On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 01:36:08 GMT, Kevin Craig
wrote:

Visiting my mother today, I saw that her neighbor across the street
had
felled a large black cherry tree. The trunk was clear, straight, and
limb-free for 15 feet. The largest diameter was probably 32", and
perhaps 26-28 inches at the upper end. No evidence of rot or damage.

It had been down a couple of days, so the ends were a beautiful deep
russet color. Not just "both" ends, but all 20 of them.

Yep, 20 ends -- several hundred dollars' worth of fine lumber had
been
cut into neat 18" firewood lengths. As we sat in my mother's living
room for a visit, I heard the clank of a maul repeatedly hitting a
splitting wedge. I cringed at each blow, and I think I have
developed a
tic in my eye.

*sigh*

Kevin

Cherry can be hard to split. Burning it puts off a lot more chemicals
than many other woods. Trees in suburbs often have concrete, steel and
other embedded items. I'm sure that that particular tree was riddled
with termites, fungi and mold.... HTH, /ts