Is it "Willow" worth it.

[EMB5530]

So I am able to get a whole bunch of willow that the county will probably just end up burning on the side of the road, as they were cleaning out drainage ditches (already scored a decent amount of honey locust, walnut and hedge).

Is it worth going after willow or will it just rot and disappear before it is seasoned for next season?

What have any of the folks here experienced when burning.

I know when I cut and split a bit of it it seems a lot like cardboard!

 

[Rebelduckman]

I wouldn't fool with it but ive got woods full of maple, cherry, hickory and oak. I'll have to be pretty desperate before I cut willow

 

[bigbarf48]

I have not personally had it, but from what I've read on here, it's one of the worst woods. Tough to split, smells, and doesn't burn well. If that's your only option, well it'll burn, but if you have other wood id pass

 

[EMB5530]

I have not personally had it, but from what I've read on here, it's one of the worst woods. Tough to split, smells, and doesn't burn well. If that's your only option, well it'll burn, but if you have other wood id pass

I'd disagree on one of the points as it splits extremely easy(the fiskars may have something to do w/ it not being to bad to split!), I don't know how it will burn,and won't for another year and on the last point, yea, it smells like some odd fermentation that a mad scientist is working on.FUNKY

Thanks for the input I guess time will tell if I don't go get it whether I'll be disappointed or glad.

 

[blades]

willow burns pretty quick, I will not go out of my way for it, and if I have option will refuse it. Most are fairly twisted grain so splitting is a pain, dripping wet green feather lite when dry. works ok for early shoulder season or campfires. groan to keep dry. Its like a sponge and goes punky quickly even when split and stacked properly. Also tends to be a high rise bug condo. I think boxwood is better and that isn't saying much at all.
All in all it is wood it has some btus and can take the chill off, just a lot of work for little return.
Likely one the best uses for it is compressed wood blocks when mixed with a high resin type like pine.

 

[cre73]

I use it for campfire wood. It seasons fairly quick for the amount of moisture it retains. I also think it doesn't split the best.

 

[Higgs]

I just burned about 3/4 of a load of willow in my stove. Dried for 2 years. I got 3 hrs. of heat out of that. Top of stove was 550.

 

[SCOTT S.]

I am by no means a wood snob. I have a little bit of every thing in my stacks, did willow once never again. Not worth the work hard to process and low btu's. Unless you really need it keep lookin.

 

[firefighterjake]

Willow and eastern white pine . . . OK for use during the shoulder seasons and camp fire wood, but not something I generally go out of way to process.

 

[freebe]

My Dad had a standing dead willow on him I dropped and worked up this year....no weight to speak of at all, REALLY light. I'm hoping it'll do OK for kindling, if not, it'll go for camp fires.

freebe

 

[JA600L]

The answer is no. Unless somebody cut and split it for you it is waste of time. The smell is gross too.

 

[Wood Duck]

I wouldn't go for willow, especially the stuff from a drainage ditch, which I assume would be small diameter, young trees with lots of sapwood. The sapwood is even less dense than the heartwood, which is also not very dense.

 

[Charles1981]

I won't haul willow home. Too much work. To little BTU. I have lots of willow and cottonwood on my property though. And I do fell it and buck it and split it, but that is only because I don't have to haul it. It gets me through the shoulder season extremely well..especially when we only want a nightly fire. Once it drops below 32 degrees though its only for burning when someone is around the house to load the stove every 3-4 hours, instead of every 8-9 hours

Again it just burns to quick and is the same amount of work as hardwood to process, so if It has to be hauled...it is just a waste of effort and space to me.

Unfortunately for me i have a lot of property. But it is swamp and only softwoods be a growing on it.

 

[EMB5530]

Sounds like a pretty good consensus to the use of willow. Thanks for the heads up to all.