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**Benn Gleck** · 01-17-2019, 03:08 PM

The Amish around here use car tires to get brush piles going. Stinky and politically incorrect but effective.

**Bill Foster** · 01-17-2019, 05:13 PM

Kerosene has always worked for me...burns slow and gets things going. I bought a few acres several years ago after hurricane Opal went through the area. There were several oaks pushed over, but not touching the ground. 3-years of firewood, but a ton of trash to burn.

**wwdnet** · 01-18-2019, 09:23 PM

It's been fairly dry here, and my husband cut down 2 of our neighbor's trees (2 more to go), so burning isn't an option since it's also been windy. One load limit at the landfill means I will be cutting small branches and tying them up tomorrow while my husband goes to work. I have one garbage full of small branches done and looks like about 20 more to go. Fortunately we only have about 5 cans for yard waste, so I won't be out there from morning to night. If I tie up 4' piles, I can just leave them at the curb for the yard waste pickup on Wednesday. Most of the good wood is on our woodpile to season, and by fall it should be good to burn! There's more cut I can bring over if I can pick it up (I'm getting too old for this crap!) but I'll do what I can. My husband works hard and I hardly work except for cooking, cleaning, and laundry, so I try to help when I can. I'll just head out in the early morning with my loppers and start taking it down to size. I think my ambition is bigger than my ability to accomplish what needs to be done, and I need to make pizza dough sometime tomorrow.;)

**rockriver** · 01-20-2019, 04:02 PM

under normal times, many of the trees on the ground could be turned into cash at local small mills....
but in this situation... the laws of supply and demand are working...
supply is unlimited. so, the burn piles are growing.

fema will pick up tree debris if it is placed at the road. they are making 3 trips to pick up the debris... 2 so far and 1 more to go.. supposedly.

we have very little road frontage... not suitable for the long windrows of pine and oak that are seen on many roads.

**Lowdown3** · 01-29-2019, 10:58 AM

I've heard that if you let forestry know you are going to burn and get a "burn permit" then they won't charge you $75. to come out and help if it gets out of hand. But you will be charged if you don't.

Usually a good firebreak around a pile and something to push the pile as need be works fine here.

Better a slow burning fire than a raging inferno IMO.

**rockriver** · 01-29-2019, 11:30 PM

i made several piles..
thinking they would be easier to burn and less fire/smoke.
i think a few big ones would have worked better.
--
i'd get a fire started then have to leave to go do other duties..
with poor results..
two contributing factors... it has rained frequently... several times we got 3+ inches in a day... and most of these trees were green living trees.. even after being blown over part of the stump was in the ground soaking up water.
--
what has helped..
packing the pile tightly..

once fire gets started using a hand held (or as big as you've got!) blower... aimed at base of fire...think bellows. every once in a while i put it on full bore, but usually just sitting on the ground in idle mode...

soaking wood chips in diesel fuel for a day or so... (i'm sure the longer the better!)
this concentrated fire that lasts puts out high heat and helps build the "hot spot."
i didn't want to burn my 5 gal buckets, tin tubs, nor plastic pans used for draining hydraulic fluid or motor oil. i'd just fill any burnable container with the soaked chips. sometimes, just dumped them on the ground, but that wasn't as effective.

regularly pushing the pile to the center.. i mostly used a tractor with loader or grapple... a little scary at times..

letting the burn pile sit and dry for a longer period of time! i'm using a neighbors property for many of my piles so, there is a need to burn up and clean up asap.

be careful!

**Lowdown3** · 01-30-2019, 09:27 AM

Push the piles with equipment being careful not to dump dirt on the fire, keep plenty of oxygen going to them and just be patient. With enough old oil most material will burn. May take a few runs but they normally do.

**Patriotic Sheepdog** · 01-30-2019, 12:57 PM

rr, cut those logs up and truck them to Chicago and sell the firewood....doesn't have to be Chicago, but anywhere the power went out....;)

**rockriver** · 02-04-2019, 12:22 AM

i like patriots suggestion... sure need some $$ so i can get in on ld3's sale!

**Lowdown3** · 02-12-2019, 10:19 AM

If it's hardwood you might be able to list it for free if someone comes and cuts it up. PITA having people on your property probably though.

**rockriver** · 02-13-2019, 08:36 AM

amen on the pita having people on property comment.

when we bought it, prior owner had a yard sale.. and a good garden. he let folks pick the garden. that caused new folks to show up to get free veggies. i should have foreseen that possibility and "bought up" the growing veggies.

**rockriver** · 02-20-2019, 08:37 AM

cover or helmet or hard hat or ...
a few years back i was cutting up some trees and mentioned to my wife that i needed to get a hard hat for safety.. i'd seen one at HF or somewhere.
and i got one for Christmas...
good gift, but sad wife didn't go to harbor freight. she got it at the tractor dealer that sold stihl.. whew... bunch of bucks..

i'm in a hurry. lots of stuff going on. lots of trees down and half way down.
i'm trimming limbs before falling tree...
guys if you don't have a good helmet or safety hard hat with built in suspension, get ya one...
am i cutting as safely as i should be.. no
but if you were in a stressful situation, you might not be either.
and you may want to paint that bright orange hat deep green or ?
but that thing has repeatedly saved my noggin.

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burning the trees! from storm/clearing land

burning the trees! from storm/clearing land

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