Letter Re: Burning Soft Maple Wood as a Primary Home Heat Source

Jim:
A few comments about the article discussing soft maple as a “softwood” firewood. Technically, Soft Maple is not [classified as] a softwood, it is a hardwood. That being said, yes it is a fine firewood – sometimes better that hard maple because it dries faster. I’ve heated my farm house and barn 100% with wood for many years. I also own several 100 acre-plus stands for “hard” and “soft” maples.
A softwood is a needle-bearing conifer and a hardwood is a broadleaf deciduous tree. Some softwood trees have harder and stronger wood then many hardwood trees. Yellow Pine is a prime example of a very strong softwood. Basswood and Poplar are examples of very soft hardwoods.

When it comes to wood burning – all wood has the same basic heat energy per pound. However, woods vary in density and natural water content. Denser woods also take longer to dry which can be a factor in burning wood that has not had a lot of time to lose that moisture.

Soft maple weighs less by volume as hard maple, but dries faster and splits easier. Some hard woods, like Ash, have very low moisture content before drying. Hard maple, once dried properly has more heat energy per volume and will hold a fire longer in a woodstove or furnace with finite storage space for wood.
The main danger with burning true “softwoods” is the resin most carry that plugs chimneys. Most “hardwoods” don’t have the resins. Another potential danger with softwoods is – when dry they can burn very hot. We’ve used softwoods for years for heating up a fire quick when boiling maple sap to make syrup. When using a woodstove inside a house – that is normally
fired with hardwoods – a bunch of dry softwood thrown in can make it flare up fast – and ignite a chimney wall if coated with creosote.

One more comment about the maples. The generic names e.g. “soft maple” , “swamp maple”, etc. can mean different things in different places. In my area of New York, “soft maple” connotes Red Maple, and “swamp maple” is usually a reference to Silver Maple. Hard Maple usually means just the sugar maple, but is also applied to Black Maple. They all make good firewood – and – for making maple syrup – they all work to some degree. Red maple has less sugar content and therefore takes more boiling, making the best sugar producers Sugar and Black Maple.

For reference:
A dry cord of Basswood weighs 1,980 lbs. with 13,800 BTUs per cord. Hardwood
A dry cord of Soft Maple weighs 2,752 lbs. with 19,000 BTUs per cord. Hardwood
A dry cord of Soft Maple weighs 3,680 lbs. with 25,500 BTUs per cord Hardwood
A dry cord of White Pine weighs 2,250 lbs. with 15,600 BTUs per cord Softwood
– John in Central New York

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric S. found this Reuters article: Prepare for big flu pandemic economic hit, UN says

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RBS sent this one: Dengue Fever Is A Potential Threat To US Public Health, Experts Say. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read my advice on preparing for pandemics. In particular, see the details on oral rehydration solutions. Stock up, or be prepared to make your own.

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Hardly a news flash: As housing slumps, realtors quit

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Uncle Sam seems to have made a successful “end run” at implementing a National ID Card: New Security Rules for US Driver’s Licenses

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $360. The auction is for a scarce original 1980s-vintage Heckler und Koch 19mm Emergency Flare Launcher (EFL) aka “Notsignalgerät“ from my personal collection. It comes with three magazines and 28 scarce original German 19mm flares–10 red, 10 white, and 8 green. Together, this package is worth approximately $400. It is not classified as a “firearm” under Federal law. (Consult your state and local laws before bidding.) Sorry, no overseas bids will be accepted for this auction. This auction ends on January 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Letter Re: Burning Soft Maple Wood as a Primary Home Heat Source

Hi Jim,
I have set out on an experiment in heating my home that has been interesting and is important to relay to other readers as their are many questions about using Soft Maple as a heat source. My experiment follows nearly a lifetime of wood burning, tree felling, splitting, chimney cleaning lifestyle and is of course not from a “professional”, so ask a professional when experimenting with home heating.
I have used wood only heating in my current home for five years with 100% safety and 1,000% enjoyment. Before that, I had 11 years of consistent home heating by wood. I ran into a project on my property that involved felling some gigantic Soft Maple trees in order to adjust fencing and grading issues. These trees also became a looming headache about falling on my building. This past early summer was the project.

