Introduction and Number of cords per acre question.

[breese1]

Hi.  Been reading posts on the board for probably 2 years, finally decided to register and get involved.

I'm looking for some input on the number of cords of firewood that can sustainably be taken off an acre of woodlot year after year.  I'm in upstate NY.
Largely neglected 60 acre woodlot that I recently purchased.  Very little cutting in the last 15 years or so.  I'm interested in timber stand improvement and as much firewood that I can remove.
Thanks for any input.

[Coon]

Welcome to the forum.  You come to the right place.  As for the firewood I would have to say it would all depend on the stand.  How large are the trees you will be cutting into firewood.  What species are they?  Do you have any pics?

[SwampDonkey]

Welcome aboard breese1  ;D

It varies by site and local climate.

Up here in New Brunswick it would be 0.5-0.6 cord per acre on average, assuming your stand average diameter is at least 8 inches. Down in Ohio I've heard 1 cord/acre a year.


I just did an inventory (for kicks) on my 10 year plantations of mixed growth and I have 2.5 cords/acre. You may run into the exercise under 'Tending your little piece of earth'. This just gives you my perspective. You can get more accurate info from your DNR growth and yield studies.

[beenthere]

Figure 1 cord per acre per year in southern WI, speaking hardwood.

Strictly an estimate, but implys 6 acres of good woods to heat a home in these parts.

Welcome to the forum as a member.

[letsgetitracing]

we must have hit the jackpot then cause we are getting 3 face cord  (1 real cord)per 2 trees 80 foot white ash with out a branch until 60 foot they came off a river flats they average 14 to 16 inches in diameter

[beenthere]

letsgetitracing
Re-read the thread, and concentrate on the word "sustainable"....

[SwampDonkey]

we must have hit the jackpot then cause we are getting 3 face cord  (1 real cord)per 2 trees 80 foot white ash with out a branch until 60 foot they came off a river flats they average 14 to 16 inches in diameter

Edited a mistake since your last view.


Two 16 inch hard maple will yield 1 cord of 8 foot wood with branches, but when you factor in further bucking into 16-22" wood and knowing it stacks tighter when split and cut up, might be 2.5 of those trees. But anyway, being human and all we tend to concentrate our firewood cutting in one small corner instead of chasing the whole 60 acres for 1 cord an acre per year. Now be honest. We eventually cover the whole acreage, but probably takes 5-6 years. ;D

[Ron Wenrich]

How close is this calculator to your numbers?

http://www.timberbuyer.net/pulp.htm

I wrote that calculator using a USFS Research Paper.  I have the book sitting here in front of me, and I can't come up with a cord in a tree (without branches), until you hit 22" 7 log tree.

I've heard the 16" = 1 cord number before, but I can't seem to verify it.  I probably used it a time or three myself.    :D

I've also heard the number of 1 cord/Mbf in topwood.  That's assuming you're cutting just sawlogs.  Using that number and the volume in a 16", 2 log tree, I come up with about 1/2 cord per 16" tree, including branches.

[SwampDonkey]

Jeesh, I gotta watch what I'm typing here. I meant a 16" tree is 1 m³, or 0.4 cords.

sorry for the mix up

[rebocardo]

> I'm in upstate NY

In your location if you have large mature trees, 1/2 a cord per year per acre would be sustainable as long as you did not cut down the bigger trees that seed the younger trees and do not go through the whole 60 acres at once.

How I would do it is cut all the 8" and under out of one acre and all the bad trees, then let it sit for 20 years before I touched it again. Then move to another acre and repeat.

What I would do first is a walk through and mark all the downed and diseased trees and remove them first. You would be surprised how much downed wood you can remove from just 30 acres. Enough to heat a house for a year easy.

If you burn pine you can easily sustain 1/2 a cord per acre per year as long as you do not clear the whole 60 acres at once.

Some species up north grow better and faster then hardwoods such as oak, but, still make excellent firewood such as white birch. If you plant birch to replace what you cut, in 20 years you will have trees just about the perfect size for firewood without splitting.

The other things is are you selling it or do you want it for heating your own house?  I get a ton of fire wood from a tree just from the branches. A decent sized pine (24" - 110 feet tall) can yield almost a 1/2 a cord in branches alone and no splitting needed  8)

The larger oaks in the 20 " range are like money in the bank if you leave them alone for 20 years because once they get to that size they are much more valuable as both firewood and lumber. Plus, they seed the forest with lots of acorns once mature and bring in a ton of wildlife to enjoy or eat 

It is hard NOT to find deer (or bears) around an area with a lot of oak trees.

This is just from personal experience, not a math formula.

[Ed_K]

 I manage my 10 acres for a sugar bush and .25 is sustainable. I don't work each ac each yr tho. I do cut the beech,hemlock and pine that keeps coming back  ;) .

[thecfarm]

breese1,welcome to the forum.Take out the trees that look the worst and let the best ones grow.

[RSteiner]

In southwestern New Hampshire I have been told by the State Extension Service a number of years ago that on average 1 full cord per year per acre was sustainable.  That being said it does not mean that is all hard wood.  Also that means putting into firewood trees that would produce a nice sawlog.  The cord per acre figure is kind of a volumetric average of what can be cut.

In areas that have been neglected for several years that are in need of weeding, thinning, culling, and that have mature trees to be harvested the volume removed may be greater than a cord per acre.  The next year or years it may be some what less.  On a decent size lot different areas will yeild different amounts yearly.  Even with the price of firewood as high as it is I think a decent sawlog will fetch more money.

Randy

[breese1]

Thanks for all the good replies.