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Question for you all about fruit tree wood. (even though i'm not finished my oven yet )
My father can get me some cutoffs from apple trees, but was told that the trees were sprayed with some kind of pesticide. Is burning wood that has been spayed an issue in a WFO (in regards to toxins)?
I've used willow. It's supposed to be one of the worst woods for burning. On the other hand I had to remove several and had a pile of the stuff for free. It needs to dry for a long time to be any use but then will work just fine. I found it burns through pretty quickly, in fact most of my willow is gone and I'm on to some old oak which is far better - oven heats more quickly and with less fuel. But use it. It's free.
Here is a wood related Quesiton... I've just read (in the "complete kiwi pizza oven" book) that driftwood shouldn't be used for fuel in a pizza oven due to the salt content. seems strange to me but does anyone else have any comment on that?
When I was in Boy Scouts, for firewood to take on camporees, we used to get tons of oak scraps from a local Broyhill chair factory. So when I started looking for wood sources for my oven, I first thought of looking for an "industrial" source for my hardwood. Sources I considered:
Sawmills, for the slabs they cut off logs to make them square
Pallet makers, they often have there own sawmills, or at least have tons of scrap wood
Pallet remanufactures, they take old pallets, and rework them to make they good as new, they have tons of scrap hardwood
I found and now use hickory scraps from a tool handle factory in our town. The wood is clean, kiln dried, and has no chemicals on it. Best part is that it is $8/pallet.
I've been thinking about that myself, the crp sure does grow fast down here. But, the term "hedge" may mean different species in different areas .
Hedge usually refers to the use, not a particular plant. Here in the Southern US boxwood is the perennial hedge plant. But that's probably not true elsewhere.
Actually, if you just mean the bushy stuff found in hedges, we'd call that 'scrub'. And yes, it burns really well - and really fast. It's basically burning branches with a lot of smaller branches.
I know Eucalyptus is a scratch but I was curious just in general what you thought about the idea of these mixed bundles. I know it's adding a lot of extra variables but it would be quite a bit cheaper and easier than continuing to try and hunt down Oak.
Thanks
Eucalyptus is a scratch. What do you mean?
What do you reckon most people in Oz use? Are you saying you don't use it?
Edit: a bit of research suggests the eucalypts in California are e. globulus - Tasmanian Blue Gum.
In its analysis of potential woodlot species, the relevant government department in South Australia rates them as fair for splitting properties, fair for ease of ignition and good for coaling. So, in all, a reasonable species for firewood plantations, though it does require more rain than some others.
Additionally, it coppices well. i.e. you can cut down most of the tree for firewood and it will grow back so you can do it all again next year.
They do tend to make lots of ash though. The best wood is free wood; I love getting wood. Hardwood is preferable to softwood. I've never paid for a stick of wood and on principle prefer to find my own. It is surprising how much there is around. Cutting larger logs into thin slices makes them easier to split and dry faster.
Yeah, you wouldn't believe how much wood people throw away.
They do tend to make lots of ash though. The best wood is free wood; I love getting wood. Hardwood is preferable to softwood. I've never paid for a stick of wood and on principle prefer to find my own. It is surprising how much there is around. Cutting larger logs into thin slices makes them easier to split and dry faster.
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