The trees were about 48″-to-60″ in diameter. With all the overhead limbs that were as big as most trees appearing to start to hollow out, I felt it necessary to drop these trees with a large tracked excavator. In this scenario, we ripped the roots out from around the tree on three sides with a gigantic frost tooth/ cement tooth attachment. After ripping through the 16″ diameter roots, we used the machine to drop the trees by guiding them to the ground with the hook. I could not justify being under any one of those limbs while felling the tree as it would have been instant death upon impact.
Now that this job was complete, it was saw time. I had everything cut into lineal length for the saw mill in two days and the brush cut and stacked for burning. There was no way I could fathom attempting to split the wood with the enormity of the trunks. I decided early on to sell the largest logs to the mill and “deal with the limbs” at a later date. When talking to an old boy at the mill, he recommended against all other advice. He said to split the wood late season and burn it right away. Conventional wisdom would tell you to never burn un-seasoned, (wet) wood in a stove/fireplace or dangerous deposits of creosote would form in the chimney causing a chimney fire. I decided that with my project I had over three years supply of soft maple right in front of me, so I might as well try it given my understanding of how important it is to monitor the burning, I felt completely comfortable with this experiment.

I started heating intermittently in October, exclusively with soft maple. Here are my observations:
-It starts amazingly well given an air space under it. In fact, I have been able to rekindle the fire without any matches for most of the winter by using the bark from the soft maple placed directly on the very small coals and propping up what I would call “Extremely large tinder”, (i.e.- 2” – 4” odd split off fall), give it lots of air and it is going.
-Given its properties, it does not overheat my chimney near as often as hardwood, but did not lend itself to any signs of buildup in my chimney. For the first month and a half I would add “anti-creosote” granules when the chimney was warmed up to keep things clear.
-With fewer BTUs than hardwood, I have gone through about 10% more wood than the previous winter of hardwood burning and have used my electric blower about 20% of the burn time compared to not needing it with hardwood. This was for comfort, not necessity.
-I have cleaned out the ash box and chimney 3 times as much this year compared to hardwood burning. These ashes seem to quickly choke the coals if not monitored when you first get up in the morning.
-I have decided to not use the granules any longer and keep monitoring the chimney. For the past month I have not noticed any change in buildup in the chimney. It is amazing how clean my chimney is for burning a softwood. It has yet to truly need the brush this year, but I have as habit.
-If a long burn is needed, it is imperative that you stack the wood in the fire box in a manner that would not aid in air flow to the fire. In other words, try to stack wood exactly upon itself in the exact same direction creating very small places for the flame to lick out upon the upper wood which allows the wood to smolder in the ash below and keep a more consistent burn albeit at a lower temperature. At least when you get home you have coals and a comfortable abode.This experiment has been fun as I am glad to not waste that much cordwood. I have not cut up the additional logs that were limbs from those trees yet as I did not want it to dry up and not create any heat next year. I will monitor the results and fill you in when that season is upon us. I hope that in 20’ lengths of logs, that it will still retain its moisture without rotting. Soft Maple really does not do well for any outdoor exposure in lumber form.

I wanted to share this experiment as it is against what I have known and could prove useful to someone else when dealing with a soft “nuisance” tree like Soft Maple. Please understand that other soft woods don’t share this property to my knowledge. Cottonwood plugged my chimney faster than I have ever seen before. But Cottonwood and hardwood mix allowed me to get some benefit out of that tree that could not be used at the mill. (I don’t recommend using Cottonwood, after that experiment).

A tidbit of value before cutting up your tree post-SHTF. After felling a tree, look at the rings. If you notice a sizeable, (thumb size or larger) deposit of graphite toned discoloration, then you have a tree with metal inside. Maybe it’s just a nail, but maybe it is a fence post! This is extremely important if you own the sawmill or you don’t have spare chains or teeth for your saws and you can’t get them without UPS [parcel delivery service continuing] as we know it. I would venture this to be very common among fence row trees on the property lines or near pastures of yesteryear. Avoiding that part of the tree could mean the difference between keeping your home heated for the year, or looking for a new saw at the barter faire!

