How's this wood?

Hi all, I mentioned in a previous thread that I had some wood stacked up in a shady spot and it started to grow some shrooms on it. I went ahead and split it today and there was some water damage in it but seemed kind of solid. Maybe slightly "spongy", if that's the right description?

Do you think it's ok to burn in an insert?

-MP

It depends on the moisture content. Spongy part may be 40% MC or higher. I sometimes take a hatchet and whack off the spongy part. Sometimes, I place half punked wood near the stove for 3 days - it will get 10-15% MC.

Absolutely, if it's a little spongy on the outside try to keep the rain off it if you can but my bet is it will be fine.

You have maple that is starting to splat. Splating is what those black likes are called. It's a fungus. Since it is just starting you should be fine. Dry it out and burn it.

Matt

That looks like maple to me which dries very fast when split down and burns great. I have two year old maple that still looks like that and has not faded much but is bone dry. It is a fantastic wood to burn and keep warm even if it is slightly punky it still seems to burn fine for me clean hot and no smoke.

Pete

Punky wood will burn if it's dry. Less BTUs though. Will soak up water if it gets rained one & takes a long dry spell for it to dry out.
Was what I had a few years ago, I left some birch round stacked for over a year & they were punky when split.

Looks like we both learned the hard way, split your wood as soon as you can if you want it to be good firewood

It will burn as good in an insert as it will in a free standing stove. Burn it! Enjoy it!

The proper term Matt is Spalting, not splating, that's the sound puke makes when it hits the pavement! Not picking on you just having some fun!

Ha! Guilty as charged! I have fat fingers tonight and a case of bad proof reading!

Matt