I have been burning mostly ash,maple, and a little oak. I have some elm that has not been seasoned enough I suspect, because it will burn but soon smolders after having a flame on it. What are the characteristics of burning elm and how does it compare to other hardwoods? Don't know what type of elm but it is very stringy and has red coloring running through the center of the splits. Oh yeah, not very straight and considerable knotting. What does everyone think???
Elm
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Elm holds a ton of water and takes a good full year or more to dry in my experience, unless it was standing dead for a few years. Once dry it burns just fine.
You're fortunate it is already split. could be the toughest wood to split, at least by hand.
Does burn well when properly seasoned. give it time
Does burn well when properly seasoned. give it time
Our woods are mostly on the softer side so we're happy to burn the elm we have. Split it smaller so it dries faster...you can always sandwich the pieces tighter to get a longer burn if that's your thing.
Never burned Oak but imo I rather burn seasoned elm than maple or ash...more bang for the buck.
Never burned Oak but imo I rather burn seasoned elm than maple or ash...more bang for the buck.
I live in downtown Richmond, without access to the wood at my (snowed-in) cabin in WV. The city recently cut down an elm with Dutch elm disease. I scrounged several pieces to test my rebuilt chain saw and my new Fiskars splitting axe. The chain saw worked fine, but it took me forever to split that nice fresh elm. There were several crotches where the trunk forked...splitting that was the worst part.
I'm hopeful that future splitting of oak and hickory will be a lot easier than that fresh elm.
I'm hopeful that future splitting of oak and hickory will be a lot easier than that fresh elm.
We rarely cut a live elm. Usually we wait until all the bark has fallen off. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Live elm. When you cut this it is really full of sap. When you split it, nasty. It is the toughest wood there is to split that I've ever seen. It will end up very stringy after split and this is one reason it will dry fast. It is also one reason it will burn fast after it is dry.
Dead elm. When you cut this dead elm, most of the top of the tree can be burned right away but the butt will still have plenty of moisture. One of the nicest things about waiting for the elm to die like this is for splitting. Most of it you can actually split by hand. Some may still need the hydraulics but not all....unless you are like me and split all with hydraulics anyway. Another good thing about this dead elm is that it burns much better and lasts a lot longer. I put it just a very little below ash for burning. One more thing is that I like to leave as many rounds as possible because they will hold the fire even longer and, of course, that is less you have to split. No worry about them drying.
Drying time for either? Many times we have cut in January-February and sometimes March and burned the wood the following fall and it is very dry.
Live elm. When you cut this it is really full of sap. When you split it, nasty. It is the toughest wood there is to split that I've ever seen. It will end up very stringy after split and this is one reason it will dry fast. It is also one reason it will burn fast after it is dry.
Dead elm. When you cut this dead elm, most of the top of the tree can be burned right away but the butt will still have plenty of moisture. One of the nicest things about waiting for the elm to die like this is for splitting. Most of it you can actually split by hand. Some may still need the hydraulics but not all....unless you are like me and split all with hydraulics anyway. Another good thing about this dead elm is that it burns much better and lasts a lot longer. I put it just a very little below ash for burning. One more thing is that I like to leave as many rounds as possible because they will hold the fire even longer and, of course, that is less you have to split. No worry about them drying.
Drying time for either? Many times we have cut in January-February and sometimes March and burned the wood the following fall and it is very dry.
Thanks everyone. I have a friend that has some elm that has been down for a couple of years. Sounds like it would be worth my while if I split it small for drying and firebox size consideration. I just finished c/s/s three cords of hard maple and am looking for more!
I like elm . . . once seasoned it burns well . . . great wood to have in the woodshed . . . just needs a year to season.
Real dead elm (dead without bark) can split pretty easily . . . otherwise if it's live elm, or not-so-dead elm, it can be pure misery to split . . . sometimes even the hydraulic splitters get a work out with elm. However, once seasoned it does burn well.
Real dead elm (dead without bark) can split pretty easily . . . otherwise if it's live elm, or not-so-dead elm, it can be pure misery to split . . . sometimes even the hydraulic splitters get a work out with elm. However, once seasoned it does burn well.
Most of the elm I get is standing dead until the bark is off then you can cut it and it's about dry enough to burn right away. I would rate it a little below ash and oak I keep it in the stack with those woods for long burns on the really cold nights. When it's dry like this the splitter has no problem with it and it does not shred like the fresh wet stuff does. This is one of the few exceptions in wood where I will cut rounds and if it's pretty wet I will let it sit like that for a good while then split it.
I've been burning it for years. Standing dead with no bark should be good to burn the top of the tree. It's surprising how much moisture the trunk will hold, especially the bottom 8 - 10 ft. I try to split these sections and let them dry for a year. Once it's on the ground it decomposes fast. Also if it stands dead too long the trunk will get pulpy from moisture wicking up the trunk. From what I have seen, cutting it 2-3 years after it sheds the bark it will still be solid. Wait much longer and the trunk will start to rot. FWIW, be careful in the woods around long dead elms, I've taken down more than a few where the trunk was surprisingly soft up near the top of the tree. More than once I've thought I've been luck the top did not blow out of the tree while I was working nearby. I like elm, for me it's free and you get a good workout splitting it even with a hydraulic splitter.
(thats been frozen in nitrogen and hit with a hammer)
FireNewbie said:
Caution on this one. It does not take elm long to rot away once it is down. And if it is down and touching the ground you may not want it at all. If it had already lost the bark before it fell, no doubt it would not be worth even looking at it.
Thanks a bunch for the tips. Maybee I should just stick to the standing dead trees with bark still on.
Is it typical for Elm to die and lose its bark? I found a lot of trees like this near a stream behind my home. I'm trying to figure out just what tree they are.
Smokey, that is very typical. We usually cut quite a bit every year. It is usually best to wait until all the bark has fallen off or at least 90% of it. That way you won't be cussing the splitting of the wood like most do. It usually splits pretty good after it is dead enough to lose its bark. It also burns very nice; nicer than if it is cut and split green. I'm thinking someone posted a picture of one recently. If I find it I'll give you a link to it.
Smokey Bear said:
Yes . . . the elm around my place typically only grow so large before Dutch Elm gets 'em. First year or so they just will not bud out. In another year or two you'll start to see it shed the bark . . . typically starting around the top of the tree.
I can't really say that the wood you're describing is elm however without seeing a picture of the way the trees look and/or perhaps a picture of the bark. It's possible the trees may have died off from some other disease and may not be elm . . .
As mentioned there is a world of difference in splitting live elm or recently deceased elm and elm that has been standing dead for a few years without the bark on it . . .
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