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Split and stack dead standing wood as firewood - PEP BB woodland.sand.splitandstack

BB woodland care - sand badge
posted 5 years ago
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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in woodland care.

This project will be to split and stack dead standing wood as firewood.

You will need to stack at least one half of a face cord.  A face cord is 4' by 8' (32 square feet) of firewood.  The length of the pieces doesn't calculate into this measurement.  A half a face cord is 4 feet long by 4 feet tall (16 square feet) regardless of the length of the firewood you are stacking.  The amount for this BB has to be 16 square feet, not necessarily exactly 4 feet high and wide.  It could be 2' wide and 8' high.

You can see how to drop a dead tree from the PEP BB's with a hand saw here or with a chainsaw here.

Firewood can help power a rocket mass heater to heat your home or a rocket oven to cook food and is useful for many other things!  

Paul has a great thread for Safer ways of manually chopping firewood

This video shows a quick process from start to finish and briefly talks about selecting the type of wood, shows it being cut, hauled away, and stacked.



Here are some videos from Paul's thread above about easier and safer ways to chop firewood.







This video has a lot of good tips for stacking firewood such as cutting your wood the same length and laying it on level wood pieces to get it off the ground to keep it dry and from rotting. Do not cover the logs. The logs need air movement and sunlight.



Be safe when using hand tools and using chainsaws, be aware of your surroundings, work at your own risk, and enjoy cutting firewood!

All of the wood must be about 15.5 inches long.   Nothing is allowed to be shorter than 15 inches and nothing longer than 16 inches.

To get certified for this BB, post the following pics.  

 - Your dead standing wood you are starting with
 - The wood cut
 - starting the stack (and it is clear that the wood is all about 15 to 16 inches long)
 - the stack about 2/3 done (still clear that all of the wood is all about 15 to 16 inches long)
 - the completed stack clearly 1/2 face cord in size or provide evidence of the dimensions of the stack


COMMENTS:
 
Leif Ing
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My tree before bucking, my 8’x2’ stack started at Cooper Cabin on the Lab, finally done!

Most was split with axe or maul, the last bit was with Paul’s Kindling Cracker... pretty cool gadget!
5F816C68-E5DF-4491-AD0C-F16C821473B0.jpeg
[Thumbnail for 5F816C68-E5DF-4491-AD0C-F16C821473B0.jpeg]
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[Thumbnail for 0E6C821D-D8EF-4EAA-88CB-1A5E133EE529.jpeg]
Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB is complete!

 
Mike Haasl
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I've been cutting down dying birch trees and bucking/splitting them for use in two winters.  I stack in a holzhausen style which is a round wood pile.  We can get 4-5 cords of wood into a 10x10 footprint.  Due to drying issues in the core of the pile, this year we're doing two cylindrical stacks and trying to leave the core open.  We'll also take some pallet wood and make a roof over the stacks so it looks like a single pitch version Shakespeare's globe theater.

The holzhausen started today with the rings of wood that start the stacks on an inward tilt.  We reuse them because it takes a while to find chunks that lay flat.

Starting pile of wood is 10' long (per tape measure on the ground) and the general middle height is 3' so it's well over 1/2 face cord.
Dead-maple.jpg
Dead maple
Dead maple
Dead-birch.jpg
Dead birch
Dead birch
Starting-pile-(second-pile-behind-it).jpg
Starting pile (second pile behind it)
Starting pile (second pile behind it)
Next-year-s-wood-in-the-background.jpg
Next year's wood in the background
Next year's wood in the background
Beginning-rings.jpg
Beginning rings
Beginning rings
Part-way-through.jpg
Part way through
Part way through
Part-way-through.jpg
Part way through
Part way through
Done-with-the-first-pile-time-for-a-break.jpg
Done with the first pile, time for a break
Done with the first pile, time for a break
Pile-has-a-good-start.jpg
Pile has a good start
Pile has a good start
View-from-the-side.jpg
View from the side
View from the side

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Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB is complete!

 
Michael Cox
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Following the various discussion about BBS being ‘hard’

What purpose is served by the requirement that all logs must be cut to 15”? My stove takes 13” max, 12” more comfortably. I suspect that 15” suits the fires at Wheaton Labs, but why should this be a restriction for anyone doing this outside the labs? It serves no educational point. If I can cut logs consistently to 12” I can cut them to 15”.

Moderator, Treatment Free Beekeepers group on Facebook.
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Burra Maluca
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posted 4 years ago
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Because it's Permaculture Experience Paul, designed for people at Wheaton Labs.