Last bit of advice, the sawmill was happy to see that I over sized the logs by 5” to allow them to trim the ends. They were also glad to see the large logs compared to most customers who split the trunks and sell the limbs. What a mistake as the profit lost could put food on the table! The limbs burn 30% longer than an equivalent size and weight log that is split. I love burning round stock that is properly cured!
In my project, I did have logs that were too big for the mill’s equipment. In those cases I had to saw the logs in half. I guess that is better than trying to axe a 48” diameter log, or roll that widow maker up onto the log splitter!

A little asking around might serve us all better before the need arises. This well seasoned man just heated my family this Winter,…. Maybe he’ll heat yours too! All the Best! – The Wanderer

Letter Re: Grandpappy’s Pemmican Recipe – A Native American Indian Survival Food

James,
The following information is freely available on the internet at a variety of web sites including the Wikipedia, the USDA, and the FDA web sites.

First a simple clarification of the USDA information: Dried meat may pose a health risk if: (1) the meat is improperly dried, and (2) the original meat contained harmful microorganisms or the meat is processed in an environment that contains harmful microorganisms.

The original USDA quotation does not mention the addition of sodium nitrite as a solution to this problem. The scientific experiment discussed at this web site evaluated the growth of Salmonella on nitrite-enhanced and nitrite-free hot dogs and found that sodium nitrite only slowed the growth of Salmonella.

Sodium nitrite is not table salt. The legal maximum amount of nitrite is 1 ounce per 100 pounds meat (dry cured). Nitrite significantly delays the development of botulism.

Sodium chloride is table salt. At certain levels, sodium chloride prevents the growth of some types of bacteria that are responsible for meat spoilage. In the proper quantity salt also helps to extend the normal shelf life of many food products.

A brine solution of water and salt, and other optional ingredients, helps to more evenly distribute the salt across the entire surface of the meat. The soaking process then allows the salt water solution to be absorbed into the meat.

Neither sodium nitrite, nor sodium chloride, nor a brine solution will kill all the harmful microorganisms that can adversely impact human health. However in sufficient quantities they will destroy certain microorganisms and significantly limit the growth of other types of microorganisms.

In the old days, after the meat had been soaked in a brine solution of water and salt, the meat was then cured or smoked. The heat generated during this process was the key to the complete successful eradication of the harmful microorganisms in the meat.

Heat will successfully destroy a wide variety of harmful microorganisms. This fact is readily available at a variety of Internet web sites. For example, in beef, venison, and other red meats:

Salmonella is destroyed at a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Listeria monocytogenes is destroyed at a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Staphylococcus aureus is destroyed at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Escherichia coli is destroyed at a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

In my Pemmican Recipe I recommended drying the thin strips of meat in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit for at least six hours. At that temperature the above microorganisms cannot survive.

I also recommended the optional addition of salt to the pemmican after it was dried to improve its flavor and to help extend its shelf life.

The reason I am taking the time to share the above information is to help prevent the spread of information that may have been taken out of its original context from the USDA web site and then presented on your web site in a manner that may be somewhat unintentionally misleading. Respectfully, – Grandpappy

Odds ‘n Sods:

I stumbled into a great Do It Yourself (DIY) blog with some very practical projects: The DIY Blog.

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A reader in East Tennessee wanted to put out a heads-up to anyone looking for property. It’s 88 acres with a small house, both sides of the road, ridge to ridge, lots of water. The house is tactically situated and in a good position for solar exposure, good pasture and soil. The location is three roads off the beaten path, but about an hour from the Tri-Cities area. The reader doesn’t have any financial interest in the property, but it’s a good location, and not far from good Christian folks that read SurvivalBlog.

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Several readers mentioned this alarming article: Moody’s: U.S. rating could be pressured in long term. The article begins: “The US is at risk of losing its top-notch triple-A credit rating within a decade unless it takes radical action to curb soaring healthcare and social security spending, Moody’s, the credit rating agency, said yesterday.” One comment from SurvivalBlog reader “Hiker”: “This sounds like a page right out of the beginning of your novel [“Patriots”], discussing how government mandated entitlements tied to automatic inflation increases help bankrupt the country.”

