Burning Boxelder?!?

[garyh]

A question to the crowd, what success have y'all had in burning this invasive wood, what kind of dry time do you try to use. I have some pretty large dead falls that could be put thru the stove vs a large bon fire which the local twp officals might frown on. I know that it is pretty poor for BTU's and it puts off a putrid odor when burnt, but if folks have had success I may need to reconsider my thoughts about this abundent wood source.

 

[Milton Findley]

It burns just fine in my stove, and there is no noticeable smell outside when it is burning. It does not burn long. When I order wood, I frequently wind up with some. It is a close cousin of Maple according to my references.

 

[Todd]

Good shoulder season fire wood when you don't need a lot of heat. I let it dry out for a year before burning but have found some dead stuff that burns fine after a few months.

 

[chvymn99]

Boxelder burns just fine. Just dont expect it to put out hedge or Oak BTU's, because it wont.

 

[3fordasho]

about the same or slightly worse heating value than Silver Maple.. Rots very quickly when on the ground and usually a good percentage of rot when it's still live and standing. Seasons pretty quickly. If you find some with lots of red streaking in the wood you might find interest from wood carvers. Another almost worthless invasive species like siberian elm. It may not have a great shelf life even when split and stacked - I'd say 3-4years tops unless covered.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

A question to the crowd, what success have y'all had in burning this invasive wood, what kind of dry time do you try to use. I have some pretty large dead falls that could be put thru the stove vs a large bon fire which the local twp officals might frown on. I know that it is pretty poor for BTU's and it puts off a putrid odor when burnt, but if folks have had success I may need to reconsider my thoughts about this abundent wood source.

Shady, be sure to visit the Wood Shed part of hearth.com for even more information on different types of wood. As for the box elder, we've burned a fair share and although it would not be my choice for January-February wood, it will burn just fine; just won't give you long burn times like oak or something similar.

 

[Waulie]

I've burned plently of it and agree with everyone else. If you have it, burn it. It will keep you warm. If you're trying to burn overnight with it, make some large splits and let it dry well.

 

[Ken S]

I burn a decent amount of it each year in shoulder season,box elder is all I have burned this fall so far and will probably burn it till about thanksgiving.I prefer it now since it won't produce so much heat it will blast you out of the house.I will also burn it in winter when I burn beech which produces lots of coals to help burn down the coalbed without creating more coals.