Best Season to cut Firewood Trees
by Doug Bloom
(Farmington,Mo USA)
When is the best time to cut trees down? Is it when the sap is down?
Answer
Doug,
Generally speaking, the best time to cut down a tree for firewood is as soon as possible. The quicker the tree is cut, split and stacked, the quicker is will be fully seasoned and ready for burning.
The common thought about the "sap being down" is not worth the effort of even considering. There is moisture in the wood in all seasons. The moisture difference from month to month is negligible when considering when to cut your firewood. The more important questions should be when do you plan on burning the wood or when do you have the best access to transport the tree once it's cut? The biggest reason that loggers harvest trees heavily in the winter is because the ground is frozen and they can run their heavy equipment with much less risk of it getting stuck.
If you are pruning trees, I don't recommend doing it during the late winter/early spring as that is a time of year when the sap will run out of wounds and potentially attract damaging pests that could attack the tree. But for removals, any time of the year is fine.
I hope this helps!
-Firewood Matt
