This morning, temperatures were in the mid-teens. Yesterday, two inches of snow fell before changing to freezing rain. The snow and freezing rain turned to an inch of crunchy ice, similar to a snow cone left in the freezer for too long.
The nasty weather created a beautiful morning.
Holz Hausen Firewood Storage with Fresh Snow
I’m halfway through burning my first holz hausen of the season. The pile will go down quickly, with temperatures forecast to be in the 20°s F for the next week.
The snow and ice outside the holz hausen will melt in a few days, leaving dry, ready-to-burn firewood.
I built this holz hausen five feet high without a roof. Instead, I put a tarp on top and called it good.
Most of the wood in this pile is seasoned and was split a month or two ago. I wish I split the wood sooner, for some moisture is still left in some pieces of firewood.
It would be much drier if I had split and stacked the wood last winter.
Hydraulic Log Splitter Covered by Tarp in Snow
The log splitter is sitting on 4 x 6 stall mats from Tractor Supply. In addition, I put the wheels and tongue on concrete blocks to keep them out of puddles.
The tarp has turned into a solid object. I suspect it will stay that way for a week or so until warmer temperatures return.
The lever for the hydraulic log splitter poked through the tarp. I get a chuckle looking at this photo.
Freshly Fallen Snow on Freshly Fallen Sugar Maple
Last week, I had two sugar maples taken down. One of the trees snapped in half, and the other slowly broke apart over a few years.
The trunks of the trees are enormous. These two trees may be enough to heat the home next winter.
The end of the log is about eighteen inches in diameter. Looking at the picture, I realize the last few logs in that trunk will be a bear to split.
First, I will split the log at the crack in the middle. Then, I’ll use the log splitter or maul for the side opposite the knot because the side opposite a knot is often straight-grained and relatively ‘easy’ to split. Finally, the side with the large branch coming off will be noodled with the chainsaw or put on the log splitter. That is a big knot!
The video below explains more about my recent windfall of firewood. The thumbnail for the video is the log shown above.
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