Are these both maple (and other questions)?

[Echo Parking Lot]

Took the better part of 9 months, but finally finished hand splitting seven-ish cords for winter ‘23 and beyond.


The wood is from a logger friend in south western MA. Mostly birch, oak and maple, probably some others mixed in as well, but i’m not a pro at identifying by bark or interior alone by any means. there were a lot of log lengths of the ones pictured below. I’m assuming they’re both kinds of maple, but 🤷. A lot of it, especially the stuff with a black-ish core (especially the bigger the piece) smelled to me faintly of olives

Additional question, a bunch of the birch emitted a vey sharp fragrance like birch beer. i’m assuming that was sweet birch (a.k.a. black or cherry). Sorry no pictures of that, it was mostly on top and got to it what feels like ages ago.

wood 1.



wood 2.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

maple.. Not packing a ton of BTUs.. but a solid wood to burn in the dead of winter.. split thick for long burns

 

[Echo Parking Lot]

maple.. Not packing a ton of BTUs.. but a solid wood to burn in the dead of winter.. split thick for long burns

are there good species to split thinner as opposed to thicker? i recall another thread where someone recommended loading with a good mix of small splits and larger ones.

 

[gzecc]

Does look like a maple. Sweet smeller could be black birch. Top shelf firewood.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

are there good species to split thinner as opposed to thicker? i recall another thread where someone recommended loading with a good mix of small splits and larger ones.

You can split it thinner.. I was saying for LONGER burns.. thick splits are the way to go.. Again.. its not oak.. so thin splits will have you do alot of reloading on cooler days when your burning all day and night

 

[Caw]

As a maple burning connoisseur myself I can assure you those are both maple. Classic bark and spalting. Likely both red. The bark is very smooth and gray when it's young then develops ridges and shapes as it ages.

It's not the best hardwood out there but it's quality firewood. You can season it in one year under the right conditions and it can carry you through the winter, you'll just need to reload a little more often vs Oak/Ash/Hickory etc. One thing to note: maple makes a lot of ash. Be prepared to shovel out the firebox more than usual.

Here's my first haul of this year. Mostly red maple with some oak, locust, and softwood mixed in. I'm about halfway thru processing it, it's taking longer than usual as I'm limited physically right now:

 

[Garbanzo62]

How did you get the logger to transport the trees into CT? You are suppose to have a permit to import wood.

 

[Echo Parking Lot]

How did you get the logger to transport the trees into CT? You are suppose to have a permit to import wood.

believe he logs in CT, just lives up MA way.

 

[Echo Parking Lot]

It's not the best hardwood out there but it's quality firewood. You can season it in one year under the right conditions and it can carry you through the winter, you'll just need to reload a little more often vs Oak/Ash/Hickory etc. One thing to note: maple makes a lot of ash. Be prepared to shovel out the firebox more than usual.

I have my complaints about the Vermont Castings (came with the house we moved into) but the ash pan is a nice feature.

Glad I got everything split nice and early. It’s in full sun and gets excellent wind, especially in the winter and spring.

 

[Caw]

I have my complaints about the Vermont Castings (came with the house we moved into) but the ash pan is a nice feature.

Glad I got everything split nice and early. It’s in full sun and gets excellent wind, especially in the winter and spring.

It'll be better after 2 years but with good storage it'll certainly be burnable next season. Its great wood when you're in a pinch because of the quick seasoning.

I use it like folks use pine sometimes too. Since it doesn't produce a lot of coals it's great for cold snaps. I can run the stove hot and fast and reload sooner than with other hardwoods. I've been burning red oak all season but brought in some maple for the cold snap tonight.

 

[Echo Parking Lot]

It'll be better after 2 years but with good storage it'll certainly be burnable next season. Its great wood when you're in a pinch because of the quick seasoning.

I use it like folks use pine sometimes too. Since it doesn't produce a lot of coals it's great for cold snaps. I can run the stove hot and fast and reload sooner than with other hardwoods. I've been burning red oak all season but brought in some maple for the cold snap tonight.

i‘ll keep this in mind. makes me think i should start sorting my wood by species. right now the best i’ve done is softwood/hardwood.

it‘s going to be an incredible 24 hours temperature-wise.

 

[Caw]

i‘ll keep this in mind. makes me think i should start sorting my wood by species. right now the best i’ve done is softwood/hardwood.

it‘s going to be an incredible 24 hours temperature-wise.

Yeah it's pretty cool how every wood has its subtleties. More/less BTU, coals, smell, ashes, sparks, etc. I'll even make load cocktails...for example ausing maple in the front for a fast start and oak in the back for longer burns depending on the weather and my schedule etc. Its worth experimenting with your different woods and see how the react.

I'm going to be at work until 11 pm tonight so I set the wife up with wood, kindling, and bark. She's ready to go this evening!