Firewood for Wood Stoves in Roundup

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by br0ns0n77

Right - we have NG here in NC and yes that is def the best way to go if it's available. I just figured it wasn't available in Roundup.

So coal + wood sounds like a good idea - just need a separate stove for each? I'd like to have the wood stove as a backup source. How much does coal generally cost per ton and how long does a ton last?

When I visited I saw the area where the 2012 fire came through. I will honestly say that's the biggest concern for me. I did see that 2013 was a pretty damp year though in that neck of the woods. There are threats just about anywhere you live so I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons.

We like the fact that the property is 35-40 mins away from Billings but still is remote enough for our liking. We like the no-government influence in Musselshell County. No restrictions on building, wells etc. However, none of that matters if you're building a life there to only be burned to the ground by a random fire. I know the residence can be built back but I love the trees on the property and the privacy it lends - so if it burns it would take years to recover that.

Not sure... maybe you guys can make me feel better about that part? lol.

Ponderosa Pine evolved with a heavy bark that resists fire as long as there isn't a lot of ladder fuels or fire load under them.

If you keep your woodlot clean by removing dead trees, keep the brush down, manage your trees so there is at least 10 feet of space between them, and control the number of young trees coming up under the mature, you should have no real problem. The young trees are Ladder Fuels that allow the flames to get from the ground to the branches and needles of the mature trees.

A grass fire can burn through quickly and as long as there isn't anything to hold the fire, the pondeBullBoxer31 can handle it.

You can make a defensible space along vunerable property lines as well by cutting a fire break along the property line to make it more difficult for the fire to cross. It only has to be about 10 feet wide to really make a difference.

There is a lot of information about this available on the Montana Department of Emergency Services website and on the BLM and National Forest sites as well.

The more you know the better you can prepare and probably avoid a lot of the problems others may have.

[Redraven]

With all the wildfire around Roundup a couple years ago, there is a LOT of fire-killed trees standing, waiting to be cut for firewood. Getting permission from the landowner may be problematic, though.
When buying wood, be aware that a "cord" of wood is a stack 4X4X8 feet, fairly tightly packed. If buying rounds, you aren't getting a full cord of wood in a 4X4X8 foot stack, due to the air spaces between the rounds.
Western Larch (tamarack) is excellent firewood, but you won't find any near Roundup. You may be able to "import" some from Northwestern Montana by the logging truck load, but it would be very pricey! Of course, a truck load of 32-40 foot logs is a LOT of wood!

[ElkHunter]

We have Coal/wood in the main house, and the same in the shop.

Like was mentioned, you can burn wood or coal, in a coal stove. You can not burn coal in a wood stove. Two things will prohibit you from doing so. The grating is different sized, and the grating in a coal stove is made to withstand the higher temps that coal produces.

There are two coal stoves. A stoker, or lump stove. Usually, a stoker is a furnace system. The coal is in small pieces like charcoal and they just fill the bin. Your furnace augers the coal into the burner area. You have to dump ash at least weekly. We have lump stoves. We carry 4 or 5 buckets of lumps (6-10 inch pieces) into the house and set by the stove. You add it like you would a wood stove. We start the fire on wood and then start adding coal. Easier to lite that way. If it's a mile evening and you just want to take the chill off, throw some wood in and just burn it. If it's getting cold and you need to bank the stove, use coal, it will last for hours. With the lump coal stove, you regulate the temp with your dampner. With the stoker, you have a thermostat and everything is done for you, but with a stoker, you are not going to burn wood unless you do with a separate stove. The 4 or 5 buckets we carry in are once a day. On really cold months, we'll burn a ton of coal or just over. We pay $60 a ton for lump coal and have to go pick it up. We use an old pickup box trailer and fill it up, bring it back and park it just outside the back door. With stoker coal, they will deliver and I do not know what the cost is.

[historyfan]

If you are starting with new construction, look into the coal stand alone furnace system that is a separate little building outside of the house. It uses hot fluids in hoses that run under the floors of the buildings. It can give you a toasty shop, garage, etc in addition to your house. Then just get a woodstove for your family room or wherever you want warmth of wood atmosphere.
I do not know if retail stoked coal is available at Roundup mine. Typically it is so cheap it costs more to haul than purchase.
It seems the forest around Roundup is beetlekilled either standing dead or in stages of dying. You may wish to have your proposed purchase surveyed by a forestry tech to avoid buying an infested patch of trees. The local county extension agent should be able to assist you.
Additionally there should be no difficulty in purchasing cured firewood from firewood purveyors as result of fires in area.

