Displaying items by tag: Tennessee Department of Agriculture

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Tuesday, 20 December 2011 09:08

Stay warm this winter with the perfect firewood

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is offering advice to consumers purchasing firewood this winter. When purchasing firewood, consumers need to take into consideration a variety of factors including the type of wood, its origin and the quantity.

“Firewood can be purchased almost anywhere and in many varieties,” said Steve Scott, State Forester. “Consumers should educate themselves to make sure they get the best product for their money.”

The first factor to consider while purchasing firewood is the type of wood because different woods burn differently and produce varying amounts of heat. For example, oak burns slower and produces less smoke while pine burns faster and produces more soot and smoke. Educate yourself about the type of wood that will best serve your needs.

After deciding on the type of wood, be sure to ask retailers about the seasoning of the wood. Seasoning is the process of drying wood. Firewood typically takes nine months to become seasoned. Burning wood that has not been dried out properly or seasoned will produce less heat, burn poorly and create unnecessary soot and smoke.

Another factor to take into consideration when purchasing wood is the origin of the wood. This is important because buying wood from other states may transport invasive exotic insects into Tennessee. Consumers can help avoid potential problems by purchasing firewood locally harvested near where they plan to burn it.

“The Emerald Ash Borer and Thousand Cankers Disease are two examples of invasives that have devastated many native hardwood trees in the U.S. as a result of the transportation of infested wood products,” said Scott. “We continue to survey for both EAB and TCD since their discovery in Tennessee last year. Citizens can help slow the spread by burning firewood near where they buy it and by obeying county firewood quarantines.”

The last factor to consider when buying firewood is the quantity. Firewood has its own unit of measurement called a cord. Firewood must be sold by the cord or fractions of a cord starting at 1/8 of a cord. A cord of wood by law must equal 128 cubic feet. Be wary of terms such as face cord, rack, rick, tier, pile or truck-load, as these terms are not standardized in the sale of firewood. Some firewood dealers also try to sell firewood by the truckload. A typical pick-up truck cannot hold a cord of firewood. Rest assured, when purchasing firewood at brand retailers, there are established labeling protocols for firewood.

If consumers follow these tips, they can feel confident that they purchased a local, worthy product that will keep them warm throughout the winter months.

For more information on EAB and TCD, visit http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/forestry/index.shtml. For more information on the TDA’s Weights & Measures Section, visit http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/regulatory/weightsandmeasures.shtml.

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Firewood Ratings and Information

Species	Relative Heat?	Easy to Burn?	Easy to Split?	Heavy Smoke?	Throw Sparks?	General Rating	Aroma?

Hardwoods

White Ash	High	Yes/Fair	Yes	No	No/Few	Excellent	Minimum
Red Oak	High	Yes/Poor	No	No	No/Few	Excellent	Fair
White Oak	High	Yes	No	No	No	Excellent	.
Beech	High	Yes/Poor	Yes	No	No/Few	Excellent	Minimum
Hickory	High	Yes/Fair	Bad	No	No/Moderate	Excellent	Good
Hard Maple	High	Yes	Bad	No	No	Excellent	.
Pecan	High	Yes	Yes	No	No	Excellent	.
Dogwood	High	Yes	Yes	No	No	Excellent	.
Red or Soft Maple	Med	Yes	No	No	No	Good	.
Cherry	Med	Yes/Poor	Yes	No	No/Few	Good	Excellent
Walnut	Med	Yes	Yes	No	No	Good	.
American Elm	Med	Med/Fair	No	Med	No/None	Fair	Fair
Sycamore	Med	Med	No	Med	No	Fair	.
Gum	Med	Med	No	Med	No	Fair	.
Basswood	Low	Yes	Yes	Med	No	Fair	.
Cottonwood	Low	Yes	Yes	Med	No	Fair	.
Apple	High	Poor	.	.	Few	Med	Excellent
Hemlock	Low	.	.	.	Many	Fair	Good
Black Locust	High	Poor	.	.	None	Good	Minimum
Sugar Maple	High	Poor	No	.	Few	Good	Good
Eastern Hornbeam	High	.	.	.	.	Excellent	.
Hackberry	Med	.	.	.	.	.	.
Boxelder	Low	.	.	.	.	.	.
Butternut	Low	.	.	.	.	Poor	.
Yellow-Poplar	Low	Yes	Yes	Med	Yes	Poor	.

Softwoods

Southern Yellow Pine	High	Yes	Yes	Yes	No/Moderate	Good	Good
Cypress	Med	Med	Yes	Med	No	Fair	.
Eastern Red Cedar	Med/Low	Yes	Yes	Med	Yes/Many	Good	Excellent
Eastern White Pine	Low	Med	Yes	Med	No/Moderate	Fair	Good

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Published in Homes

TDA foresters offer advice on storm-damages trees

From tornados in the east and flooding in the west to general storm damage across the state, the recent wave of severe storms has caused significant damage to the trees in both urban and rural areas. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is offering advice for homeowners and forest landowners.

While cleanup of downed trees is critical to recovery efforts in urban areas, damaged yard trees that are still standing should be left undisturbed unless they present an eminent hazard.

“Even though the top has been blown away, there is still the possibility that the tree may live,” said TDA urban forester Bruce Webster. “Trees have an amazing capacity to re-grow after damage, so it is good to give the tree time to recover.”

There are several factors for tree owners to consider when assessing damage:

If the tree has a significant lean that wasn’t present before the storm, if most or all the major limbs are broken or gone, or if there are obvious breakage of the trunk, AND there is the potential that the remaining portion could fall causing additional damage or personal injury, then the tree should be removed.
If there is little or no lean, if the trunk is relatively sound, AND there is little potential of limbs or the tree falling and causing damage or injury, then the tree can remain. Even if the tree has lost major limbs, it may recover.

Flooded trees will have to be watched over time. Flooding causes more root damage than top damage, so the damage may not be visible for several weeks. And, trees are less tolerant of flooding during the growing season of April through September than they are November through March.

After trees appear to be recovering, homeowners should consult a certified arborist, a trained and credentialed tree care professional. Homeowners can find a certified arborist in their area at http://www.isa-arbor.com/faca/findArborist.aspx.

In rural areas, many forest landowners face the challenge of salvaging forest products from felled trees. Salvaging timber can be challenging and hazardous so it should be handled by professionals. Timing is also critical due to high heat and moisture, which will cause defects making the wood less merchantable.

In some cases, salvaging small pockets of timber may not be practical, or the damage may be too extensive. However, in cases where the timber may have just been blown over, opportunities to salvage timber will exist until June or July when staining and decay set in.

Landowners seeking to pursue timber salvage should:

Select a logger willing to cut the trees and deliver products to market.
Do market research and negotiation a fair price and terms.
Work only with a logger under a signed, written agreement or contract.
Take into consideration the perishability of felled trees if harvest is delayed.
Consider federal income tax implications.

For further advice contact an area forester with Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry. A listing of area foresters by county can be found at http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/forestry/directory.html

For more information about other programs and services of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture visit www.tn.gov/agriculture. For information and safety tips on wood debris burning, visit www.burnsafetn.gov.

Published in Local News

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Stay warm this winter with the perfect firewood

TDA foresters offer advice on storm-damages trees

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