, because this piece is destined for something other than woodstove duty.
It’s one part of a project I’m considering. I expect you’ll see it again here.
The balance of my Wednesday I devoted to catching up on a few things. Scooping ashes out of the woodstove. (It was stone-cold.) Laundry. Small stuff.
I hooked up a trickle charger to the Ranger and left it there all day. Every now and then the battery shows signs of weakness — hesitating before cranking the engine — and I’m in no position to replace it right now.
With any luck, the NOCO’s conditioning cycle will help squeeze a little more life out of it. We’ll see.
Other than that, yesterday was something of a break from the woodswork routine. It wasn’t a day off, obviously, but bringing in that black locust didn’t push me too hard.
The weather was agreeable, mid-60s with calm winds. I’m at peace. It’s great to be here.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable