Alot of shagbark hickory

[jhousek1]

Hi all, I am new to this forum, but have been heating house with a Hearthstone Morgan insert for 1 season now, and i am in love with it. My house has never been dryer or warmer in the 7 yrs i have lived here before the stove. This past winter I hooked up with a guy that had me trim some shagbarks. (the limbs were from 8-12 inches in diameter) and i completely removed one full tree. Needless to say I am thinking that the 2+ chords of hickory should be used in the colder winter months and the wood i purchased (mixed chord) should be used first? Anybody have any input on this logic? Thank you

 

[CowboyAndy]

yes. i have about a cord of shagbark hickory that i plan to do the same thing with. it will get mixed with hard maple during the overnights of the coldest times of the year. that hickory will take along time to season though, mine took almost a year and a half to get to 20% mc, thats splits only. 3-4" rounds still arent dry.

 

[gzecc]

38, get a mixed CORD of white ash and or black locust if you can find some. Stay away from oak if you want to use the wood within 1 year.
PS Keep the CHORDS in the music room.

 

[Redburn]

Shagbark is one of the highest btu content wood so be careful it burns hot . I would always mix it with another wood when burning it and not just burn it alone in a full load, and use a stove thermometer to watch stove top temps. Its great wood smells great burning and makes great coals ..

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum firestarter38.

Beware. The most common mistake new wood burners make is thinking their wood is ready to burn when it is not. Realize that time is needed for all wood to dry to the point where it will burn good to give you good heat and not fill the chimney with creosote. The more dense the wood, the longer it takes to dry the wood. Hence, oaks can take up to 3 years to dry really good but most give it 2. Hickory falls into the same category but once it is dry makes really good burning wood with lots of heat per log.

Also beware that all wood sellers claim to have seasoned wood. Don't believe them.

Moral of the story: Have a minimum of a 2 to 3 year supply of firewood on hand at all times. Burn the oldest first. Save the best wood for mid-winter and burn the softer woods in spring and fall. Check your chimney monthly.

Good luck.