What trees to plant for future firewood.

[snydley]

I don't have a lot of land, just 2.5 acres, but I was wondering what you guys think are the best trees to plant, that would grow the fastest, and would yield the most hardwood for future firewood. Since oil is gonna do nothing else buy go up in price, I'd like to plant a bunch of trees for future harvesting of firewood. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Snyde

 

[BillT]

My choice would be Oak. We cut some Oaks in 1990 and they grew from the stump to about 30-35 Ft tall in 17 years. I cut them again a year ago spring and they're already about 8 Ft tall. Around here Locust grows real fast too. Maples also seem to do good.

You also might wanted to check with your local agricultural agent or forester to check on what is best for your particular area.

Bill

 

[chad3]

A science teacher told me that Locust trees will grow like wildfire. Not sure if they are common where you are, but I've seen lots near me after I heard how well the heat values are. Guess they shoot up lots of sprigs that will cause other trees. Might be a good avenue for you. Not saying I know what is right, but the heat is there with either of these (I love white oak, if I can cut them, I am drooling). Never burned locust but I guess it is great.

 

[woodconvert]

I don't have a lot of land, just 2.5 acres, but I was wondering what you guys think are the best trees to plant, that would grow the fastest, and would yield the most hardwood for future firewood. Since oil is gonna do nothing else buy go up in price, I'd like to plant a bunch of trees for future harvesting of firewood. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Snyde

Unfortunately, good firewood doesn't grow on trees...errr....doesn't grow fast. Oak (white n' red), hickory, locust....they are not fast growers. Your best bet is prolly hard maple, elm, ash, etc...and those aint exactly super fast growers.

 

[glacialhills]

That's a hard one. I don't know of many hardwoods that if planted today, will yield a sizable quantity of firewood in ones own lifetime, and surely not enough to supply your needs on only 2.5 acres. But to start I would first look around the area you are living and see what nature is planting and go with a mix of species.That way you also add into your mix wildlife habitat, timber and firewood. Whatever species are growing wild in the area are most likely the best, hardiest, and most adapted to your conditions. Some of the faster growing hardwoods in my area here in Michigan are maple and cherry. Black walnut is excellent firewood. For the first 10-30 years when you thin the stand you can get some firewood or small saw lumber and nuts, and in 60-80 years will start to be ready to sell for veneer and timber.Locust grows fast and is wonderful firewood. Hickory is one of the highest btu woods of all but grows even more slowly, as does oak. If I was to go through the trouble of planting trees myself I would plant Black walnut,or gather up some seeds and nuts from area woodlots to scatter around, otherwise just let nature plant em and thin them for firewood as needed.[/size]

 

[glacialhills]

BillT, stump shoots of any species will grow super fast because the new shoots have a pre-built root system to use.We always try and cut off a stump to encourage shoots and then thin the shoots to one single streight one and then....stand back cause that thing is gonna be like jack and the bean stalk. If growing an Oak from scratch (acorn) without the existing root system however, most will grow pretty slow.

 

[BillT]

stump shoots of any species will grow super fast because the new shoots have a pre-built root system to use.

I agree. This reminds me of a neighbor of mine who called a logging crew over to his place. My nieighbor left them alone and went off to work. Big Mistake. They cut way more trees than they were supposed to. After that, he brought in a dozer and had all the stumps taken out. After that, he then said to me "I now need to plant some trees". I tried telling him before the dozer came, but for some reason he didn't listen.

Bill

 

[gibson]

BillT, stump shoots of any species will grow super fast because the new shoots have a pre-built root system to use.We always try and cut off a stump to encourage shoots and then thin the shoots to one single streight one and then....stand back cause that thing is gonna be like jack and the bean stalk. If growing an Oak from scratch (acorn) without the existing root system however, most will grow pretty slow.

My locust trees throw a ton of shoots. When mowed they make a nice ground cover!

 

[savageactor7]

I don't think 2 acres is sustainable over time but if I had to do it I'd plant Poplar trees. Sure there a little soft on the hardwood scale but they grow straight, fast and self propagate.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Here is a chart on tree growth in 2 years.

http://www.idahopower.com/customerservice/trees/treeGrowthChart.html
Matt

 

[joshh]

Several universities have online articles on 'Firewood Plantations'. Most that I read recommend black locust. It's been awhile so my numbers won't be quite right but I believe, with 10 acres of Locust you will have a lifetime of firewood starting in 8-10 years. Trees need to be planted with precision to maximize the trees per acre. For instance with a cristmas tree type spacing of 6X6 you get something like 640 trees per acre, I think the spacing is much greater than this but you get the idea.

