Birch Had to Go!

Photo by Danielle Street

In Maine we avoid burning green wood as if it were the plague. It's a horrible day when you hurl a chunk of oak or maple in the wood stove and it just sits there and sizzles as a result of improper seasoning. It takes at least six months to even consider using most hardwoods to heat with. The exceptions are ash and birch. Ash can be burned quite successfully while green. Birch has a low moisture content and will burn fairly well within a month of cutting, even in the Maine winter months.

David Libby, the friend Danielle mentioned, is in the process of publishing a book on tree-stand hunting in Maine. It's the first of it's kind and one I think all will enjoy. He recounts numerous stories of animal encounters while sitting in a tree from per-dawn hours until after sunset. Birds perching on his head, fishers lounging nearby, hawks attacking his head mistaking his eyes as delectable gems and many more interesting stories are recounted. Send us an email if your interested in a copy of the book and we will be sure to let you know when it arrives.

Spring is coming!

Grampy Bill