You guys are making me tired and sore just reading this thread.
For most of my life (except for my six years in the Navy, in very warm climates) most of my home heat has been provided by wood and/or a combination of wood and coal -- with a little supplement from gas and electric.
I'll be 63 in a few weeks. Several years ago I gave up the macho image. I got rid of my big chainsaws -- sent them to Katrina cleanup. I quit tilting at trees more than about 20" DBH. I now have three high-speed modern chainsaws (medium, small, and even smaller). Last year I started buying wood from one of my son's friends.
As I get older and wiser (lazier), I have less desire to take down the really big and dangerous ones, even though I have all the equipment. Several years ago, I succumbed to using a tree service to take out some 36- to 40-inch DBH oaks within about four foot of our previous house. The "woodchuckers" had it done in no time at all. They cut the bucks into 18-inch lengths. They mulched the branches and leaves into tiny pieces. I still had to split the wood. But, for about $600, I got the trees cut down, I got about 10 yards of mulch, and I got about four cord of firewood. I thought it was quite a bargain -- and I didn't endanger my house, family, or me.
