Basswood & Quaking Aspen

[thewoodlands]

We have the above trees on our property that are down, is it worth the time to cut and split? I estimate between the two there is about 8 - 10 face cord.


Zap

 

[CowboyAndy]

you must cut from the same woods as me!

i am actually burning both of those right now. i didnt intend on burning basswood, but i cut it thinking it was ash. boy was i wrong! i have 4 cords of basswood and a cord of aspen. the aspen actually burns better of the 2, but they both leave lots of ash and almost no coal.

that being said, it is all i will be burning from now until late dec/early jan. it burns hot and fast.

 

[smokinj]

you must cut from the same woods as me!

i am actually burning both of those right now. i didnt intend on burning basswood, but i cut it thinking it was ash. boy was i wrong! i have 4 cords of basswood and a cord of aspen. the aspen actually burns better of the 2, but they both leave lots of ash and almost no coal.

that being said, it is all i will be burning from now until late dec/early jan. it burns hot and fast.

nice avatar I seen some stickers on ebay with that on it! yep its a shoulder wood for sure.

 

[Wood Duck]

I guess it depends on what else you have to cut, but I think I would cut both the basswood and the aspen and use them for firewood. It may not be the best firewood, but it is wood and will burn.

 

[thewoodlands]

I guess it depends on what else you have to cut, but I think I would cut both the basswood and the aspen and use them for firewood. It may not be the best firewood, but it is wood and will burn.

I'm almost done with the cherry and will start on some beech and hard maple the basswood and aspen will be the last I do. I have alot of pine down but am not sure if I will burn pine.

Zap

 

[ikessky]

I had a couple of chunks of basswood sitting in my pile last year. As my father-in-law was helping me load a trailer, he grabbed the basswood and chucked it back into the woods. Told me that when he has as much hard maple and white ash as he does, it doesn't pay to bother with basswood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That is common. Just like we don't mess with popple or pine or cottonwood or willow, etc. We simply do not need that stuff so we don't burn it. We'll stick with the better burning wood simply because we have it and it will keep us warmer. Or to put it still another way, burning those other woods causes you to also have to work harder to put up the same amount of heat.

 

[ikessky]

That is common. Just like we don't mess with popple or pine or cottonwood or willow, etc. We simply do not need that stuff so we don't burn it. We'll stick with the better burning wood simply because we have it and it will keep us warmer. Or to put it still another way, burning those other woods causes you to also have to work harder to put up the same amount of heat.

I would actually get more heat from burning basswood and popple. How you ask? Because I would be running up and down the stairs to keep stoking the furnace every 20 minutes! ;-P

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm an equal opportunity burner who believes in equality for all wood . . . if it's free and I can cut it easily it all ends up in the same place . . . I don't discriminate. Besides, I figure for every wood there is a season . . . poplar is good for Spring and Fall burning and for reloads . . . or when I'm home . . . kind of nice to watch sometimes as it pops and snaps. Basswood (haven't burned any this year) makes great kindling. I wouldn't want a woodshed full of just poplar or basswood, but some here and there is always good.

A poplar cut, split and stacked in the shed is worth two oaks in the bush.

 

[ikessky]

I guess I'm a wood snob!

 

[thewoodlands]

you must cut from the same woods as me!

i am actually burning both of those right now. i didnt intend on burning basswood, but i cut it thinking it was ash. boy was i wrong! i have 4 cords of basswood and a cord of aspen. the aspen actually burns better of the 2, but they both leave lots of ash and almost no coal.

that being said, it is all i will be burning from now until late dec/early jan. it burns hot and fast.

Just taking what the wind gives, I will try to cut and split 4 face cord after all my hardwood is done.

Zap

 

[EKLawton]

you must cut from the same woods as me!

i am actually burning both of those right now. i didnt intend on burning basswood, but i cut it thinking it was ash. boy was i wrong! i have 4 cords of basswood and a cord of aspen. the aspen actually burns better of the 2, but they both leave lots of ash and almost no coal.

that being said, it is all i will be burning from now until late dec/early jan. it burns hot and fast.

Just taking what the wind gives, I will try to cut and split 4 face cord after all my hardwood is done.

Zap

I burn what is down or dead. All I have to do all winter is feed the fire

 

[CowboyAndy]

im actually contemplating cutting a few large aspens we came across in the woods, 3 of them that are about 2ft diameter at chest height. should give an ample supply for next fall or spring.

like i mentioned earlier, ive been burning basswood and aspen so far this fall, and continue to until at least late december. ive been using maple at night, and so far things arent that bad.

 

[SolarAndWood]

A poplar cut, split and stacked in the shed is worth two oaks in the bush.

Wise words, but shed space is at a premium around here. Thinking I am going to start a second heap and separate the low density stuff. While I am also an equal opportunity burner, I'm not sure I believe in equality (stacking, multi-year seasoning and shed space) for all wood.

 

[LLigetfa]

I guess I'm a wood snob!

Me too. I cut down a bunch of dead Poplar/Aspen last weekend and I left it on the forest floor to rot. Best place for it, not in my shed.

 

[ikessky]

I've been running the NG furnace during this shoulder season. If it gets cold enough outside at night, I'll build a fire before bed, but won't restoke it in the morning. I don't have the space to hold shoulder wood and don't have the time to move my current stock around just to accomadate a variety of different wood.

Some of my extended family has been running basswood in their OWB's during the summer months for their DHW. I hope they keep doing that and leaving the good hardwood alone. Then again, they aren't cutting out by me, so I guess I don't really care too much.

 

[lexybird]

That is common. Just like we don't mess with popple or pine or cottonwood or willow, etc. We simply do not need that stuff so we don't burn it. We'll stick with the better burning wood simply because we have it and it will keep us warmer. Or to put it still another way, burning those other woods causes you to also have to work harder to put up the same amount of heat.

exactly ..its gopher wood ,throw a log in the stove and go -for another

 

[CowboyAndy]

That is common. Just like we don't mess with popple or pine or cottonwood or willow, etc. We simply do not need that stuff so we don't burn it. We'll stick with the better burning wood simply because we have it and it will keep us warmer. Or to put it still another way, burning those other woods causes you to also have to work harder to put up the same amount of heat.

exactly ..its gopher wood ,throw a log in the stove and go -for another

hardwood wont keep you any warmer. as a matter of fact this time last year with all maple and cherry i would set the tstat at 74 and the house would stay there. with baswood it gets up to about 77 before leveling off. im actually reloading no more than i did with good hardwoods at this time of the year. dont get me wrong, i would never use it in january when its -30...

 

[ikessky]

Hey, if it's burning good, keeping you warm, and you are happy with it, don't let us talk you out of burning it. My reason for not burning it is just what I stated. I don't have room for dedicated soft wood stacks, I don't have time to be moving wood in and out, and with the amount of hardwood where I cut, wasting time on soft wood just doesn't make sense. It's a shame too because there are some huge basswood that we would love to see gone!