Ash..... a miracle wood?

I'm concerned about using up my oak so I started throwing in this years ash.... stuff has no problem burning .. even the damp bark. Looks like I will make it through the year.

How long has it been CSS? Standing dead, or is this the stuff you had delivered?

Stuff I had delivered back in July or so. I don't even have it all split. I split a pile about 2 months ago and then added to it a few weeks ago. I'm telling you the stuff just burns... Rec room is overheating. Doesn't leave much for coals though.

From what I hear, it certainly is shorter to season than Oak, but I can still tell the difference between 2 year old and 3 year old Ash. I have burned same year Ash in a pinch but I would never plan my stash around that.

I just wacked a fresh split and hit it with a moisture meter. 25%

I burn a lot of ash it is very good burning and heat output but it requires a minimum of a year to burn properly. Barley every do I let it set less than two years and it is a very good burn after two years of drying less than one and it builds an insane amount of creosote in the chimney.

Pete

Hmm... guess I better watch out. I'll mix it and do the hot startups. I thought I read somewhere that it requires little seasoning?

Yes ash is a certainly better with aging.
Pete

Compared to Oak, yes, because it has less moisture when cut. But it still needs a year to get down to 16-18%...then it will take off as soon as it hits the coals.

That all depends on how well it was seasoned. I have burned Ash for years that I had cut, split, and stacked in the early spring. Not as good as a full year, but it burns great after being outside seasoning for a good six months. Up off the ground in long single rows that get good air movement, with at least some wind, and good sun. And I never had a problem with creosote. Ever.

I have also burned Ash that was not seasoned as long. Still burned good. Obviously not the best for BTU efficiency, but still threw BTUs. Some just went up the stack with the extra moisture. ;-) The likelyhood of creosote in your chimney will go up if you do not keep your fires hot enough. (Obviously, not too hot.)

Around here all the ash has been dead for a few years. A few weeks in the summer sun after spliting and it's bellow 20% with no creasote problems.

In 40 years of burning, I have burned dead standing ash immediately many times. You do what you have to do......or at least that is my philosophy and it has always gotten me by. This forum can and will tell you what is optimal, and that is important. You know when you are not quite as good as you should be. But life often doesn't allow the optimal.......injury, opportunity, time, etc. so, again, do what you have to do. Just be aware of what that is and react accordingly. The end idea is to stay warm. ;-)

Yep. And yes, it is somewhat of a miracle wood. If you want to call it that. If you were not able to get ahead. If you realize your wood supply is going to run out sooner than you thought, and you are in trouble with your wood supply being short, you can always fall back on Ash. Get some cut, split small, and stacked as soon as possible. Get it in an area that is dry and warm. It will burn and keep you warm. And the standing dead stuff will be drier for you. Just like any wood that is standing dead will be drier than the live version.

Then get your wood supply ahead so it doesn't happen again. I know, I have been there. :lol: Been in that spot before, and will not be there again.

I hope you never are Gasifier, but the fact is, sometimes life has other ideas beyond our control.

True TFDChief. And they can fall back on the "miracle wood" to keep them warm. Ash is my favorite wood to burn. (Helps that I can get it for free and it is plentiful in my area. )
I remember many years ago a guy told me that Ash would burn the day you cut it down. I doubted him. He was right. I do not know of any other wood that will burn that good the day it is cut down. Not ideal, but still keeps you warm.

I thought I heard this before. Good cause I got a lot of it.

Get it split ASAP. If it has not been split at all yet, the smaller the splits the better. Criss cross it when you stack it. It will dry a little more and faster. Stay warm Dude.

There is a Shakespeare qoute about burning ash without seasoning. I cant remember the qoute but its something about keeping a Kings feet warm while its still green. Anyone know the qoute? This thread reminded me of it. Seems people have known of ashes relatively low moisture content for along time, although I won't advocate burning any wood green.

25% on a mm and it's good to go imo. White ash is my favorite wood besides for the knocks outs like hickory or locust. I'll take white ash over red oak all day long. Too bad our white ash won't be around for much longer.

Here's on version but I've seen others.

"author: Cilia Congrave 1930

Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold.

Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But Ash green or Ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown.

Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But Ash wet or Ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by."

If you want to plan your wood stash based on an old poem and burn wet wood, nobody except maybe Dennis will stop you.

As I said, I've burned same year Ash and compared to well laid up wood, it's like night and day. I would rather leave it for another year and run the gas furnace instead.

X 1,000,000 I put some two-year old ash on a big bed of coals and despite teh stove being fully damped down, I had a dang nuclear explosion in the firebox. Ash is one of my favorite woods....very plentiful here in northern NJ, easy to split, seasons quickly and decent heat output. Not as hot as white oak or hickory, but it gets the job done. I have a section of property where some trees need to come down, and they are arrow-straight ash trees.

Yea it was that poem quoted that got me to ask about it.

To the detractors... I'm just mixing in to supplement this seasons supply. I only have about 2 cord left for the year so I need to use the ash to bolster the supply. This is my first year. I have about four cords CSS for follow on years and will be adding another 4-6 cords in the coming weeks. I will keep the ash separated to use as I get into next year since some of my wood will only be a year split. Takes a year or two to get your stuff lined up.

Just curious. Who still has live ash trees? The emerald ash bore has destroyed all of the ash trees here in south-east Michigan. I believe Detroit was ground zero for this little invader. It likely came in on pallets from Asia about 10 years ago. Michigan tried to stop the spread of the insect by banning the movement of firewood across the state but that didn't work. Last thing I heard was that all of Michigan and parts of Ohio and Ontario are affected. Has it spread further?

ChipTam

They are still west of the mountains in PA.