Originally posted by Neuse River Sailor I've heard of Osage Orange, that it is fine cabinetmaking wood, but have never seen or used it. Turns out it is in the same family as mulberry, Maclura. One of the best things about Pentax Forums is seeing pictures of things that would be unusual in my stretch of the woods, like big stacks of Osage Orange ready for the stove.
Apparently the original range of Osage Orange was centered in the northern Texas-Arkansas-Oklahoma region. However, it has now been spread all over the country for use as a hedgerow tree. The tree is thorny, and grows in a gnarled and twisted manner such that a row of these trees planted perhaps six to eight feet apart soon grow into an impenetrable barrier. During the early part of the last century the tree was heavily marketed to farmers and ranchers as a "living fence," with the claim that with this fence the would never have to reset the posts or replace the wire! When I bought my little 8-acre country place back in 1981, its entire frontage was graced with just exactly such a living fence. One could neither cross nor see through the barrier imposed by this living fence. Over the years since 1981, I have worked to remove some 50-60 of these trees, and have collected therefrom perhaps 15-20 cords of firewood, and it is only firewood as I could locate no commercial market for the wood, and good firewood it is as it is a heavy, dense wood that burns hotter than any other I have ever experienced, almost like coal, just the wood to use in stoking the fire for a cold winter night. The wood also provides the longest lasting fence posts available, lasting upwards of 40-50 years without rotting out.