weeping willow

[stubby 175]

a nieghbour has a weeping willow tree in her garden that she wants rid off, Ive offered to take the chainsaw to it, but just wondered if a willow can be dried and used for logs/firewood, or not, also any other uses

[Huffski 1]

Its can be used for fire wood once dried but burns very quick but does throw the heat out well.

[artic 595]

a nieghbour has a weeping willow tree in her garden that she wants rid off, Ive offered to take the chainsaw to it, but just wondered if a willow can be dried and used for logs/firewood, or not, also any other uses

 

As willow is considered a "Hardwood", I found it doesn't burn as well as some other "hardwoods" that burn well in fireplaces, such as beech, eucalyptus, hickory, maple, oak, apple and more.

[Little Butch 16]

I know a Lad who makes Baskets out of Willow.

If your Interested I can give you some more Info....

Butch

[mad al 146]

How big a tree is it?

[kevegg 0]

 

I use willow almost exclusively in my wood burner at the moment. Also use it on the open fire, plus point is it doesn't spit.

 

Kev.

[mad al 146]

 

I use willow almost exclusively in my wood burner at the moment. Also use it on the open fire, plus point is it doesn't spit.

 

Kev.

 

nice one Kev, we recently did some alterations here and kept the open fire instead of going down the multi-fuel burner road. The burners are brilliant if you have a forest the size of Yorkshire.

[kevegg 0]

Planted 100 willows 5 years ago, thought I'd been ripped off when they came as they were about as thick as your finger with no root, just a stick really. Planted them in September, just made a hole with a bar and dropped them in about a third of their depth. Nothing happened 'til April when I noticed a few buds appearing. By the following September they were about 8' tall. I planted them in 3 rows and I've just cut the first row down this year when they still had leaves on. I have 3 Pygmy Goats which love the leaves so I just cut a couple down at a time and leave them on the floor for the goats to eat. Then I cut them into logs and cut a couple more down. I've left the stumps about 18'' tall, the idea being they'll re-sprout and produce more logs in a few years. Only thing is I plan on moving next year and I can't take them with me.

 

Kev.

[mad al 146]

Aye, when I asked my Bro about the Willow after we'd had one given to us he told me that you could hack 'em to bits and they'd still bounce back. In the hot weather the mutts go inside ours for the shade.

 

Al.

[Molie1337 35]

Willow, although its known as a hardwood, is actualy very soft and snappy! if youre going to burn it it needs to be stored dry for a good while, but it burns like paper why dry. also on the thing about them being very hardy, if we leave a pile of willow logs in the yard, they will grow! ash is the best firewood, wet or dry, kicks out heat and doesnt spit. our 2 woodstoves heat our whole house, water, central heating. but they do burn alot! kinda helpfull being a tree surgeon!!

[comanche 3,038]

Planted 100 willows 5 years ago, thought I'd been ripped off when they came as they were about as thick as your finger with no root, just a stick really. Planted them in September, just made a hole with a bar and dropped them in about a third of their depth. Nothing happened 'til April when I noticed a few buds appearing. By the following September they were about 8' tall. I planted them in 3 rows and I've just cut the first row down this year when they still had leaves on. I have 3 Pygmy Goats which love the leaves so I just cut a couple down at a time and leave them on the floor for the goats to eat. Then I cut them into logs and cut a couple more down. I've left the stumps about 18'' tall, the idea being they'll re-sprout and produce more logs in a few years. Only thing is I plan on moving next year and I can't take them with me.

 

Kev.

 

Why not cut yourself a load of whips and take em with you? A few years ago I did some willow archways simply by sticking whips into the ground .

Been called to a couple of willow play-dens in the past because the people that promote these little enviromentally friendly structures tend not to inform their customers that come the end of summer Willow is very enviromentally friendly to swarms of wasps . Just right when there are sticky kids about !

[moxy 617]

Willow will burn and it will split, just depends on what you are splitting it with

 

It is a wet wood, so it will need a degree of drying. Depending on how hot your stove is burning, it will take the occasional wet lump.

 

Dont let any go to waste!! Now the leaves have dropped all the wood is useable, although a little time consuming.

Cut up the branches and tip ends to dry for kindling. The rest is only worth as firewood. If the girth of the trunk is relatively knot free, you should split it with ease with a 5lb+ axe. The rest that you cant is saw fodder!!

 

With it being the weeping flavour there may not be very many straight lenghts, Those that you can salvage can be uesd for a walking stick or two, or substitute longnet poles (once dried it is fairly strong and light)

 

Or you could sit there for a few weeks and weave fence hurdles or baskets

 

Cut it, store it, burn it

 

[stealthy1 3,964]

A life times supply of purse net pegs maybe.