BL VS Hedge

[Richie]

I have a fair amount of BL on my property but have no hedge. Not sure it grows in PA. Is the difference in burning characteristic noticeable? I wish I could get some just to try. BL is darn hot and if the legend and lore about hedge is correct, it must be hell on wheels.

 

[Woody Stover]

Haven't burned (or even split) any of my Hedge yet but BTU ratings say it should be an order of magnitude hotter than BL, 28.5 vs. 32.9, more than the difference between Black Cherry and Red Oak (20 vs. 24.)

 

[Hickorynut]

I have burned both, guess I prefer black locust by a bit. Normally, a truckload of black locust is going to take less effort than a truckload of hedge. The hedge trunks are usually not very straight and the limbs are a bear to deal with. Both trees split fairly easily and season about the same. Both will last years in the stack without deteriorating but I have had bugs get in the hedge pretty bad. As far as heat hedge had a edge but both burn so good the difference is not a big deal. Locust is harder to burn by itself. Either is some of the best firewood you could ever get or want

 

[Jags]

You just named the two highest rated btu woods in North America - can't go wrong with either. But YES - the hedge is a bit hotter than BL or Honey locust.

 

[woodsman416]

Can't go wrong with either wood but I like to watch hedge "POP"!

 

[fireview2788]

I've got some hedge I'd share with you but it would be a bit expensive to ship, I've got a bout a cord.


fv

 

[osagebow]

Plenty of hedge in PA . Where yinz at? I have seen it from Pittsburgh to Carlisle. Look for these "monkeyballs" ( common PA name for it) on abandonded, developed, or current farmland this fall and winter. People often see them as a nuisance and you can score some. Trees resemble mulberry's curvy limbed habit. Careful, worse thorns than BL, but worth the battle.

 

[D8Chumley]

Yup, I've seen a lot of those monkey balls. Now I need to get after the tree that produces them around my place

 

[Woody Stover]

two highest rated btu woods in North America

I can't find the charts right now, but there are some others that are right up there with Hedge. IIRC, California Live Oak, Manzanita, Pinon. They might have pitch, so I guess that would be cheating...

 

[Richie]

I was looking at the janka hardness scale which is how many ftlbs of pressure it takes to indent wood with a metal ball. White oak takes 1360, BL takes 1700, and hedge takes 2040. But get this, the hardest is Australian Buloke coming in at 5060. If locust is hard to light off can you imagine what buloke is like? I imagine it could burn for days on one load. Has anyone every tried to burn an exotic. I know most of it is used for flooring which obviously has a finish?

 

[D8Chumley]

I almost got some apatong(?) last yr from a buddy that works in a concrete casting facility. I need some wood planks to replace the rotted pine boards on my FILs trailer since he is too lazy. Unfortunately they had to re-do one of their own trailers so I got screwed out of it. My point is that stuff is hard as a honeymoon u know what and I was thinking I could burn some of the cut offs. I'll see him soon, it's almost hunting season here and I'll have to see if he has any more. He also got
me those giant 16' sturdy pallets for stacking