Comments for Manzanita Branches http://manzanitabranches.org ManzanitaBranches.org Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:56:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Comment on Manzanita Branches by admin http://manzanitabranches.org/comment-page-1/#comment-8 admin Thu, 13 May 2010 05:11:32 +0000 http://manzanitabranches.org/?page_id=6#comment-8 If you want to keep the reddish color, keep it out of the sun and the rain. The red manzanita bark will fade in the sun and if it is left out in the rain the bark can turn brown or even black and eventually will degrade and start to peel. It will be fine to hang before it dries and use it as it is. I would not worry about it drying and just let it dry in its own time since it will be indoors. In a dry indoor environment it should mostly dry in a few weeks unless it is a huge piece. Manzanita bark does fade some as it dries and I am not sure how to prevent that or what adding oil will do. If anyone else knows or has any input please post it here. If you want to keep the reddish color, keep it out of the sun and the rain. The red manzanita bark will fade in the sun and if it is left out in the rain the bark can turn brown or even black and eventually will degrade and start to peel. It will be fine to hang before it dries and use it as it is. I would not worry about it drying and just let it dry in its own time since it will be indoors. In a dry indoor environment it should mostly dry in a few weeks unless it is a huge piece. Manzanita bark does fade some as it dries and I am not sure how to prevent that or what adding oil will do. If anyone else knows or has any input please post it here.

]]> Comment on Manzanita Branches by GretchenJoanna http://manzanitabranches.org/comment-page-1/#comment-7 GretchenJoanna Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:10:47 +0000 http://manzanitabranches.org/?page_id=6#comment-7 I would like to hang a manzanita branch from my ceiling as a decoration. I got a couple of branches that had split off a bush in a winter storm, and have trimmed them of leaves and flowers and small twigs. Now I am wondering if I should do anything to the wood before it dries. I want to retain the deep reddish color; if I dry it out of the sun and rain is that likely? I thought that after it dries I would put Swedish oil on it. How long might it take to dry? I would like to hang a manzanita branch from my ceiling as a decoration. I got a couple of branches that had split off a bush in a winter storm, and have trimmed them of leaves and flowers and small twigs. Now I am wondering if I should do anything to the wood before it dries. I want to retain the deep reddish color; if I dry it out of the sun and rain is that likely? I thought that after it dries I would put Swedish oil on it. How long might it take to dry?

]]> Comment on Manzanita and Forests by admin http://manzanitabranches.org/manzanita-and-forests/comment-page-1/#comment-4 admin Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:42:29 +0000 http://manzanitabranches.org/?page_id=17#comment-4 Yes Elaine, you are exactly right, manzanita can burn very hot and can be a big fire hazard. Green manzanita trees themselves are usually not very flammable but the dead dry twigs and other dead material can burn very hot. Harvesting manzanita can go a long way in reducing the fire hazard in our western forests. As with many trees, the lower branches die as the higher branches grow above and shade the lower ones. With most trees, the dead branches decay and break off and rot away on the forest floor. But manzanita wood is so decay resistant that a thick stand of manzanita can accumulate a massive amount of this dead flammable material. Once the dry wood catches fire, the heat quickly dries the green leaves within seconds. The not so flammable green leaves quickly become highly flammable and can create severe fire storms that are so hot they incinerate entire forests. I have seen flames from manzanita fires shooting into the air dozens of feet high pulling the burning leaves off the branches into the air with it. The burning leaves then rain down and help to spread the fire. On the flip side, as long as manzanita is kept pruned of dead wood and away from other flammable plants and materials, manzanita is actually considered to be a fire resistant landscaping plant for dry fire prone areas. Yes Elaine, you are exactly right, manzanita can burn very hot and can be a big fire hazard. Green manzanita trees themselves are usually not very flammable but the dead dry twigs and other dead material can burn very hot. Harvesting manzanita can go a long way in reducing the fire hazard in our western forests.

As with many trees, the lower branches die as the higher branches grow above and shade the lower ones. With most trees, the dead branches decay and break off and rot away on the forest floor. But manzanita wood is so decay resistant that a thick stand of manzanita can accumulate a massive amount of this dead flammable material.

Once the dry wood catches fire, the heat quickly dries the green leaves within seconds. The not so flammable green leaves quickly become highly flammable and can create severe fire storms that are so hot they incinerate entire forests. I have seen flames from manzanita fires shooting into the air dozens of feet high pulling the burning leaves off the branches into the air with it. The burning leaves then rain down and help to spread the fire.

On the flip side, as long as manzanita is kept pruned of dead wood and away from other flammable plants and materials, manzanita is actually considered to be a fire resistant landscaping plant for dry fire prone areas.

]]> Comment on Manzanita and Forests by Elaine http://manzanitabranches.org/manzanita-and-forests/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Elaine Mon, 05 Apr 2010 08:20:02 +0000 http://manzanitabranches.org/?page_id=17#comment-3 Hey! Thanks for this very informative site about my FAVORITE decorative tree!!! Manzanita branches are SO strong and hold up through multiple uses so manzanita saves me a lot of money over more brittle woods. As a decorator, sometimes I'm asked questions about the ecological impact of the products I use. I find that being armed with facts is the best way to alleviate a bride's concerns that the 100 manzanita branch centerpieces that they must have for their wedding aren't going to kill a polar bear :) I've heard that manzanita burns very hot, can you tell me if that's true? If it is true, wouldn't harvesting manzanita be a very responsible thing to do when thinking about how the wildfires devastate the west coast in the summer? Thanks in advance for your answers and opinions! Hey! Thanks for this very informative site about my FAVORITE decorative tree!!! Manzanita branches are SO strong and hold up through multiple uses so manzanita saves me a lot of money over more brittle woods. As a decorator, sometimes I’m asked questions about the ecological impact of the products I use. I find that being armed with facts is the best way to alleviate a bride’s concerns that the 100 manzanita branch centerpieces that they must have for their wedding aren’t going to kill a polar bear :)

I’ve heard that manzanita burns very hot, can you tell me if that’s true? If it is true, wouldn’t harvesting manzanita be a very responsible thing to do when thinking about how the wildfires devastate the west coast in the summer?

Thanks in advance for your answers and opinions!

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