If you had your druthers . . . .

[Vic99]

Ideally, you'll only look at what you've used before. Consider felling, splitting, hauling, drying, burning, and whatever else may apply to you. Some people split and burn. Others get wood delivered and burn. You can only go by what you've experienced.

I realize that some choices, like maple (acer), have multiple species in the same group.

 

[savageactor7]

For me it's a no brainer...Ash.

 

[woodconvert]

My stove really likes red/white oak and ash. Maple plugs up the ash grates. Elm is ok for the not so cold days but I have to empty the ash pan more often. A load of locust and oak or oak and hickory is probably at the top of my boutique blend list.

 

[burntime]

Oak, ash, shagbark hickory, any higher btu is fine. I have a splitter so Oak as a first choice but I even burn...gasp....elm

 

[woodconvert]

Oak, ash, shagbark hickory, any higher btu is fine. I have a splitter so Oak as a first choice but I even burn...gasp....elm

I burn a bunch of elm in the fall and spring...it's suitable for that. What don't you like about the elm?

 

[burntime]

Its difficult to split, oak kinda pops when the ram is partially thru, elm likes to stay in 1 piece. I have a spee co. 22 ton unit and it does well, just takes more time for the ram to cycle thru all the way, I get spoiled with oak. %-P

 

[derecskey]

I like to get my ash from Ash trees. They fell easy. They split easy and straight. They dry quick. Good wood.

 

[Corey]

Ideally, you'll only look at what you've used before. Consider felling, splitting, hauling, drying, burning, and whatever else may apply to you. Some people split and burn. Others get wood delivered and burn. You can only go by what you've experienced.

I realize that some choices, like maple (acer), have multiple species in the same group.

Well, I think I've burned every wood on the list except beech - considering everything - and considering I like to do the least cutting, splitting, hauling for the most amount of heat, I've got to vote for osage orange - aka hedge - hands down the most BTU per cord of any wood listed.

 

[Dill]

Ash hands down.
Easy to cut, easy to split. Can burn that night.

 

[burntime]

I like to get my ash from Ash trees. They fell easy. They split easy and straight. They dry quick. Good wood.

Gotta ask...where the hell else would you get ash wood from if not ash trees? :lol: :lol: :lol: Just givin you a hard time. I agree, ash is good burning too. It all depends on what I can scrounge. I burn it all, if its in my yard and needs triming it gets burned, if I have to haul it I am a little more picky!

 

[d.n.f.]

Balsa.
Easy to stack and move.
I like fir. It burns nice, smells amazing, looks great.

 

[Jags]

If I had one and only one wood to burn, and my heat and life depended on it, my choice would be hickory. Second would be white oak.

This choice is made because of all the properties that each of the woods bring to the table, meaning how it cuts, splits, seasons, coals, btu output, and general ease of use.

 

[Vic99]

I was wondering how ash would come out. I don't have any experience with it.

I like white and yellow birch for all around. White is just so easy to handle, has good drying time, nice to look at, and have a good, subtle smell. Yellow birch is similar but with higher BTUs.

Tough choice, so many variables.

 

[struggle]

What no elm on the list :ahhh:

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Well Vic- maybe you can find someone local that will trade birch for all that oak we scored this weekend. Come to think of it- a stack of white birch would look really nice on my front porch.

 

[Vic99]

If only, AP . . . Just finished moving it all to the backyard, actually. 3 cords is a sight to see.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Mine will remain in a big f'n pile for a bit. I do go out to admire it. Might walk around and pop random pieces with the maul for fun- most is real easy splitting stuff. I'm guessing 75% white oak.

 

[begreen]

Kind of a regional question and I don't see enough fruit or nut woods on the list. My first pref would probably be madrona, across the mountains it might be tamarack. Next year I'll be burning cherry and locust, so my choice may change.

 

[smokinj]

big piles of "Osage"1# and silver maple, cherry

 

[bsruther]

Ash without a doubt. It is the most abundant here too. The cut, the split, the ashes and the short seasoning make it a great firewood. Second is Osage. That rock hard wood will burn all night and still have a log or two in there in the morning.

I noticed someone mentioned Elm. Hackberry, which is in the Elm family is a wood that I've begun to take a liking too...Not the splitting part though.

 

[Vic99]

Some species were not included because the poll only allows 12 choices. I surprised to here about elm, though. I burn elm because I have it in the yard or get some for free, not because I seek it out.

 

[countrybois]

Well, I think I've burned every wood on the list except beech - considering everything - and considering I like to do the least cutting, splitting, hauling for the most amount of heat, I've got to vote for osage orange - aka hedge - hands down the most BTU per cord of any wood listed.

Awesome, someone who has actually burned O.O.

How does it burn. I live in farm country and have access to probably as much O.O. as I'd like, however, I've never burned it. I usually get oak delivered so I've had no need to go get any O.O.

How does it split green? I've heard that it pops quite a bit, any truth to that?

I know it is as hard as nails when it is dry. Actually harder than nails, you can't drive a nail into them old fence posts.

 

[Corey]

Burns fine. Some people seem to think it burns 'hot' because of the BTU's but that's never really seemed to be the case - at least not in an uncontrollable fashion anyway. You can make it burn hot or burn normal just like any other wood. Smell is very nice, coaling is great. It does tend to snap and pop some, and every once in a while, it will just erupt with thousands of tiny sparks...don't know if this is a pocket of sap, water or what...pretty cool to watch, not really dangerous. With straight grain, it's pretty easy to split, of course knots and twisty pieces are harder. It is very hard when dry and two pieces knocked together will really 'ping' almost like a couple of aluminum baseball bats smacking each other. If you have access to it, I'd definitely give it a shot - while oak, some hickory and locust hover around 24-26Mbtu/cord, hedge is around 33 million!! - so if you have to haul 5 loads of oak, you'd get the same btu in about 4 of hedge

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Osage is normally not a very straight growing tree- especially if from an actual hedge planting. I only have billets and staves from bow making- so those are generally the straighter ones, and my sources tell me they're rare. Lots of stringy cross grain as well- not as bad as elm.

 

[Dill]

Plus Osage is regional tree correct? I don't think it grows up here. But people I know from Indiana swear by it. I've heard it can also go stump to stove like ash.