Opinions on mulberry?

[revdocjim]

My local wood stove dealer clued me in on a large stash of recently felled mulberry. Lots and lots of it available, some as large as 24" and most of it already cut to length. I've hauled two van loads so far and hope to get it on the racks before the snow gets too deep. I've never burned mulberry and was hoping for input from folks who have. I'll post some photos tomorrow.

 

[SeanBB]

It makes very good firewood but expect it to take the same time as oak to season.

 

[St. Coemgen]

I've hauled two van loads so far and hope to get it on the racks before the snow gets too deep.

I have quite a bit of mulberry on my property. It is a fine wood for heating. But if it is fresh cut, there is no rush to get it: wood cut now will not burn well, and will not season much in the Winter. Very little of the water in wood is removed in the Winter months. You need to let it dry one or two summers at least before using. Simply stack it and check it's moisture content next fall with a fresh split.

 

[Firefighter938]

I burn a lot of mulberry. Excellent firewood. It does throw sparks during a reload, so watch for that. It's fairly easy to split and has as many btu's as oak. Also, it is rot resistant. It coals well, smells good burning(you can smoke meat with it) and is fun to watch it's colors change as it dries. I would get as much as I could.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I burn a lot of mulberry. Excellent firewood. It does throw sparks during a reload, so watch for that. It's fairly easy to split and has as many btu's as oak. Also, it is rot resistant. It coals well, smells good burning(you can smoke meat with it) and is fun to watch it's colors change as it dries. I would get as much as I could.

Exactly this, it is great fuelwood. It grows like a weed here in PA., lots of it around, very wet when fresh.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I only have one, and I'm almost through it. I liked it, but it had many, many nubs that make loading tricky and inefficient. Sparky!

 

[revdocjim]

Thanks everyone! You've made my evening!! I guess I'll keep going back and getting as much as I can. I'm working on getting a full two years ahead but I go thru a lot of wood trying to keep this profoundly drafty Japanese house warm. I can currently stack about 9 cords but that is less than 2 years supply for me so I may be building more shed/racks but am struggling a bit with the WAF (wife approval factor) with regards to the appearance of our limited yard space...

 

[Woody Stover]

I burn a lot of mulberry. Excellent firewood. It does throw sparks during a reload, so watch for that. It's fairly easy to split and has as many btu's as oak. Also, it is rot resistant. It coals well, smells good burning(you can smoke meat with it) and is fun to watch it's colors change as it dries. I would get as much as I could.

Good assessment. A little sparky, but great stuff. Let the coals burn way down, and it won't spark as much.

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

Agree with all.
This is one of my favorite things about it..... as well as how much heat it throws.

fun to watch it's colors change as it dries

 

[husky345 vermont resolute]

Thanks everyone! You've made my evening!! I guess I'll keep going back and getting as much as I can. I'm working on getting a full two years ahead but I go thru a lot of wood trying to keep this profoundly drafty Japanese house warm. I can currently stack about 9 cords but that is less than 2 years supply for me so I may be building more shed/racks but am struggling a bit with the WAF (wife approval factor) with regards to the appearance of our limited yard space...

Rev what other types of wood you come across over there?


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[Woody Stover]

I'm working on getting a full two years ahead but I go thru a lot of wood trying to keep this profoundly drafty Japanese house warm. I can currently stack about 9 cords but that is less than 2 years supply for me so I may be building more shed/racks but am struggling a bit with the WAF (wife approval factor) with regards to the appearance of our limited yard space...

More weatherizing equals less wood needed equals less wood in the yard to be two years ahead equals greater WAF equals....

 

[heavy hammer]

Get all that you can, it is in the same family as locust. It's a great firewood, nice blue flames once the wood is going. I have been burning it for the last two to three years produces great heat. I would take it all if it was me.

 

[Stinkpickle]

If it's anything like the red mulberry we have around here, it's excellent firewood...after two years of seasoning, at least.

 

[Woody Stover]

If it's anything like the red mulberry we have around here, it's excellent firewood...after two years of seasoning, at least.

Good point; White Mulberry is native to China but some has been transplanted to other contries, Red is native to a large area of the eastern US. According to the Audubon Guide, White leaves are shiny and more pale, Red leaves are "dull, dark green and rough above"...

 

[revdocjim]

Rev what other types of wood you come across over there?


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We get a lot of oak, white birch, maple, chestnut, mulberry and way, way too much cedar and pine.

 

[revdocjim]

Good point; White Mulberry is native to China but some has been transplanted to other contries, Red is native to a large area of the eastern US. According to the Audubon Guide, White leaves are shiny and more pale, Red leaves are "dull, dark green and rough above"...

