Best way to prepare gathered wood?

[Gage]

...So pieces of driftwood from the beach are a definite no-no?

I was searching for how I ought best to heat them, but now I'm unsure it should even be attempted.

[deranged chipmunk]

not necessarily. i only avoid driftwood in my area because the river washes a lot of stuff downstream. so i never know what is aged and what isn't. i also prefer collecting from dead fall in the woods because there is so much more variety. i have collected from the banks for my fish tanks though and never had a problem. as long as you wash it thoroughly and then heat it properly, you should have no problems.

[deranged chipmunk]

phil, i don't know much about the geography of cali, but you guys have some of the most awesome wood in the world there. bow far are you from a manzanita forest? that's where i would be collecting wood from.

[Gage]

So I just realized that the cautionary sentence I was referring to was from that article Brian threw down.

Excerpt: "If you decide to use your own found driftwood, avoid ocean driftwood. You will be unable to get rid of all the salt! Driftwood from lakes, rivers and streams in agricultural areas should also be avoided; they are often saturated with pesticides and herbicides."

So my ocean-sourced driftwood is what I am questioning bc of the salt.

Here is a pic; I have not researched what type of wood it is, so let me know if you recognize it! By the way... the beer can is there for size reference (I couldn't find anything else I wanted to throw in for that purpose).


Thinking that if I do try to use these pieces, I will need to sterilize them on the grill!

As for manzanita forests... looks like Monterey has a bunch, and I'm not too far from there!

Phil E

[deranged chipmunk]

i can't really tell what kind of wood that is. it kind of looks a bit like oak, but it doesn't appear to be as dense as oak. i know, you can't tell density from a pic, but i'm going by how tight the grain pattern looks.

brian is 100% correct, driftwood from the ocean is nearly impossible to remove the salt content from.

go get some manzy boy! you will not regret it. oh, and take some pics from monterey!!

[Gage]

mission accepted. see when I can work it in...