Best Burning Wood and Why?
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Hi Folks...I burn a mix of hard wood...oak...birch...maple...cherry...etc. off my own wood lot. I also burn eastern white pine... which I burn mostly during the day and in the spring and fall. I'm retired and at home so I can tend my stove all the time. My wood is seasoned anywhere from six months to one year before it is burned. Stove is a large Allnighter and is located in the basement. House is a ranch. My son burns the same wood as I do...which I c/s/s for him as well as for myself. He and I clean our own chimney's during the firing season. Franklin
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
lowroadacres said:
..careful Beavers wont usually go after Oak, they like softer woods. Mostly Poplar, which has a tendency to look like an oak this time of year.
Cluttermagnet
Minister of Fire
Overall, it's hard to beat Red Oak. Only well seasoned, of course. That's what I'm mostly getting lately.
Hickory splits, the few I've gotten, burned wonderfully. Very heavy wood, good coaling like Oak.
I've also burned Maple (probably Norway) and Cherry a lot. Even Tulip (Yellow) Poplar gets a nod here- properly seasoned it gives a lot of BTU's. Good mixed in with Oak.
Have also been through some Mulberry and some Mimosa here. I liked both a lot.
Yep, free wood is the best, for sure. ;-)
Hickory splits, the few I've gotten, burned wonderfully. Very heavy wood, good coaling like Oak.
I've also burned Maple (probably Norway) and Cherry a lot. Even Tulip (Yellow) Poplar gets a nod here- properly seasoned it gives a lot of BTU's. Good mixed in with Oak.
Have also been through some Mulberry and some Mimosa here. I liked both a lot.
Yep, free wood is the best, for sure. ;-)
Gunks
Member
Scrounged red oak. It's free. It's easy to split. It burns long and hot. What more can one ask for?
Thistle
Minister of Fire
smokinj
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Equal opportunity burner here . . . I guess I don't really have any particular favorites . . . as long as it is dry and well seasoned it burns and keeps me warm. I like apple and cherry for the smell when processing . . . sugar maple, beech and yellow birch are some of my better BTU woods that I burn since I don't have a lot of oak, locust, hickory, etc. on the family land . . . I suppose if I was really forced to pick I would say I like white ash -- splits like a dream, seasons nicely and provides a good amount of heat.
Thistle
Minister of Fire
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
smokinj
Minister of Fire
Stump_Branch said:
Yep fat med shinny I dont care if it make me a hoe....It all feels warm and fuzzy!
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
The title of this thread, "Best Burning Wood and Why?" really maybe should have been a bit different. Some of the best burning woods are not always available to most folks. Perhaps you should name the best wood in your area as that would be more meaningful.
As for us, right now it is white ash and that is because of all the emerald ash borers killing all of our ash trees. However, if I were blessed with some good oak, then that would no doubt be my favorite. Still beech is another one but all the beech on our place now are just little things and they take a long, long time to grow. Even slower growing than oak. Apple is one of the best woods too but one does not usually find very large apple wood nor is there much that is straight. I could go on and on but won't.
As for us, right now it is white ash and that is because of all the emerald ash borers killing all of our ash trees. However, if I were blessed with some good oak, then that would no doubt be my favorite. Still beech is another one but all the beech on our place now are just little things and they take a long, long time to grow. Even slower growing than oak. Apple is one of the best woods too but one does not usually find very large apple wood nor is there much that is straight. I could go on and on but won't.
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
jlove1974
Member
hickory, white oak, red oak, and ash...in that order
The reason? Check any BTU chart. I would put ash over red oak for the simple fact
that it seasons faster.
But I have been burning more hickory than ever as of late, and you just can't beat that smell, or those hot glowing coals in the morning.
It's awesome firewood!
And I realize I am very blessed to have all of these at my disposal, and for free
The reason? Check any BTU chart. I would put ash over red oak for the simple fact
that it seasons faster.
But I have been burning more hickory than ever as of late, and you just can't beat that smell, or those hot glowing coals in the morning.
It's awesome firewood!
And I realize I am very blessed to have all of these at my disposal, and for free
In my 3rd year and I've had a large variety of woods to burn. My favorites:
Great wood:
Oak (for the heat it gives off) I wish I had all oak.
