your choice of wood if free

I have a guy that will give me oak, hickory, maple, locust, or ash. My problem is seasoning wood and room to store it. If you had your choice, with maybe 12 months, maybe 16 months to season the wood which would you ask for.

Locust, hickory- great btu, decent seasoning time
Ash- decent btu, seasons quickly
Oak- long seasoning time

If you have 12 to 16 months, get all the locust and hickory you can. Sprinkle in some ash for shoulder season.

I would probably do, half locust , half ash. Mix the ash in regularly and exclusively locust overnight. I would not co-mingle my stacks. I am a devout racist when it comes to my wood.

Get plenty of Ash to get started, then get some hickory, it seems to dry pretty good and has awesome BTUs.

I forgot about splitting. If you have to split it, ide nix the hickory. Go with the locust and ash. Splits much easier.

BV, that's a good point!

Locust for sure.

locust locust LOCUST.......did I mention locust?. I'd do like BV said, get a mix of the ash and the locust. If you cook on a firepit or own a smoker, don't pass on some of that hickory. if it were me, I'd be loading up on all the locust, ash and hickory.....all of it. I'd be making room SOMEWHERE for it. Even if I had to kick the Mrs. out.........no, that wouldn't happen!

I'd take whaveter I could get & shoehorn as much as possible into my small lot.

If just 1 choice of wood,it would definitely be Honey Locust.Hickory/White Oak a close 2nd.

Locust +4 - splitting some now, breezing thru all but a few big multiknotted pieces. Probably burning it next year. Leaving a smaller white oak from storm in rounds till I get a splitter.
Good luck, congrats on the freebee!

If I had my choice of the type of free wood, it would be cut, split, and stacked in my backyard.

Ash will dry the quickest and give you a great fire. Depends upon the type of maple if this is best or not. Locust for sure is good. Hickory is super as is oak but you don't have much room so you'd best stay away from oak as that takes a long time to dry properly.

So my choice might be:
1. Locust
2. Ash
3. Maple or hickory
4. Hickory or maple.
5. Oak.

Never burned hickory so I cannot speak to how fast it seasons . . . although apparently pretty well according to others.

My picks for fast seasoning wood . . .

1. Ash . . . specifically white ash. If I had to only burn one wood species this would be my pick for its fast seasoning and decent burn characteristics.

2. Black locust . . . also seasons pretty quickly and burns quite well. I've only had a few opportunities to get some BL, but every time I get a chance I grab it.

3. Maple . . . depends on the type . . . some species season faster, some a bit slower . . . but I would guess that in a year or year and a half it will not matter too much as to whether the maple is silver, red or sugar . . . or anything in between.

4. Oak . . . great wood (I think I may finally burn some this year . . . or next) . . . but while it is one of the primo woods folks say for best use you really want to give it time to season . . . and most folks suggest up to 2 years at least.

He obviously has all 5 species. Have him deliver all he has of all 5 species. You'll sort it out later.

and remember, if its free wood and your short on space there is no shame stacking splits from a step ladder

I'd take any of it. Hickory would be top choice for me.
If you ned to burn it soon, Ash would be ready soonest.
If your storage is only big enough for a years supply, 75% Ash & 25% locust.

Few questions on the condition of the wood; Is it green wood ? Do you have to cut & split it ? When do you need to burn it ?

PS: You are one lucky lucky guy to have to make a choice like this
Jealousy here

In order:

Locust
Hickory
Ash
Maple
Oak

If I had 24 months:

Locust
Oak
Hickory
Ash
Maple

If I had no hydraulic splitter, hickory would drop to the bottom.

All wood is good as long as its free

I disagree. Considering all the labor involved and my space limitations not all free wood is good. I will never take free Elm unless it somebody else has split it. I won't waste time and space on low BTU woods either. I always go for the highest BTU per me/hour wood and have been known to turn down lesser quality "free" wood. Yes, I am a wood snob, and I am not ashamed.

Tisk, Tisk...........I don't even turn down Aspen if it's easy to get to.

TS

I only have room on my 1/4 acre for three years worth of High BTU hard woods, and I barely have enough time to scrounge and split the 4 cords of it that I burn in a year. I can't afford to waste any time or space.

Steve brings up a very good point.

I forgot to answer the original question. Black Locust. Splits pretty easily, can be dry in 12 months, and burns long and hot.

Ok, it's true I'm a snob too..... I don't take all of the Aspen..... I only have expierence with Maple so I'd have to go with that, slim pikkens up here.

TS

Locust for sure! Hottest wood I've ever burned (I've never burned hickory so I can't speak to that one) and locust dries pretty fast. I'd stack locust in my bedroom if I had to. (Thankfully for the state of my marriage I don't)