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The US economy now clearly appears bound for recession, and for the Federal Reserve the timing couldn’t be any worse. The US Dollar was already under heavy pressure in foreign exchange while a global credit collapse is underway. To soften the landing and hopefully shorten the recession, the Fed will have no choice but to further cut interest rates. That will be disastrous for the dollar. Get out of any dollar denominated investments as quickly as possible. Even the safest bond or blue chip stock won’t be safe if the dollar itself is wiped out. Diversify into productive farm land that can double as a retreat, useful tangibles (such as guns, tools, and common caliber ammunition) and into precious metals. (As a universally recognized safe stores of value, precious metals will rise inversely to the decline in the dollar.) If the US Dollar Index dips below 74, it could trigger a full scale dollar panic. Semper Paratus!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“We might think of dollars as being ‘certificates of performance.’ The better I serve my fellow man, and the higher the value he places on that service, the more certificates of performance he gives me. The more certificates I earn, the greater my claim on the goods my fellow man produces. That’s the morality of the market. In order for one to have a claim on what his fellow man produces, he must first serve him.” – Dr. Walter E. Williams

“Terminator” and “Jericho”–Science Fiction as a Preparedness Motivational Tool

The new science fiction television show “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” will premiere in the US on Sunday (January 13, 2008) at 8 p.m. (and will be repeated the following evening.) Thenceforth, it will air on Mondays at 9 PM.
I watched an early reviewers’ edit of the pilot episode, and I was impressed–particularly with the special effects. Oddly, I found the Terminatrix “Cameron” played by Summer Glau more captivating that the lead characters–Sarah Connor and her son John. (You may remember Summer Glau as “River Tam” from the short-lived but highly-acclaimed “Firefly” television series and its spin-off “Serenity” movie.) I also thought that Richard T. Jones –who plays the FBI agent “Ellison” did a great job. In my opinion Jones absolutely nailed it with his delivery of his “Its the robots!” explanatory monologue. (The character name is doubtless an homage to sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison.)

All in all, the shows has a great cast. I hope that the script writing holds up as the series progresses. (Hopefully it won’t degenerate into one Terminator peril/chase and McGyvered escape after another.) I have hopes that this series (along with “Jericho”), will in some small way help get people to “think outside the box” about the fragility of our modern society and motivate them to prepare for more inimical times. But perhaps I’m putting too much faith in the “bread and circuses” TV-viewing crowd. OBTW, for anyone that wants to chat about either series, there is both a The Sarah Connor Chronicles Yahoo Discussion Group and a Jericho Yahoo Discussion Group. Both of these are edited by a SurvivalBlog reader. Also BTW, I should mention that “Jericho” will return to the small screen on Tuesday, February 12th.

Letter Re: Thanks to Congress, Ethanol and Biofuel Mandates Cause Food Prices to Soar

Jim,
You may have noted the article titled Thanks to Congress, Ethanol and Biofuel Mandates Cause Food Prices to Soar, before and I missed it.

The article [by Dana Joel Gattuso a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research–a conservative think tank] is very interesting. I can’t vouch for the veracity of the report, or the organization, however, it doesn’t do anything to lessen my fears that any congressional involvement in the energy business only makes things worse.

Here are a few scary quotes from the article:

” …ethanol requires enormous quantities of water, a valuable resource already in short supply in many areas of the nation. Producing one gallon of ethanol fuel, including the water needed to grow corn, requires an astonishing 1,700 gallons of water, according to Cornell University ecology professor David Pimentel.”

“Yet Washington remains fixated on biofuels, ironically furthering our dependence on foreign oil. Government’s selection of ethanol as the chosen source of fuel discourages refiners from expanding capacity. Since ethanol can’t come close to meeting U.S. demand for fuel – turning our entire corn crop to fuel production would only replace 12 percent of our current gasoline consumption – we dangerously risk increasing our reliance on imports.”

