Another one bites the dust .

[Snag]

Or "Let there be light !" Having determined that too much shade has been part of my poor garden performance , I have embarked on a project to change that . Today 3 small white oaks and one largish maple tree fell to my chainsaw . The trees on our land are so close together that they grow tall but not too big around , and often grow leaned to get light . That was the case with the maple , and had it gone the wrong way I'd be building a new shop . I think the ones I took out today are going to be enough to get morning sun , but there are a couple more oaks on the west side that I think will need to come out too - I started there before the weather went crazy . I won't be able to get over there until it dries out some , I've got bare clay from a septic drainage project done last summer . And the trees won't be wasted , they're going on my firewood pile .

[Bloke Down The Pub]

Would these oaks be the type you would use for smoking?

Mike

[Snag]

They could be used for smoking , but would need to be turned into charcoal first . Woods used as wood for smoking are usually hickory , mesquite , and fruitwoods such as cherry or apple . I use hardwood lump charcoal , never briquets . The woods I add are small quantities for flavor - too much of any wood can make the meat taste bitter and like creosote . Easy does it is the general rule . Our land is heavily wooded with mostly red and white oak , plenty of hickory and smaller numbers of other hardwoods . These trees I just cut were NOT prime candidates for fire wood , but they were blocking the sun from our garden . As much as I hated to harvest them , it is for the greater good . I expect to gain as much as 3-4 hours more direct sun on the garden . That IMO is more important than the loss of .001% of our trees ... tomorrow I start tilling , prepping the new strawberry bed and an area for cold-weather stuff like lettuce .