I just got a new insert installed....I have a couple cords of red alder...seems like some people love it and some don't care for it...it seems low on the btu chart but does it have other qualties that make it a good wood for some heating?
Red alder?
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North of 60
Minister of Fire
All wood heats. Dry wood is the most important factor. I have red alder sent to me from my old home town in BCs lower mainland for smoking purposes. We heated our farm house with red alder for years. Loved the smell. Burn times for the same heat output would be shorter than some other wood available down there but to me who cares if you have it and its DRY. It would be better than wet oak ;-) I always here people save their pine for the shoulder seasons and mild weather as they have hardwoods to burn. Our cold weather can be the harshest as they come and all I have to burn is pine, spruce,poplar and if Im lucky birch from 200miles away. It all keeps my family warm and off the oil. Enjoy the heat from that red alder in your new insert and the nice smell that goes with it.
N of 60
N of 60
I second the good smell. I wish I had enough to burn all the time. We don't get too much large diameter around here so it is also easy to throw on the fire without picking up an axe or maul.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
I just used red alder last night for my overnight burn. I have never heard of anybody from the NW that doesn't like alder. Some folks will only burn doug fir for some reason but if they've tried the alder then they will like it. Some folks might think that alder is the same as willow/cottonwood/poplar and many people don't like to burn those things.
I love red alder. Easy to split, smooth bark with no splinters, common and grows pretty quickly. Red alder is just about the same on the heating charts as the other common NW wood trio of fir/maple/alder mixed. I find the red alder superior to fir in that it produces some ash. The ash covers the burning wood and allows for a longer burn. Compare that to doug fir that has slightly more energy per cubic foot but the darn log burns up much quicker since there is almost no ash to block the air.
In a modern stove, even cottonwood is a decent wood to burn. They all last about the same time in the stove so the difference is how much heat is released during that time.
I'll take it off your hands if you don't want it.
I love red alder. Easy to split, smooth bark with no splinters, common and grows pretty quickly. Red alder is just about the same on the heating charts as the other common NW wood trio of fir/maple/alder mixed. I find the red alder superior to fir in that it produces some ash. The ash covers the burning wood and allows for a longer burn. Compare that to doug fir that has slightly more energy per cubic foot but the darn log burns up much quicker since there is almost no ash to block the air.
In a modern stove, even cottonwood is a decent wood to burn. They all last about the same time in the stove so the difference is how much heat is released during that time.
I'll take it off your hands if you don't want it.
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