How to Grow Trees for Fuel
- 1). Clear the planting area of weeds. Cultivate the soil if it is compacted.
- 2). Choose a mix of tree varieties appropriate to your climate zone -- some that burn hot and slow, and others that grow fast, for kindling. Buy 2- to 3-foot tree starts from a nursery. A few trees, such as willows, can be started from cut branches set in water for about a month until they form roots.
- 3). Plant the trees when they are dormant, between November and March. Space them 10 feet apart if you plan to let them mature, or 2 to 3 feet apart if you plan to coppice (cut them to the ground every few years for regrowth). Protect the young trees from rabbits and deer with chicken-wire cages or tree guards.
- 4). Deep soak by using soaker hoses, Treegator bags, or 5-gallon buckets with a hole punched in the bottom. New trees should receive 5 gallons of water weekly during the growing season.
- 5). Harvest fast-growing trees by coppicing every few years. Cut slower-growing hardwoods when they reach about 10 feet tall. Seasoned wood burns more efficiently, so cut wood in summer and store it for at least 6 months under cover, stacked to allow plenty of air circulation. Burn in a masonry stove, which is more energy-efficient than a fireplace or traditional woodstove.
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