None of this will matter, of course, when Congress acts on the energy bill. As is the way of the world in the nation’s capital, the powerful agribusiness and ethanol interests will trump science, and Congress will turn a blind eye to the poor’s struggle against soaring food prices.” – Bill P.

Letter Re: Grandpappy’s Pemmican Recipe – A Native American Indian Survival Food

Sir,
I must say that I do not recommend the gentleman’s pemmican recipe. Unless he adds sodium nitrite and brines the meat, sickness can occur. From the USDA: “Salmonella not only survives drying but also becomes more heat resistant with drying and is more of an issue in non-fermented dried meats, such as jerky, and whole meat cuts, such as dried hams.
Starter cultures are generally not used in the production of jerky. Microbial hazards include Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and, for beef and venison jerky, E. coli O157:H7. If the product receives inadequate lethality treatment and is insufficiently dried, S. aureus is a potential hazard, since it can grow at lower water activities than most pathogens.”Regards, – Jeff

JWR Replies: I agree that salt brining is appropriate before drying meat. Otherwise, Grandpappy’s recipe is correct and quite useful, as stated. One good brining method is described at the Walton Feed web site. FWIW, in my opinion, nitrates and nitrites are overused in American processed foods, and in high concentrations they could have some negative long term health effects. I much prefer brining.

I just added a note to Grandpappy’s original post, recommending thorough salt brining.

Letter Re: Home Canning Your Garden Produce and Meat

Hello,
I’ve seen several mentions of sealing home canned food with wax, most recently in the email from Troy H. My grandmother did this for jams and jellies, which she put up with enough sugar to preserve them even without canning. The wax seal was intended to keep the jam from drying out, and to stop mold from forming on the top. It would too often fail, and we would find mold growing under the wax. I suspect that it failed to seal more often than the mold grew, too!

I would very strongly advise against using a wax “seal” on any food which might spoil if not canned. High sugar jams and jellies are probably fine; after all, my grandma got away with it for decades, and yours probably did too. At best, “sealing” vegetables or meat with wax will probably result in wasted food, and it might “seal” just well enough to allow botulin toxin to build up. Remember, the wax layer doesn’t have the “button center” which will spring up if the seal is lost [on a steel lid]. You have no warning other than your nose if there is a problem, and botulism is odorless.

Potting is an early variant of this wax seal technique. Potted meat is cooked, and a layer of hot meat is tightly packed in the bottom of a clean crock. Very hot fat is then poured in to cover it, then, once the fat has cooled and solidified, another layer of meat, another layer of fat, and so on. Walton Feed has an article with much better instructions. The instructions suggest that you cook the meat again, thoroughly, when you take it out of the pot, to kill the bacteria which have inevitably prospered in the crock.

Salting seems to be a safer alternative to potting, with better potential for longer storage. To salt meat, take a wooden cask or plastic bucket large enough to hold what you need to preserve, and put in the meat in chunks of a pound or two. Pour on a salt brine, strong enough to float a potato. Don’t pack tightly, because you want the brine to reach all of the surface of each piece. Weight the meat down slightly so it stays covered. It will take several weeks to pickle. This is a batch process: if you get some more meat to pickle, put the new meat in new brine, then, if necessary, put the old, pickled meat in the new brine, too, on top so it gets used first. Soak the meat in fresh water several times before use to get the salt out. I got these instructions from a fellow who preserved his food that way for years. I’ve done it once myself, and it made fair corned beef.

If you are concerned with long term self-sufficiency, investigate ice houses, root cellars, drying, salting and smoking. Don’t plan on pouring wax in jars. – Nels T.

Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

Wintertime Retreat Shopping -Part II
In a recent edition of the Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update, I covered the winter access issue relating to getting into your retreat after an event during the winter months, now let’s cover how to shop for your retreat during the winter.

When traveling to shop for your retreat during the winter months there are several issues which you’ll be dealing with when your boots hit the ground. First and foremost realizing that not every listing agent can force their sellers to plow the driveway to the property will help keep you calm. Recently, working with a SurvivalBlog client we found first hand that there are sellers who take the attitude of “if they want to see it then hike in” and won’t spend the bucks to make sure the access is acceptable for a buyer to see their property. Why this is? I have no idea. It seems to me that it would be the owner that should be in charge of maintaining access to the listing, but even I would not do so if the seller would not pay for the service, so getting mad at the listing agent will do nothing more than make them upset. My solution would be to either bring snow shoes with you if you have them or arrange for your real estate agent to rent a few pair for your party so you won’t have to ‘post hole’ up to your thighs to see some of the properties.

