sequoia wood?

[clearblue16]

Got a couple loads of it today, a type of west coast redwood....anybody burned it before? Comments? Thanks!

 

[gzecc]

I doubt it is really sequoia wood. Sequoia probably doesn't burn well. As a matter of fact, the day I saw my first Sequoia tree I said to my son that "it must not be such good wood to build with". "Could you imagine the first european explorers to see these trees?" If they were good wood for building, they would all be gone!

 

[fossil]

If it really is Sequoia, it's a west coast conifer, and a softwood. It's the species that gave "Redwoods" their name. Among the longest-living trees on earth, and the tallest. Long prized for its resistance to rot and insects, it's rarely available anymore for building material, as the trees are increasingly scarce, and most are in protected forests. When I was a kid growing up in California in the '50's & 60's a Redwood deck or fence was the cat's meow. As far as burning it's concerned, I'd think it would burn hot and fast, like cedar. Rick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia

 

[myzamboni]

It burns OK. Not too hot, has nice orange glowing coals, but they build up quick and do not last too long. Good for shoulder season, mixing with other wood.

 

[rdust]

I seen my first Sequoia/Redwood at Yosemite, I was in awe by the size of the tree's. I'd be surprised if it's really sequoia wood!

 

[clearblue16]

It is some sort of red wood for sure, it was in somebodys backyard...my parents have a grand sequoia...they planted it for fun 38 years ago....this one had little green pinecones....I'll have to look it up!

 

[Wood Duck]

Sequoias are sometimes planted outside of their natural range (they thrive mainly in the mountains and foothills of CA or very similar climates), so you might have wood from someone's backyard Sequoia. You might also have some wood from a sequoia from one of the national forests. I think most of the natural range of sequoias, which consists of a certain range of elevations in the central and southern Sierra Nevada in CA, is public land. They grow naturally only in a few groves within their range, so they are pretty rare. Not every sequoia is a giant tree, and last time I visited Sequoia National Park, I noticed a fair number of dead, smaller sequoias laying around. A couple were even cut up because they had fallen across a road or trail. My point is that I think there are several ways you could get your hands on sequoia wood.

Coast Redwood, the other giant tree in CA, is more widespread naturally, and some are still cut for timber, so there must be a bunch of pwople who burn redwood. Redwood are also planted in CA as ornamental trees, and I have seen them from LA to San Francisco and in the central valley (most of the heavily populated parts of CA). So, there are also plenty of places to get redwood.

I have never burned either tree. I think it would be a lot like cedar.

 

[jmhpsu93]

Saw a documentary about a year ago about the Sequoias. They couldn't figure out why there weren't many young trees, and they figured out that the Sequoia doesn't release the seeds unless under the high heat of a forest fire. Their bark is extremely heat- and fire-resistant, apparently. The forest fire prevention was actually hurting the long-term health of the species.

I'm sure there's a lot of detail I'm not remembering exactly, and it's probably more complicated, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[clearblue16]

yes i got it from a friend who owns a tree company, i was there for the action....thick stringy bark, cedarish smell, green little pine cones, splits easy.....could be coast or sequoia.....it was fairly big, around 45 inch base!

 

[TreePapa]

Don't burn it .... arrggg ... I'm faeling the burn now ... arggg ..

Just kidding, enjoy your fire (once the wood is nicely seasoned). I got some backyard redwood a year or two ago (don't know exactly which species) and it burned okay. Not as hot as pine but just about as fast.

Peace,
- Sequoia