We're still waiting for volunteers to set up all the other versions.  Are you volunteering?

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What is a Mother Tree ?

 
Mike Haasl
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Next time I'm talking to Paul I'll ask him about this one.  Sometimes he has reasons for things that I'd've never thought of.  Other times making a change isn't a big deal at all.  So I don't want to make any promises one way or the other.

SKIP books, get 'em while they're hot!!! Skills to Inherit Property

 
Michael Cox
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Burra Maluca wrote:Because it's Permaculture Experience Paul, designed for people at Wheaton Labs.

We're still waiting for volunteers to set up all the other versions.  Are you volunteering?



No, not volunteering. My skills and knowledge are too limited to any kind of reasonable job, beyond in a few specific badges. But I want to be able to participate! It is frustrating to be blocked from something as interesting as PEP because of items like this.

This BB could easily be split into two alternate versions - participant chooses.

BB - labs version, as above
BB generic version - as above, but the participant explains their choice of log length to fit the intended use, then demonstrates they are cut appropriately by measuring on camera.

If someone happens to be at the labs they do the labs one, if not they do the generic one.

A few other examples:

Labs - Plant 20 willows
Generic - plant 20 trees, explaining their appropriateness for your region, and your method.

My woods are chestnut, hazel and oak. In some neglected places the hazel could do with replanting. I would plant 20 hazel. I would not plant willow, as it is not a species that belongs in my particular woods. But planting 20 hazels is at least as challenging as striking 20 willow cuttings, which root with zero effort.


Labs - build or repair 12ft of junkpole fencing
Generic - build or respiratory 12ft of fencing, using found or harvested materials (eg hedge laying, dry stone walling etc...). Explain why your choice is appropriate for your circumstances.

In my location a well constructed laid hedge is appropriate - and stacks functions with useful wild harvests.


Paul has asked what is needed to get people active pursuing PEP. For me, the answer is a clear path to follow for the circumstances where I can’t do it in the way Paul would prefer at the labs. I may able to do 90% of the BBs as per Paul, but that 10% are the problem. Doing BBs knowing that finishing the overall badge is out of reach is demoralising and frustrating. Mostly I’m doing the tasks regularly anyway. Why am I documenting them if they won’t lead anywhere?





Moderator, Treatment Free Beekeepers group on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/treatmentfreebeekeepers/

 
Ash Jackson
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posted 4 years ago
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Folks are going to be running rockets here at BB20, so I cut some firewood to help replace it.
IMG_20201018_094151.jpg
The Dead Standing
The Dead Standing
IMG_20201019_100142.jpg
The Dead North
The Dead North
IMG_20201018_170822_1.jpg
Some cut up
Some cut up
IMG_20201018_103718_1.jpg
A pile started in the field
A pile started in the field
IMG_20201018_174600_1.jpg
The finished, unsplit pile
The finished, unsplit pile
IMG_20201019_142708.jpg
Starting a new rack
Starting a new rack
IMG_20201019_172048_1.jpg
Pile started
Pile started
IMG_20201019_173042_1.jpg
Partway there
Partway there
IMG_20201019_175535_1.jpg
51 wide and 50 tall, more than 48 by 48
51 wide and 50 tall, more than 48 by 48
IMG_20201020_172807_1.jpg
15.5 length
15.5 length

My PEP Badge Tracker - An easier way to track your PEP Badge Progress. | Wait, wait, wait; What is PEP? | How Permies.com works.

Staff note (Rob Lineberger) :

Looks great.  Certified!

 
Todd O'Brian
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posted 3 years ago
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Here is my firewood.  Some additional photos are available from my bowsaw/chainsaw dead tree submission. I've got a LOT of dead trees.  I placed the wheelbarrow for scale.
To-Be-Cut-up.jpg
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Splitting.jpg
[Thumbnail for Splitting.jpg]
Halfway-There.jpg
[Thumbnail for Halfway-There.jpg]
Two-Thirds-There.jpg
[Thumbnail for Two-Thirds-There.jpg]
Finished-Split-Stack.jpg
[Thumbnail for Finished-Split-Stack.jpg]

Got Dirt?

Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as an edge case BB.
BBV price: 0
Note: Could you add in the required " Your dead standing wood you are starting with "

Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
Todd O'Brian
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Here are some of the dead stand I took down for this pile.  

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20210128_133215.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20210128_133215.jpg]

Got Dirt?

 
Can't .... do .... plaid .... So I did this tiny ad instead:
A rocket mass heater is the most sustainable way to heat a conventional home
http://woodheat.net
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