Question about Willow... Is it worth it?

A neighbor of mine recently cut down a bunch of what I think is Willow, and had it in stacks on his yard. I was wondering what he was going to do with it, unfortunately he told me someone else had already claimed it.

Today he knocked on my door and told me that the guy didn't show, and that he was bringing his tractor back and could deliver it to my place, no charge, no problem.

I've heard Willow isn't really worth the while because it burns fast and not too hot.

I was wondering if the more knowledgeable could tell me:

a) Is this definitely willow?

and b) is it worth cutting, splitting and stacking to use in my wood stove next winter? Or should I just use it outdoors in the campfire?



His neighbor is cutting down a ton of this stuff as well today and he told me if I haul it away it's mine.

My thinking was that it's all free wood and so better than nothing, but would you guys advise that it's not worth the work? (The neighbors' stuff is thicker than most of the logs in the picture, I know a lot of those are on the thin side).

Thanks for any info!

Thanks a lot everyone. Helpful info as always!
I was taking a picture of the stack and my wife says, "You're taking a picture of the wood?" I said that I had to see what my guys online would say. The family had a good chuckle.

Ya, I do have access to acres and acres of fallen ash along the river of my brother-in-law's field. But getting to it now that the field has been seeded is tricky. I am planning to go in there and cut as much as I can in the next month or so, then I'll just collect it all once the field has been harvested in August.

Oldman47 said:

If you want to stay welcome, stay off that seeded field.

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Absolutely - I meant go in there without a truck and cut the wood to collect later, once harvest is over. My brother-in-law has even offered to bring a second chainsaw!

Lumber-Jack said:

...pretty much any wood will burn and if it burns it produces heat, and that is really the goal isn't it, free heat?

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Wise words.

I guess as a follow-up question (without being the guy who starts a new thread on a similar topic), how big do the pieces need to be before you split them? (There is a picture of the stack posted in the first message) Is there a general rule of thumb between logs that need to be split and smaller ones that you'd leave as is? And lastly, If this Willow was cut in April do you think it'll be ready by Fall? (I do have a moisture meter but any approximate guesses from anyone with Willow experience?)