burning green ash???

Has anyone here burnt green ash?? I've read that it is the one wood that you can burn green and I've cut some and added it to the back end of my wood pile to round out my winter burning.

Any ideas???

Hi -

I've cut Ash in the fall, October, cut it short, 14-16", split it pretty small, and burned it in early January. I kept the draft a wee bit higher to burn a bit hotter. It did burn more wood, but it got me though the Winter. No creosote issue in the Spring chimney cleaning, but I have a 17' insulated rigid vent pipe.

Ash can dry quickly if handled with care.

All the best,
Mike P

ash green, ash dry. is the wood for the king to warm his slippers by

There is a poem that describes all the types of wood, is that part of it or just a little ditty that you wipped up?

I've burned ash somewhat green before and it did ok. I would mix it with some other stuff while burning if you can.

We always ended up burning green white ash at some point during the winter when I was a kid. Mainly because my dad wasn't to ambitious when it came to cutting firewood. We always ran out before winter was over, and we had about 15 acres of woods that was about 50% ash. It burned pretty good, and creosote build up wasn't too bad. What you have should be fine by the time you get to it.

Too bad I'll never find any green ash here again. On the plus side, all the ash trees around here are already seasoned. All you need to do is cut em down and split em up.

Yep, i've burnt it. It's a low moisture wood on the hoof and it will burn but i'd recommend seasoning it. If green ash is all you have you'll play hell getting a fire going. If you've got a good hot one going then throw on a stick or two of green it's "ok". One trick i've taken to is setting it by the stove for a period when you'll be around. You'll see the moisture seep out of the down end. It'll burn better then.

I wouldn't hesitate to burn white ash that was green. Black ash is a different story though.

I have a huge white ash that has been laying for a few months now. I plan to stack it towards the back of the pile and burn it later in the winter.

Ya I've been burning some green ash, been mixing it in with seasoned wood. Just keep an eye on your chimney because it is green and will still produce some creosote

Obviously not ideal but it can be done. Right now I'm burning some standing dead white ash that I cut/split in September and it's burning better then 18 month red oak.

Even the standing dead I've been cutting is still not what I consider seasoned.(20% m/c) The branches will be in the lower 20's but the trunk of the tree is still in the upper 20's. I have one ash tree in the back that's hanging on. It still had a pretty fully top last year but I think this year may be it's last.

used it last year to get me by when my seasoned wood wasnt seasoned. The ash worked well. had to split it down and went through a lot of it but it was enough to keep the tarm runnin

i burnt it all last year when i was a total newbie and didnt have any wood seasoned and prepared like i should have .for my stove and situation it burns fine if you give her a little extra air to compensate .ash is a really dry wood

Beech wood fires are bright and clear,
If the logs are kept a year.
Chestnut’s only good they say,
If for long it’s laid away.

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 a churchyard mould,
Even 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
Oak and maple if dry and old,
Keep away the winter cold.
But ash wood wet and ash wood dry,
A king shall warm his slippers by.

Rex, I've posted several times on this forum about one year we were forced into actually buying our wood and the best I found was an old friend who was cutting some ash out of fencerows. He'd cut a pickup load and bring it over.

Was it ideal? No

Did it keep us warm? Fairly so.

Were there any problems? Yes

The problems arose if we did not keep a hot fire going always and the fact that we had to clean our chimney several times. The cleaning wasn't that bad though as we never let it get bad and it only took 10-15 minutes to do the job.

So yes, it will work but you must keep an eye on the chimney and make sure you keep a bed of hot coals because otherwise it takes a bit to get the fire going if you don't have a lot of hot coals. We found it best to put more in before it was completely down to coals.

Good luck and keep an eye on the chimney if you do this. While you are at it, get next year's wood supply around as quick as you can and remember it won't season until it has been split.

I burned a bit of ash last year just to see if I could burn unseasoned wood in my stove. I had to mix it with seasoned wood and it still didn't burn that well. If you didn't have a supply of good seasoned wood to burn, it can be used but I think you would have to watch the stove more to keep the temp up and possibly sweep the chimney an extra time.

Good Luck