FIREWOOD for Your Farm

If you have forestland on your property, think of it as your very own fuel station. Learn how to cut and store your harvests.

- BY DAVE BOYT

If you're fortunate enough to own or have access to forestland, you have free fuel all around you. Proper firewood harvesting can improve the quality of the forest, for wildlife and the trees. Removing trees — either because of the form, the species or the crowding of more desirable trees is part of a practice known as forest stand improvement.

Where I live in the Missouri Ozarks, the best and most valuable trees were harvested several times, each time leaving the poorest trees to regenerate. To reverse this trend, we cut the poorest trees, leaving the best ones to regenerate. Some of the logs go on our portable sawmill, but most are converted to firewood.

Here are some tips for helping you cut and store your own firewood, too.

TOOLS FOR CHOPPING FIREWOOD

To get firewood safely and effectively from the forest into your chimney or woodstove, you need the right equipment.

CHAIN SAW: Find a chain saw that suits you in terms of weight and power. One in the 50cc size range is fine for firewood; remember, bigger is not always better! You'll be lugging the saw through the woods, so get the lightest one that will do the job. A 14- to 16-inch bar is ideal for firewood; a longer one is more likely to hit dirt or a rock and kick back and has more teeth to sharpen.

SAFETY GEAR: To go with your saw, gather all the necessary safety gear: a logger's helmet, steel-toe boots and chaps.