[br0ns0n77]

Guys - great information on heating. I really do appreciate the thorough help.

Just to be a tad more specific on the area I'm looking at - it's right off 87 near Johnny's Coal Rd in the Bull Mountains. I'm not sure if that's lumped into what everyone considers Roundup since it seems the landscape does change a bit on the other side of town (this is regarding beetle infestation). Now I didn't see any beetles on the trees and I'm not sure if that's something you would notice or not. I did notice the tips of the lower branches looked brown and the tree trunks looked a bit malnourished but that could just be them trying to survive in the dry location they're in perhaps?

Nonetheless - would I just call the Musselshell County Courthouse and ask for guidance concerning the forestry tech? Thanks again fellas.

[ElkHunter]

You might give the Roundup Field Office a call, they should either be able to answer your questions, or at least point you in the right direction about beetle kill in that area.

Roundup Field Office of DNRC

34 Third Avenue West
PO Box 660
Roundup, MT 59072
Office Location

406/323-2755
Fax: 323-3452

Administrative Specialist – Monty Sealey

https://dnrc.mt.gov/FieldOperations/...ts/Roundup.asp

[br0ns0n77]

You rock, thanks so much!! That's one thing I like about Montana - people are friendly and eager to help you out.

[historyfan]

DNRC is always a good resource as is NRCS.
Here is the County Extension info. I believe there is a forestry education program for private land owners with forest that covers land stewardship, how to manage your timberlands, tree farms, etc from Extension and UofM Forestry dept. Extension is federal funded and an interface between state universities and counties.

County Extension Office
32 Main St.
Roundup, MT 59072-2828

Phone: 406-323-2704
Fax: 406-323-1723

Agents: John Pfister * * * *Email: acxjp@montana.edu

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by br0ns0n77

Guys - great information on heating. I really do appreciate the thorough help.

Just to be a tad more specific on the area I'm looking at - it's right off 87 near Johnny's Coal Rd in the Bull Mountains. I'm not sure if that's lumped into what everyone considers Roundup since it seems the landscape does change a bit on the other side of town (this is regarding beetle infestation). Now I didn't see any beetles on the trees and I'm not sure if that's something you would notice or not. I did notice the tips of the lower branches looked brown and the tree trunks looked a bit malnourished but that could just be them trying to survive in the dry location they're in perhaps?

Nonetheless - would I just call the Musselshell County Courthouse and ask for guidance concerning the forestry tech? Thanks again fellas.

Pine beetles are small, and burrow into the bark so you don't see them a lot. You will first notice that your trees are leaking a lot of sap which is the trees defense against the beetles.
Mountain pine beetle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Normally, you don't see a lot of effect unti spring and the whole tree turns brown overnight.

It appears that the pine beetle infestation is on the downside, but now we will have spruce budworm and pine cone butterflys coming in.

Most insect infestations occur when the forests are overgrown and have a preponderance of older timber. Killing the trees sets up the scenario for a fire which cleans out the old, and starts the new. Part of the natural cycle.

By managing your timber so you have good healthy trees you will avoid most problems, and cutting infected trees in the winter while the beetles are hibernating and burning them is a good way to cut the numbers because once the spring thaw hits, they emerge and move onto new trees.

Careful management of your timber resources means you will have a healthy productive forest providing you with shade, soil erosion protection, windbreaks, snowfence, lumber and firewood as well as habitat for wild game forever.

If you lock down the forests like has been done in recent years so no manangement of the timber can be don, you have overgrown forests full of dead an dying timber that nothing uses and sets up for the horrendous fire seasons we have had.

A good timber plot is a wonderful thing, but it is a lot like a garden. The more you put into it with your care and sweat, the more you get out of it.

Johnnys Coal Road is just south of Roundup, but in the same area. Some of my family had a small place there for a couple of years. Nice area, can really get cold in the winter so a good heating system is a must