 

[Rockey]

Here is a chart on tree growth in 2 years.

http://www.idahopower.com/customerservice/trees/treeGrowthChart.html
Matt

I am very highly suspicious of the results for cottonwood and poplar. I beleive a steroid test is in order.

 

[Risser09]

Most people grow poplar to harvest the wood because you can get a sizable tree in 5-7 years. With a property of only 2.5 acres you might want to consider planting one each year to have a steady future supply. Figure that if you have room for 7 trees, you could take one each year and be pretty self-sustained. Fill the gaps with others like locust or oak. Scrounge a little bit and get your good stuff from other sources.

 

[stanb999]

I'd go with hybrid Poplar or Black Locust.

With 1 acre of poplar planted in 6'X6' rows you can be self sustaining in 6 years, In this time they will be 6" caliper. That you do is cut 1/5 or 125 trees at this size. Then the following year you cut the next and so forth. The trees you cut previous will regrow from the root with more vigor and reach the hight of 40' in five years. The real limiting factor on this is solar energy, rain fall, fertilizer.

With 1 acre of black locust planted the same way. You will have 30' trees in the 6 years. But the Btu content is much higher per tree. So you will end up with more BTU's. They are much more tolerant of bad conditions, Drought/storm damage, etc. They are harvested in the same way as above.
The limiting factor is the tendency of the locust to sucker from the roots. So you must mow between them. The other real life benefits from the locust is the thorns, Keeps the deer at bay some, they also produce their own nitrogen so fertilizing isn't necessary. One thing to consider also is if you live in the snow belts, the locust isn't likely to have rot or disease from broken limbs. But they shed them in heavy snow. So hight can be limited till they bulk up.

So it is totally possible to be wood independent on 1 acre. It will take some time and effort on you part.
Put a search in goggle for "Hybrid poplar" you will find a lot of info.

Here is a tutorial on raising trees in this method, It's from Hybridpoplar.com
here is the link. http://www.hybridpoplars.com/heat.htm

 

[tkirk22]

Whatever you plant, try to pick something that is not susceptible to the new Asian boring bugs.

 

[smokinj]

I don't have a lot of land, just 2.5 acres, but I was wondering what you guys think are the best trees to plant, that would grow the fastest, and would yield the most hardwood for future firewood. Since oil is gonna do nothing else buy go up in price, I'd like to plant a bunch of trees for future harvesting of firewood. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Snyde

Unfortunately, good firewood doesn't grow on trees...errr....doesn't grow fast. Oak (white n' red), hickory, locust....they are not fast growers. Your best bet is prolly hard maple, elm, ash, etc...and those aint exactly super fast growers.

i have 2 acers i went with ash fast growing and good burning

 

[tkirk22]

Ash is one tree I would go out of my way NOT to plant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_ash_borer

I don't recall the name but there's another bug out that that attacks a wider range of trees.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

You also might wanted to check with your local agricultural agent or forester to check on what is best for your particular area.

Do what BillT said. It's all about location. You could waste a lot of time and money planting something totally unsuited for where you want it. Get in touch with a local ag agent and they will tell you what will really work (or if nothing will do what you'd like).

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Ya, black locust will grow really fast if it has the right soil type. It's a legume, so it forms a symbiotic relationship with a root fungus- this allows the plant to produce it's own fertilizer from just the nitrogen in the air. There is also, however, a locust borer that causes issues in some areas. Growing from seed requires some work, as the seed coat is hard. Mechanical abrasion, or dropping in boiling water (put in water and immediately allow to cool) can boost germination. The good thing is that it doesn't require a dormant period- so you could start seeds this year.

Like others said- when you harvest, cut it and leave the stump to grow suckers for fastest regrowth. It can be pretty amazing- red oak and locust are both good at this.

