OK folks - one feature that's been overlooked for this forum is the "Calendar" function.

It's right over there ---->

Now, I've decided to add some information based on the "this week" posts, but you can add information too.

For example, in the Northeast, NOW (August) is the time of year to start making sure you've laid in enough firewood, to get your oil burner serviced, to clean the chimney, trimm back branches from the house.

In September it's time to put food by for winter, rotate stocks of water, check on battery stocks, rotate stored fuel into service, replenish fuel stores, top off oil tanks.

Anyway, add some stuff as you see fit, try to mention the region of the country your list applies to.

The way my screen is set up, the Calendar is actually
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, but I am embarassed to say that I have never looked at it. Thanks for this info, I will add calendar checking to my list of things to do from time to time...

Hehehe... August 9th: Start using the calendar, dangit!

So, has anyone bothered to check on their firewood supply today?

Burnt mine all up camping in Yellowstone over the weekend!!!

As a matter of fact, this morning I stacked 3 cords of wonderful Oak that has been drying for 3 years. 3 more cords to go and we'll be ready.

We don't heat all that much with wood, but I've got most of a cord of well-seasoned hardwood, and over a cord of partly-seasoned (between 8 and 12 months) hardwood on hand. I've got two young oaks on the ground that I'm in the process of sawing, splitting and stacking.

I also took down a (very thorny) locust tree. I've never burned locust. The farmers where I grew up used it extensively for fenceposts because it was slow to rot. It seems hard and dense. Anyone got any experience with burning it?

Black locust has a very high BTU rating. I've burned just a little of it, from some old dead branches. The guy who gave it to me said its fine to burn in a stove, but because its so dense, it pops and explodes if there's any moisture in the firewood, and could be a hazard in an open fire situation. I don't know if that is accurate.

Honey locust is only slightly less dense, excellent for firewood.

Both can be very hard to split, due to their density.

But don't try to START a fire using either of them. Get your fire well started, then add your locust logs.

Sue

Don't overdo it with locust or especially bois'darc (osage orange/hedgeapple). Bois'darc is very very dense and will melt steel in a fireplace. We used some one year and it actually melted the metal log supports in the fireplace after a few days.