There is upwards of three to four feet of snow at the higher retreat elevations here in Idaho now and several properties that are excellent retreats and priced almost rock bottom are not accessible without the proper equipment, although they are right off of county maintained roads! Three hundred yards of walking down a driveway through waist deep snow is not fun! Be prepared to spend hours at your final three possible properties hiking the property lines and seeing what is on the property, ask a lot of questions about debris and fences because when the snow melts and you find hidden treasure (garbage/debris piles et cetera) you won’t have any recourse (unless it’s toxic waste). Be careful and diligent.

Vehicles! Regardless of your Realtor’s vehicle you should rent the best four-wheel drive truck they have available at the airport. No, not the Escalade, the only bling around should be the night sights on your pistol, not the rims on your ride. Why? Because you’re responsible for the safety of your family. When we were shopping for our retreat we never rode with an agent (especially with four kids). We either followed them or had them ride with us. Expect the worst conditions and be prepared to either dig yourself out or wait for a tow truck if you get stuck, no matter the locale some properties are on very icy and un-maintained roads with help hours away. Your agent should be carrying all the tools needed for a dig out (tow ropes, shovels, chains et cetera) in their vehicle and having two vehicles will be of immense help in such conditions. Getting stuck and throwing off your showing schedule really is a bummer. Pack a small Bug Out Bag for your vehicle as well with some food and water (such as a Camelbak) and first aid supplies as well.

If you are not working with an SurvivalBlog approved retreat Realtor then for goodness sake take a firearm with you on your trip. It’s not as big a hassle as I have heard some folks make it out to be and especially during the spring and summer months there is danger from wildlife. If you can’t bring a firearm then pick up a canister of bear spray before heading out. The bottom line is that you should be armed no matter where you go (in CONUS) so be sensible, your family is counting on you.

Another noteworthy action would be to make sure that your Realtor has previewed each listing. This is for several reasons. First, to make sure that the property meets not only standard retreat criteria but your specific criteria as well. The second and most important is to verify access! This past weekend we ran into this issue. The one and only property that I did not preview out of 18 showings that weekend was our first, on Saturday morning. The road was terrible with snow lightly covering almost two inches of ice! Needless to say we ran off the road and never made it to that property. We were in the same vehicle and had to call a wrecker to pull it out. Lesson learned! We did finally see 16 of 18 listings over the weekend but it was a bit more hurried that it should have been.
The reduced daylight during the winter months can play havoc with your sightseeing and make for very short days. In northern latitudes, you can expect only 8 hours of daylight versus almost 15 hours in the summer. Winter is a great time to shop for your retreat, just be prepared. If you have any questions about Idaho retreats please contact me via e-mail. God Bless, – Todd Savage

Odds ‘n Sods:

A bit of “I told you so” for my friend Fred, who claimed that he had “missed the boat” when gold got up past $550 per ounce. I have been begging him to diversify into some silver and gold, ever since gold was around $345 per ounce. Yesterday, (Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008), spot gold spiked briefly to $895 per ounce and spot silver shot up to $16.21 per ounce. There will surely be a lot a volatility–including some scary dips–but the long term trend is almost certainly up for all of the precious metals. Buy on the dips, folks.

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David V. recommended an exceptional piece of economic analysis from Mish Shedlock’s blog: Ponzi Financing and the S&L Crisis Revisited

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Retiring General Aims To Create a Culture of U.S. Preparedness (A hat tip to Jason W. for send us the link.)

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“Poik” e-mailed us a link to an article at the Possum Living blog: Home Built, Trailer Mounted Cabin

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“All initiation of force is a violation of someone else’s rights, whether initiated by an individual or the state, for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals, even if it’s supposed to be for the benefit of another individual or group of individuals.:” – Congressman Ron Paul