Collecting firewood

Tree in my yard fell down about 6 months ago, collar rot got to it but wood is very dense and will burn well. Last night it got down to -2.0°C so even though it is Spring and day temp 29°C the nights here in the desert are quite cool.

Got motivated to use the chainsaw today and cut a load from the fallen tree and filled my smallest trailer and moved the wood to near the front veranda. It is a Mallee Eucalypt, the local trees that have multiple trunks. I usually cut one trunk and scour the stump to encourage another trunk to grow to replace it. Mallee trees will grow endlessly, have 6-20 trunks and Mallee roots can be up to 5 metres wide at the ground level and very dense, high energy wood.



Stack is from the one load then visitors lobbed. Photos stored on Imgur. CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE.

Picture (not mine) of typical Mallee showing the root. Wherever you scour it another trunk will grow so just sawing off a trunk will provide the next trunk and keep nature and wood supply balanced.



The Mallee root can be above or below ground and can be really substantial.

If its a member of the eucalyptus family, does it smell nice when burnt on an open fire?

1066Boy wrote: If its a member of the eucalyptus family, does it smell nice when burnt on an open fire?

Yes, all eucys smell nice. I've grown up with them and probably don't notice it as much but yes, open fires give off a nice Eucy smell. Good for colds and clearing blocked nasal passages. A leaf or two into the billy is an old favourite too, especially around the campfire. The smell also chases blowies away, just as Lavender does.

My fire is a "High efficiency inbuilt Nectre Fireplace" so you don't get any smell inside but outside the house you can smell it.