Cedar as firewood?
- Thread starter BigJ273
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
I see that Western Cedar has 18 million BTU/ cord. Eastern Cedar is a meager 12 million BTU/cord. Not very good.
Wood1Dennis
Burning Hunk
Easter white cedar here. Lots of it.
Split it up for kindling! Can't beat it for kindling.
I also use as base for my wood piles. It will last a long time, very rot resistant.
Split it up for kindling! Can't beat it for kindling.
I also use as base for my wood piles. It will last a long time, very rot resistant.
In Maryland you are probably referring to eastern red cedar? If so I have burned it, it smells good. Definitely a shoulder season wood, its very light when dry.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
Now that you mention it, I do use cedar for kindling. I had to remodel a house that had "cedar shakes" which are just cedar shingles, for siding.
I wound up with a pickup load of those old cedar shingles and I put them in the basement. I have been using them for kindling for 5 years and they can't be beat. Easy to split into small pieces.
I wound up with a pickup load of those old cedar shingles and I put them in the basement. I have been using them for kindling for 5 years and they can't be beat. Easy to split into small pieces.
Burn a lot of eastern red cedar. Smells great and rot resistant. Only way it could get better is just a few more btu's.
DuaeGuttae
Minister of Fire
We burn a lot of "cedar" down here as it's invasive on our property. Our other fuel option is Live Oak, which is super heavy with tons of BTU's. Our "cedar" is really a Juniper and is a cousin of Eastern Red Cedar. I think ours is a somewhat higher BTU fuel, though, because it grows a bit more slowly in drier conditions. Nevertheless we find it a perfectly adequate firewood. We heat in a much more mild climate than you, of course, but it's great for us for daytime fires when oak would produce too much heat. It would be good for your shoulder seasons. Just be aware that it does throw more sparks than the hardwoods you're probably used to, even when it does burn down to coals. The larger the splits or rounds, of course, the longer it will burn. We have a ton of cedar, but most of it we don't bother to split. Our bigger pieces will easier yield coals after an overnight burn.
I'm not sure that we burned cedar in our EPA stove when we lived in Virginia, and I'm not sure that I would have gone out of my way to scrounge any (getting wood was much more work for us back then). We did like having pine on hand, though, and would pick it up if it was a help to someone we wanted to help. I think whether you want to get the cedar would depend on all sorts of circumstances. Is it easy or a bunch of work? Will it provide a service to someone you want to serve? Will it take up the space you'd need for a higher BTU wood? Do you think your burning practices would benefit from your having a good shoulder season wood? Do you start lots of fires where a quicker igniter would be a benefit? Overall, it has a place in a woodburner's life in the right circumstances.
I'm not sure that we burned cedar in our EPA stove when we lived in Virginia, and I'm not sure that I would have gone out of my way to scrounge any (getting wood was much more work for us back then). We did like having pine on hand, though, and would pick it up if it was a help to someone we wanted to help. I think whether you want to get the cedar would depend on all sorts of circumstances. Is it easy or a bunch of work? Will it provide a service to someone you want to serve? Will it take up the space you'd need for a higher BTU wood? Do you think your burning practices would benefit from your having a good shoulder season wood? Do you start lots of fires where a quicker igniter would be a benefit? Overall, it has a place in a woodburner's life in the right circumstances.
Similar threads