I'm not sure what variety this stuff is. Until about thirty years ago lots of mulberry was grown commercially. This part of Japan had a huge silk industry and of course, mulberry leaves are the only thing silk worms eat. So folks had orchards of mulberry trees that they kept rather small, like fruit trees, to make it easier to pick the leaves. The local silk industry lost out to China and is almost entirely non-existent here any more. Trees left untended get big and that is what I'm getting right now. Below are a few pics of what I've brought home so far.


Ready to get to work!


It was getting late but I just couldn't resist taking a few swings with the ax. 45 minutes later it was getting dark and time to stack. Wow, this stuff splits easy. Of the 75-100 pieces I split less than ten of them required more than one swing for each split! By the time I finished stacking this stuff (including hauling to the other side of the house by wheelbarrow) I was working by moonlight.

 

[JBinKC]

Its my favorite wood overall as it is my wood of choice to smoke poultry and can create quite a show for the pyros and in the process generate plenty of btus.

The only 2 minor drawbacks to it is if you have a reason to adjust pieces in the firebox while burning can throw a spark and the boring bugs can leave a powdery mess in the woodpile.

 

[revdocjim]

More weatherizing equals less wood needed equals less wood in the yard to be two years ahead equals greater WAF equals....

Can't argue with that logic! As a matter of fact, I'm finding and plugging air leaks all the time. This is only our second winter in this house so there's still lots to be discovered, I'm sure. Just last night I discovered lots of cold air coming in from the small gap between the wall bricks on our hearth and the back wall. I promptly got my tools out, started sawing and hammering and had it sealed up before I went to bed. The problem was that it was already after 9PM when I started working on it so my wife fell asleep to the sound of hammers and saws... not a very brilliant move on the WAF spectrum.

 

[Hasufel]

Can't argue with that logic! As a matter of fact, I'm finding and plugging air leaks all the time. This is only our second winter in this house so there's still lots to be discovered, I'm sure. Just last night I discovered lots of cold air coming in from the small gap between the wall bricks on our hearth and the back wall. I promptly got my tools out, started sawing and hammering and had it sealed up before I went to bed. The problem was that it was already after 9PM when I started working on it so my wife fell asleep to the sound of hammers and saws... not a very brilliant move on the WAF spectrum.

If she complains today, just remind her that she woke up warm.

 

[St. Coemgen]

White Mulberry is native to China but some has been transplanted to other contries, Red is native to a large area of the eastern US. According to the Audubon Guide, White leaves are shiny and more pale, Red leaves are "dull, dark green and rough above"...

If you are around when the tree fruits (if it fruits), forget leaf identification -- just look at the berries. Then it is a no-brainier. White mulberries have white berries*. A bit more difficult is to decide between red and black mulberries, but even that is not really that hard **.

White mulberry leaves make a great tea. Red or black mulberry fruit make a good red wine.

*Side note 1: hybrids with white mulberries, will have whitish red berries.

**Side note2: But who cares, as for fire wood they all burn fine.

 

[Woody Stover]

I'm not sure what variety this stuff is. Until about thirty years ago lots of mulberry was grown commercially. This part of Japan had a huge silk industry and of course, mulberry leaves are the only thing silk worms eat

One of the nicknames for White Mulberry is "Silkwood Mulberry," so that sounds like what you have. The wood sure looks similar to the Red Mulberry we have here and I'm guessing it will burn about the same.

 

[St. Coemgen]

If she complains today, just remind her that she woke up warm.

I am actually a proponent of feminism.

I do believe in breaking the glass ceiling.

I think women should in fact and indeed "lean in" more.

But after a night of construction and noise making, if one thinks "just" to remind one's wife that she woke up warm.... I do wonder how long they have actually been married....

 

[Stinkpickle]

One of the nicknames for White Mulberry is "Silkwood Mulberry," so that sounds like what you have. The wood sure looks similar to the Red Mulberry we have here and I'm guessing it will burn about the same.

Yeah, I remember seeing a TV show where they used white mulberry trees for silkworms.

 

[Tar12]

Free? Cut to length? Great btus? Burns to a fine ash? I would be filling the yard and leaving her a pathway....lol

 

[BamaScroungr]

Good point; White Mulberry is native to China but some has been transplanted to other contries, Red is native to a large area of the eastern US. According to the Audubon Guide, White leaves are shiny and more pale, Red leaves are "dull, dark green and rough above"...

I live in the southeast US, so I guess I'm burning the red mulberry. In my experience, the red mulberry is pretty dry to begin with, like osage, and it doesn't need much time to season. But a moisture meter is the only way to know for sure.