The "I've never burnt this kind of wood but would like to see what the hype is about" thread

[CrawfordCentury]

I live in a transitional hardwood forest area and have quite a nice selection of hardwoods like red oak, beech, ash, and various maples.

But I'm too far north for hickory. Locust is pretty uncommon. And I don't know if I've ever seen hedge in person the way the heartland folks do.

Based on what you've read on this site, what have you not had a chance to burn that you'd live to get your mitts on?

 

[tfdchief]

No beech here where I live.

 

[gzecc]

I'd like to try osage orange, iron wood and madrone.

 

[tfdchief]

Osage Orange i. e. hedge, is the closest thing to coal I've ever seen. Hard as hickory and burns real hot, real long. Only problem is, when it starts to coal, it sparks like crazy....they will come out into the air and explode like sparklers. I used to burn nothing but hedge, but don't have many opportunities to cut it anymore. Oh ya, when you cut it green, the stickiest sap you have ever seen gets all over everything. And you better cut it green unless you have one tough chain saw. :ahhh:

 

[LLigetfa]

I'm a slut. I want to try everything. Well, anything good anyway.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I'd like to try some of that free and delivered stuff.

 

[iskiatomic]

I’m a slut. I want to try everything. Well, anything good anyway.

+1

Still apprehensive on conifers in my stove.

KC

 

[Pagey]

I’m a slut. I want to try everything. Well, anything good anyway.

+1

Still apprehensive on conifers in my stove.

KC

Don't be. I love me some pine.

 

[LLigetfa]

I'd like to try some of that free and delivered stuff.

+1
Seasoned cut, split, delivered and stacked for me! I'll take over from there thank you.

 

[tfdchief]

I'd like to try some of that free and delivered stuff.

+1
Seasoned cut, split, delivered and stacked for me! I'll take over from there thank you.

OK, I didn't know that was a choice....put me down for 4 cords :exclaim: %-P

 

[northwinds]

Osage Orange. Have never seen one.

 

[derecskey]

Catalpa. Only because I want to kill them all. These trees may be as bad as Cottonwood for the litter they produce. I'd like to go back in time and slap the homeowners that planted these. Would also like to try Osage Orange, or "The Monkey Ball Tree" as we called it as kids. If someone has one, you sure know it, by the fruit it drops in the street or your yard. They're relatively rare around here though.

Wife and I were down in Roscoe Village a month or so ago, a historic canal town in central Ohio. They had the whole place decorated with greens and pinecones and such, and in the middle of each display was one Osage Orange fruit... just because they're so large and strange and bright looking.

 

[tfdchief]

Osage Orange. Have never seen one.

Northwinds, Around here, in central IL, they grow mostly in "hedge rows". The farmers used to plant them to stop wind erosion and they also made a natural fence that cattle could not get through. They used the small stuff they trimmed from the hedge for fence posts....better than treated posts today....last forever, even in the ground. Used to be a hedge row on the edge of almost every field. In the 70's they mostly disappeared because farmers stopped grazing cattle and they robbed them of some farm-able ground because they spread out and overhang the field so bad. There are still a few. I used to cut nothing but hedge because farmers always wanted everything overhanging trimmed back. They are an amazing tree. There was one hedge row completely cut down in the 70's, nothing but stumps. Now, if you drive by it, you couldn't tell. It grew back completely from the stumps and new shoots. I know of one that was hit by an F-3 tornado and it hardly even damaged it. Amazing tree! Here is a link to a picture. (broken link removed to http://www.flickr.com/photos/inghramjp/2589553840/) link to pictures of the fruit and the distinctive yellow heartwood. (broken link removed to http://www.grit.com/blogs/The-Shade-of-an-Osage-Orange-Tree.aspx) Other good links (broken link removed) (broken link removed)

 

[Nonprophet]

Well, here in the "hardwood-starved West", I'd love to try some Osage Orange, Hickory, and Beech.

I've got Apple, Cherry, English Walnut, and Black Locust all waiting to burn next year--just now polishing off some 4-5 year seasoned White Oak and Madrone. So yes, the hardwood-starved comment was tongue-in-cheek!

