-13F. Glad to have Silver Maple

[Badger]

Rack this one up as a learning experience.

I started burning last year and in September of 2012 I was gathering wood for the cold winter nights of 13/14. During this time I came across a CL score just a couple miles from my house... Over two cord for only $50!

When I paid for the wood I thought it was all sound oak. As I started digging through the pile, about half a cord was punky, which I left behind. Also, when I got home I looked up bark pics on here and quickly determined it was not oak, but I figured it was Ash. Looking back, I'm not sure how I came to that conclusion... Let's just call it wishful thinking.

I had 1.5 cords Ash... Not to bad I thought to my self. I split and stacked by my 4 wheelers headlight and didn't pay much more attention then that.

Up until two weeks ago I was sitting fat, dumb, and happy trying to burn through as much shoulder season wood before I started digging into the good stuff. Then I brought a load of the ash up to my house. It didn't take long to figure out my folly. It was harder to light, smelled horrible, and filled my stove full of ashes like no ones business. A full load would only last me 4 hours which is half of what I was expecting. So, now guessing that I'm wrong again I split a round and see the tale-tale signs of box elder that I scrounged over the summer (I had leaves to make a proper identification). Crap, more shoulder wood.

Anyways, I had one more load of Silver Maple in front of my Tamarac, so I figured I'd burn through that first and then get into the good stuff. Right now I'm just thrilled with the 6 hour burns (not straight splits and cut a little short) that I'm getting and best of all the ashes aren't building up.

Not sure what I'm going to do with the box elder... If that is what it really is.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Red streaks through the box elder. It will season and burn like silver maple. It does smell but dried out it's not too bad.
50.00 wasn't too bad for the wood. Good luck in you're search for Ash and Oak.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

+ 1 on the red in the center of box elder and when in doubt splash a little water on the center and the red will show itself again, even after it's been dry for a year.

As for silver maple; well folks around here call it 'water maple' and don't have much nice to say about it. A friend of mine had a huge silver maple in his yard cut and bucked almost 2 years ago and gave me the wood as soon as the tree guys left. By the time I split it I had 2.5 cord of the stuff, and I made some large splits of some of it. I began burning it in mid October this season, which was early for us, and other than the ash, I really like the stuff. Northern Kentucky doesn't get as cold as your area, thankfully, so it's lower heat output is fine. I also mix it with black locust or hedge or even oak just to get things going really well. It has let me save my ash, hackberry and oak for colder days and when longer, unattended burns are needed. I'll take all I can get, but I won't pass a pile of hackberry to get it!

 

[The Beagler]

I enjoy burning silver maple & never turn it down if I can get it. Wish that I would have found more last year. However, I've been fortunate to come across some big ash & hickory scores on Craigslist. I like the silver maple because it seasons a lot quicker than most of the hardwoods in this area.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

I enjoy burning silver maple & never turn it down if I can get it. Wish that I would have found more last year. However, I've been fortunate to come across some big ash & hickory scores on Craigslist. I like the silver maple because it seasons a lot quicker than most of the hardwoods in this area.

Ahhhh...So you're the bum, err, the guy been getting to 'em 'for I do

 

[The Beagler]

Lol! Actually, I found two good scores across the river. The hickory was not even a mile from my house. All on Craigslist. The hickory was a pita to get to, but I got a full size pickup load of splits from it.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Lol! Actually, I found two good scores across the river. The hickory was not even a mile from my house. All on Craigslist. The hickory was a pita to get to, but I got a full size pickup load of splits from it.

I saw the posts but I did not follow up because I've done well on the horse farm next door to me. Man, there's a huge black locust, a big hedge, ash, and oak but, alas, no hickory. Just drive the tractor over and get it. Some of the dead standing the owner is paying me to take down and giving me the wood!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hey Badger, plenty of folks have had the same type of situation. You'll get through it. As for the burning of box elder, I've never had a problem with it but can't say we've ever relied on it for night time burning. Only the hardest woods will do for that.

 

[tigeroak]

Heck fire man maple for me is the just fine for ANY day burns. Burns hot and will keep house warm, upper 70's than at night if cold will load with ash. We just started burning ash a couple weeks ago for over night burns. But we get a lot of maple every year and most will be set aside for 2 years before burning. I burn it in the shop to, one day loaded the stove and set a trunk behind the stove to dry after I striped and washed it off. About a foot behind it, came back out about 30 min. and the shop was full of smoke and the trunk was on fire. So long story short I like maple.

 

[albert1029]

have the dry silver maple and locust...thought i'd go to locust now in the colder days but keeping it mixed works just fine...actually going 1/3 locust...

 

[WiscWoody]

I have been cutting mostly soft Maple and Elm lately free for the asking from local lot owners lately but I have been burning mostly unwanted Poplar that has seasoned for two years this winter. Its not an all night fire wood but it heats the house and it is free and abundant up here. It often goes below -20 and has gone below -30 a few nights now but I am getting into some Black Ash and Elm now in my stacks. Sunday night, tomorrow night is forecast to be -40... cold for even the hardiest northerner!

 

[WI Wood]

I have been cutting mostly soft Maple and Elm lately free for the asking from local lot owners lately but I have been burning mostly unwanted Poplar that has seasoned for two years this winter. Its not an all night fire wood but it heats the house and it is free and abundant up here. It often goes below -20 and has gone below -30 a few nights now but I am getting into some Black Ash and Elm now in my stacks. Sunday night, tomorrow night is forecast to be -40... cold for even the hardiest northerner!

This has been on hell of a winter so far. And it's just started! I too burn lots of poplar, just not over the next few days! Stay warm!