Years ago I read about certain tree species which were (best or traditionally) grown for home firewood. I mean, in a sustainable homesteading situation, certain trees will send up "suckers" (?) which grow straight and tall, fast enough that they (the suckers) can be harvested every few years or so and used as fuel - not in a commercial way, but for home use. There's a specific name or word for either this technique or this type of tree. And I can't remember any of it except for the concept!! (I'm getting old!! LOL) Does anyone know what I'm referring to? And, better yet, can I get some links, resources or references for more information on this? Thanks in advance! :-)

-- Susuti (BotanyBay11@aol.com), January 19, 2001

Answers

One term I've seen is coppice/coppicing -- is that the kind of thing you were looking for? Pollard/pollarding, stool/stooling are others.

I know this technique has been used with willows, not for firewood, but for producing long straight poles for various uses around homesteads/farms.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 19, 2001.

Red maple seems to sucker around here from cut stumps. I don't know if they ever amount to as good a tree as the original, but for firewood, who'd care? Poplar also suckers, especially if you nick any shallow roots. And believe it or not, I've seen Red Oak suckering around here as well on road verges where they cut them back. Locusts are also well known for this behavior, and are frequently cropped this way for fence posts.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 20, 2001.

Out west here, madrone is the most popular firewood, and it resprouts. So does black oak (Quercus kelloggii). Poplar is not that great a firewood, in my opinion.

In Peru and Bolivia, they use Eucalyptus, with excellent results, both for fuel and for lumber. I stayed with a family there who is on the third harvest for timber from the same trees, planted by the woman's grandfather. So if you're in a warm enough climate, you might try this. But realize that there are hundreds of species of Euchies, and get the right one(s)

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), January 20, 2001.

Don't know how it grows in other areas of the country, but here in western washington, alder grows fast and is considered a weed. It's classified as a hardwood so it burns hotter than fir, which is a common firewood source here.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), January 20, 2001.

In this part of the midwest, a tree that readily suckers is the Silver Maple. People run over the roots with their lawnmowers and wind up with more of them that they know what to do with. A nice problem to have, IMO.

-- Fred Taylor (fjcoalco@webtv.net), January 20, 2001.

Some great ideas! Thanks to all! Coppicing IS the concept I was thinking of! We're on the Central Coast of California, in the Monterey Bay area. I'm wanting to take our half-acre back to a more "original" condition, with native vegetation, etc., while being as self-sustaining as possible. Thanks again for the assistance!

-- Susuti (BotanyBay11@aol.com), January 21, 2001.

look for the heavest hardwood that grows in your neck of the woods cut it in winter when most of the sap is out of it. cut and split it then dry it for a year. as for suckers on stumps cut out any suckers under the size of our finger after second year of grouth 5th year cut out all but 3 the size your arm or larger. continue thining over the years but allways leave the straight ones for lumber logs 20 years of grouth that will be your pension fund

-- nick malek (raymondetdesrosier@sympatico.ca), January 23, 2001.