By the way- it doesn't matter if certain trees grow a lot faster than others if they are less dense. White pine, for instance, has about 1/2 the energy per cord of red oak. Birch of various sorts and poplar are good producers for energy per year. I personally would avoid hybrid poplar- only because I'm interested in keeping native species.

 

[ScottF]

I dont have much to offer as far a knowledge about this subject except that I know we planted some red maple trees on our property because we were told they grow fast. It is amazing how big they have become in just a few years. They were not neccesarily for fire wood but we just wanted some larger trees rather quickly in this location.

 

[Henz]

Locust, hands down. Oak will take a long time as will maple. Cherry might be an option too

 

[tradergordo]

I did a lot of research on this a while back. All the experts say Black Locust. If you search google you will even find recommendations from universities to plant black locust if the purpose is firewood. You should be aware that it is also invasive though, and can create an annoying thorny brush (which is a good thing if you want the tree to survive in my opinion). It cannot be planted in two states (Mass. and I forget the other state) because it is considered invasive, but it already is growing in all 48 continental states.

It is one of the highest BTU firewoods that exists. As others mentioned, it grows very fast (10 years till harvest) and will regrow from the stump after you cut it down, using the existing root system which is a major advantage). It can also be used, untreated, as posts, which can last over 100 years, its also used for wood ship masts. Anyone that has burned black locust for warmth can tell you how amazing it is (wonderful coal beds that last for 10 hours).

Germinating the seeds can be tricky if you don't know how to do it, but its real easy when you do know how to do it. All you have to do is nick it with a razor blade (actually cut a small sliver of the outer casing off the seed without cutting deeply into the seed, you will see a little green under there) then microwave a small glass of water until its hot, then put the nicked seeds in it. The seeds will swell up in anywhere from 12 hours to 2 days, then you can take them out and place the seeds on a soaking wet paper towel (spread out). Roll the paper towel up like a hot dog, fold it in half, and stick one end in a bowl of water so that it can never dry out. Stick it in direct sunlight. Within a few more days they will germinate. So in a total of less than a week you will have trees growing. You can move them to pots and let them get bigger before transplanting outside, or you can take your chances and plant the seedlings directly outside. Deer will eat them if you don't do something for protection.

I think I still have viable seeds at home which I've offered people here in the past. If you want some, just PM me and either send a self addressed stamped envelope, or paypal me a buck and I'll send them to you. I'll make sure they are still good before I send them.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'd highly recommend to stay away from any and all hybrid trees, especially poplar and elm. The root system is terrible and the roots do not go very deep, the trees are the heaviest limby trees you'll ever see so you'll be growing lots of brush and the amount of sap in these things is almost unbelievable.

 

[ScottF]

from Wikipedia. Cant believe it compares to anthracite. That is awesome.

Black Locust is unsurpassed as firewood for wood-burning stoves; it burns slowly, with little visible flame or smoke, and has a higher heat content than any other wood that grows in the Eastern US, comparable to the heat content of anthracite".[4]. However, for this use it should be split when green, then dried for 2 to 3 years, and ignited by insertion into a stove already hot from burning a load of some other hardwood.[citation needed] In fireplaces it is less satisfactory because knots and beetle damage make the wood prone to "spitting" coals for distances of up to several feet.[citation needed] If the Black Locust is cut, split, and cured while relatively young (within ten years), thus minimizing beetle damage, "spitting" problems are minimal. It can be an excellent firewood in stoves, campfires, and fireplaces if properly cultivated. As it is fast-growing and highly resilient in a variety of soils it renews itself readily for future u

 

[savageactor7]

snydley were almost neighbors so imo you want to think poplar...sure locust is a harder wood but they spread out, don't grow as fast as poplar and the thorns will give your tractors flats so F 'em...I cut 'em down down as an evasive species. Sure they smell good when there in season but if you have to season them for 2 years before burning it's becomes a big goat screw in your operation.

Sure they burn forever but they also they leave tons of coals...I'm telling ya brother it's fire that produces usable heat not coals. Now if your away for 12 hours at a time Locust will serve it purpose ...mostly cause your not they to absorb the heat when it 10 below. Off an on I've cut and burned locust since '77 and I swear to God without any hesitation, reservation or secret evasion of mind there's no bigger pain in the ass wood if it's constant even heat you desire.

I'd rather burn punky wood than prime seasoned Locust...and that's that.