Sweet Gum question

[Andi otter]

Good day.....I have a sweet gum tree in my backyard that is going to be removed this year. I am looking for some BTU info and rate of burn. Has anyone had any experience with this type of tree? Also...I think it is sweet gum. It has prick balls that fall in the fall and winter.

 

[fvhowler]

Ahhh...sweetgum. We have plenty in NC but not the most desirable firewood. This stuff does not split easily by hand with its gnarly, twisted grain. If you have access to a log splitter, use it. I've burned it a few times and gives off pretty good heat (around 16-20 million btus) which is pretty average for firewood. Since the tree is in your back yard, process it and burn it. Just let in properly season at least a year and use in conjunction with other wood types.

 

[Woody Stover]

use in conjunction with other wood types.

In the BTU chart in the stickies (top of the Wood Shed topic page) he has Sweetgum rated at 19 Mbtu, about like soft Maple, etc.
I like to have some wood in this range on hand. I use a split or two in a top-down start on a load of dense wood that is harder to get burning on its own. If you've ever tried to start a load of Black Locust with no other type of wood in there, you know what I'm talking about. 😒 Even White Oak can be a bit hard to start without some quick-lighting wood to kick off the load.
That said, Sweetgum can be tough to split by hand, even if it is a woods tree with relatively straight grain.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

It’s better to have it as firewood than to drop those balls each fall into the yard! When I lived down south I didn’t want to walk out in my back yard barefoot.

 

[Woody Stover]

When I lived down south I didn’t want to walk out in my back yard barefoot.

Not much better walking on pavement with shoes on; You can slip on one of those balls and be eating asphalt! 🤕
I live semi-south and there's no way I walk out there barefoot; I don't like putting bug spray on my bare skin. 😏

 

[ScottLewis]

I built the front door to my log cabin in Georgia from sweet gum 2x12s. Got them rough sawn from the sawmill. It is beautiful wood, once you sand it down.
It is very difficult to split for firewood.

 

[StihlKicking]

Sweet gum burns decent when seasoned. Make sure to split it relatively soon after you buck it up. It will rot quickly if left in rounds. Also I have experienced some pieces of sweet gum that are down right impossible to split by hand, Hydraulics are a must in my opinion.