ELM?

As with any wood especially Elm, if it is too difficult to split at normal lengths ,I will cut it in shorter lengths (8" - 12") which will spit easier or just use as is depending if it will fit in stove or not. I will either have a separate pile for these odd ball sizes or let them dry on top of normal stacks and use them first.

ZZ Tom said:

If you've got some serious frustration that needs to be dealt with, hand splitting elm is for you.

Took me the better part of the summer to hand split a cord of elm, although it was only an hour or two in the morning a couple days each week. I had a few rounds with two wedges stuck in them. Had to behead a maul for a third wedge. Elm is the reason I would buy a splitter if I could afford one and had room to store it.

Burns well though.

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+50 - Burns well but what a PITA to split. I have too much of it in my wood lot and hydro. As you say, if you need to release some stress, Elm is the wood to split. Just be prepared to be more frustrated when your axe, maul, wedge, etc doesn't put a dent in it! That said, I have had better luck with standing dead Elm as opposed to freshly felled Elm.

Love it when that picture makes it back onto a thread. Here is my pic of pretty "normal" elm in my neck of the woods. The dead stuff is more difficult to pull apart and and I use an axe to cut the strings apart. This one was dead 2 years and just starting to loose its bark. Another year and it wouldn't have any strings, a year earlier and it would have a few pieces like the post above. As far as I am concerned elm burns nearly as good as oak with less drying time.

Jags said:

Depends on the tree. Some aren't so bad, some are nasty. A wind driven yard bird or fence line tree can be a beast:
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That's elm