Cherry - probably my favorite - easy to find - splits like a dream - good heat
Ash - good stuff
Mulberry - also great stuff but a rare find
OK Wood
maple - a decent score but more of a so-so wood.
Black Locust - stuff doesn't impress me
Least liked,
Tulip Poplar - it's a light weight waste of a scrounge. Why bother
Elm - I avoid it for the headache of splitting it and the BTU's aren't great.
Beech - another light weight wood - doesn't give off much in heat.
sumac - It grows on my property and when they fall - I'll cut them and burn it.
Great wood:
Oak (for the heat it gives off) I wish I had all oak.
Cherry - probably my favorite - easy to find - splits like a dream - good heat
Ash - good stuff
Mulberry - also great stuff but a rare find
OK Wood
maple - a decent score but more of a so-so wood.
Black Locust - stuff doesn't impress me
Least liked,
Tulip Poplar - it's a light weight waste of a scrounge. Why bother
Elm - I avoid it for the headache of splitting it and the BTU's aren't great.
Beech - another light weight wood - doesn't give off much in heat.
sumac - It grows on my property and when they fall - I'll cut them and burn it.
mellow
Resident Stove Connoisseur
Favorites:
White Oak and Black Cherry for me, I can't find much Red Oak.
Most Used:
I burn sweetgum and maple more than anything, they usually season within 8 months when I split them small and burn good.
White Oak and Black Cherry for me, I can't find much Red Oak.
Most Used:
I burn sweetgum and maple more than anything, they usually season within 8 months when I split them small and burn good.
smokinj
Minister of Fire
thewoodlands
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
smokinjay said:
Thinking the same thing . . . love the beech . . . and it tends to be a heavier wood.
claybe said:
If Aspen is working for you, don't burn anything else. You'd never be able to go back.
And people that rank Maple as so-so are prolly not burning sugar Maple. Red and Silver ARE so-so. Sugar is hot stuff!
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
woodchip
Minister of Fire
My favourite wood for burning when it's really cold is Hawthorn, a slow growing finely grained very dense hardwood.
It's so hard, that if cut after standing dead for a while, it's easy to blunt a saw blade, it's almost like cutting into rock.
My favourite for burning when it's milder is Sycamore or Silver Birch. Both burn well and give a reasonable amount of heat.
Silver Birch, when cut standing dead in midwinter, will season enough to burn happily by the following autumn here.
Picture below of Hawthorn, probably not common in USA. It's a small tree, often found only as a bush.
Trunk diameter is up to about 6 inches 4ft from the ground, usually smaller.
It's so hard, that if cut after standing dead for a while, it's easy to blunt a saw blade, it's almost like cutting into rock.
My favourite for burning when it's milder is Sycamore or Silver Birch. Both burn well and give a reasonable amount of heat.
Silver Birch, when cut standing dead in midwinter, will season enough to burn happily by the following autumn here.
Picture below of Hawthorn, probably not common in USA. It's a small tree, often found only as a bush.
Trunk diameter is up to about 6 inches 4ft from the ground, usually smaller.
thewoodlands
Minister of Fire
Stump_Branch said:
I should be getting some beech this weekend if I can get to the downed tree.
zap
When the stove is cold or it is above 40 degrees, I think the best is white pine. It gets going quick, burns hot, and leaves very little ash/coals. Perfect for a cold start or a short fire in the early fall/late spring.
When its late in the day and its going to be a cold night, I think the best is mulberry. Its slow burning rocket fuel. I can get my stove crusing at nearly 700 degrees for many hours with the primary almost completely closed with mullberry.
If I'm working outside while the stove is burning inside, I think the best is cherry. It burns fairly long and hot, but I don't need to watch it closely for overfire in the first hour like with a full load of mulberry. It smells
reat_ outside.
When the gas bill comes, I think the best wood is the nearly free kind.
When its late in the day and its going to be a cold night, I think the best is mulberry. Its slow burning rocket fuel. I can get my stove crusing at nearly 700 degrees for many hours with the primary almost completely closed with mullberry.
If I'm working outside while the stove is burning inside, I think the best is cherry. It burns fairly long and hot, but I don't need to watch it closely for overfire in the first hour like with a full load of mulberry. It smells
reat_ outside.When the gas bill comes, I think the best wood is the nearly free kind.
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