Favorite oddball species?

[turn_n_burn]

What's your favorite weird wood to burn? In Idaho myself, just got some 10+ year seasoned elm and it was GREAT. Lovely deep yellow flam es, good coals, slightly sweet smell. Also had some juniper with lovely purple streaks, not sure what kind. Smelled like heaven. Curious what other folks in the PNW burn that ain't on the favorites list. Anyone know where to find Osage Orange around here!?!?!

 

[kennyp2339]

My favorite odd ball is hedge & honey locust - two species I rarely run into, but when I get it, its great.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Anyone know where to find Osage Orange around here!?!?!

You'd have much better luck finding Black Locust and IMHO, the burn characteristics are very similar (Hedge/Osage just has higher BTUs and throws a LOT more sparks).

They both burn similar to coal (hard to get going but burn longer than other species when put directly into a hot bed of coals)... They are both rot resistant...

I don't necessarily have any odd-balls, hedge and BL are both somewhat available to me so I burn them regularly...

Persimmon or Apple would be one that I think is odd-ball but I like to burn, dense and burn nice but both are a pain to split.

 

[DoubleB]

Last fall I drove past a guy in the city dragging 6-8" buckthorn to the curb from his backyard. He already had it in 4' lengths and had dealt with the thorns, so I brought some home. It was very dense so I'm eager to see how it burns. Unfortunately it's just a scrubby tree (big bush) around here with thorns so I've never had any quantity or heard of others burning much either. And I still don't have more than a couple wheelbarrows. But I'll call that the oddball species that I'm most curious about, and I have to wait 2 more years in the drying rotation to burn it and see for sure.

 

[jrems]

Dogwood for sure. It's a more of an ornamental planting around here but have come across a few very old ones (60+ years old )that are still only 10" in diameter. I swear that it's more dense than hedge.

 

[blacktail]

I want to get my hands on a monkey tail tree, just so I can tell people I'm burning monkey in my stove.

 

[turn_n_burn]

Just remember to season it well, otherwise the fur can make it hold water too. I'll file that one next to dogwood LOL

 

[Woody Stover]

I've got a little more River Birch stacked, from a yard tree that died. They are also around the pond, but are healthy. It has a marvelous fragrance when burned, very sweet. I may like that smoke smell better than any other wood, including Cherry and Hickory.

Dogwood for sure...I swear that it's more dense than hedge.

Yep. Bone-dry, it still weighs a ton. Lotta folks don't like messing with small trees, but I'm always on the lookout for dead Dogs I can grab. It grows in the woods here, so I've got maybe 2/3 cord in the stacks right now. There's a dead Persimmon I've got my eye on, just haven't got to it yet. There's also Redbud here..it's some decent-burning stuff, but another tree that doesn't get very big in the woods here. Then there's Slippery (Red) Elm, but I guess that's more common than the others.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Every so often I get a piece of Holly that someone throws out at the local compost site, and I enjoy burning that. It's very white inside, burns nice too. I sometimes wonder if it is the same person throwing it away from the same tree? It probably is as it's not too common!

 

[English BoB]

Tumeric....good for joints

bob

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Every so often I get a piece of Holly that someone throws out at the local compost site, and I enjoy burning that. It's very white inside, burns nice too. I sometimes wonder if it is the same person throwing it away from the same tree? It probably is as it's not too common!

HA! Went to a different local compost site today and got 4 more rounds of Holly; very white inside and LOTS of crazy branches sticking out from it all over.

But I'll take it!

 

[BrotherBart]

I must have over a thousand Hollys of varying sizes on this place. They take my hide off when working in the woods. All just too little to mess with for burning.

 

[BrotherBart]

First year here I thought it would be nice to make a real Holly wreath from the stuff. Mistake. Dry, dead crunchy wreath in like two days.

 

[aansorge]

Last fall I drove past a guy in the city dragging 6-8" buckthorn to the curb from his backyard. He already had it in 4' lengths and had dealt with the thorns, so I brought some home. It was very dense so I'm eager to see how it burns. Unfortunately it's just a scrubby tree (big bush) around here with thorns so I've never had any quantity or heard of others burning much either. And I still don't have more than a couple wheelbarrows. But I'll call that the oddball species that I'm most curious about, and I have to wait 2 more years in the drying rotation to burn it and see for sure.

We have lots of buckthorn around here and I cut it up whenever I can. Generally speaking, I'll be scrounging in the woods while working on an elm or oak and will see an old dead buckthorn still standing. I'll cut her down and capture some quick btus. It is great wood. It is dense and seems to dry quicker than other dense wood perhaps due to its cherry- like bark. The stuff doesn't grow large but I still get it when I can.

 

[Vikestand]

I have a Osage Orange fence row in my field. We thin it out ever 5 years or so. That stuff will dull a saw fast but it is great wood. I also love black locust. Cuts easy and splits easy but it also takes awhile to dry. I cut it in short lengths to criss cross in my stove.

 

[Longstreet]

Dogwood for sure. It's a more of an ornamental planting around here but have come across a few very old ones (60+ years old )that are still only 10" in diameter. I swear that it's more dense than hedge.

Just as an fyi: Dogwood makes great firewood but you could cut it into blanks and make some good money off it. Because it is so hard, wood turners make pens, tool handles, etc.

http://woodbarter.com/threads/kiln-dry-dogwood-lfrb-27-pcs.22790/

Wouldn't be hard to turn 60 year old trees into cords of firewood! I'd call that a fair trade.