NP

 

[joshlaugh]

Osage orange, I am always on the prowl for some, talking to farmers etc about clearing fence rows for them. I also know where some big trees stand and always check on them after a good windstorm.

 

[wendell]

I would definitely like to burn some hedge. Funny how the best wood grows where it isn't needed nearly as much.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I live in a transitional hardwood forest area and have quite a nice selection of hardwoods like red oak, beech, ash, and various maples.

But I'm too far north for hickory. Locust is pretty uncommon. And I don't know if I've ever seen hedge in person the way the heartland folks do.

Based on what you've read on this site, what have you not had a chance to burn that you'd live to get your mitts on?

Luckily I live in western WA where God himself perfected the perfect firewood tree - the Douglas Fir. I feel nothing but pity for you east coasters and your 3 year long drying cycles.

 

[kestrel]

Brazilian rosewood and mahogany. I'm thinking about chopping up my Martin guitar to see what the BTU values are like. :cheese:

 

[firefighterjake]

I’m a slut. I want to try everything. Well, anything good anyway.

+1

Still apprehensive on conifers in my stove.

KC

No worries . . . just make sure it is seasoned and if you are truly concerned just don't load the stove to the gills . . . try a small load in the Fall or Spring . . . this is where the softwoods really work well . . . plus I kind of like the snapping, crackling and popping . . . better than watching re-runs of the A Team.

 

[firefighterjake]

Locust and oak grow around here . . . but I have seen very little on the family property and what little is there will be left to mature and hopefully grow more locust and oak. I do however have some oak that was cut this past summer, so I'll be trying that out for the first time in a couple of years.

I would love to try osage orange and hickory . . . and walnut . . . but if I must admit with the walnut I'm just curious as to whether or not you can actually harvest the nuts and eat them or if they're like the apple trees in the "wild" . . . small, bug-riddled, etc.

 

[waynek]

I would like to try burning some petrified wood!

jackpine

 

[smokinj]

Locust and oak grow around here . . . but I have seen very little on the family property and what little is there will be left to mature and hopefully grow more locust and oak. I do however have some oak that was cut this past summer, so I'll be trying that out for the first time in a couple of years.

I would love to try osage orange and hickory . . . and walnut . . . but if I must admit with the walnut I'm just curious as to whether or not you can actually harvest the nuts and eat them or if they're like the apple trees in the "wild" . . . small, bug-riddled, etc.

walnuts yes you can you have to wait til that thick green outer layer falls off still have a couple 100 in the yard I leave for the wild life. They are a tuff nut to crack

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am very happy with what we have but wouldn't mind some more oak. I do plan on cutting a few oaks this winter but they are small and I just want them out of the way for one of my deer hunting stands.

Hey, if anyone wants to burn some witch hazel, we have tons of it! lol

 

[CrawfordCentury]

Luckily I live in western WA where God himself perfected the perfect firewood tree - the Douglas Fir. I feel nothing but pity for you east coasters and your 3 year long drying cycles.

Yes, and God also graced you PNW folks with some of the mildest winters to go along with that fir (which isn't a true fir as I understand). We have hemlocks back east too. They come in handy for them that don't plan their firewoding far enough in advance.

 

[Nonprophet]

Locust and oak grow around here . . . but I have seen very little on the family property and what little is there will be left to mature and hopefully grow more locust and oak. I do however have some oak that was cut this past summer, so I'll be trying that out for the first time in a couple of years.

I would love to try osage orange and hickory . . . and walnut . . . but if I must admit with the walnut I'm just curious as to whether or not you can actually harvest the nuts and eat them or if they're like the apple trees in the "wild" . . . small, bug-riddled, etc.

I salvaged some Walnut from a nearby farm this fall and I looked into Walnut a bit to find out what I was getting. What I discovered is that the walnuts that are marketed for consumption come from English Walnut trees, not Black Walnut. Most walnut orchards graft English Walnut (for the nuts) onto Black Walnut trees (more resistant to diseases apparently....). The Black Walnuts are edible, but supposedly quite a bit more bitter than English Walnut. Both have the same BTU rating as far as firewood. I have some smaller Black Walnut trees on our property that drop LOTS of nuts, but they are a real hassle to process (unless you like havng brown hands for two weeks.....) and so I let the squirrels have them!

NP