The unknown hardwoods

[neverbilly]

I am decent at tree ID but sometimes, I can't identify one. Especially with leaves off trees. Around here, I know sweet gum and black gum are bad news, is just a no-go for me. Elm is hard to split but burns good. Sycamore, too, but if it's sat awhile after cutting, it splits ok; but then it doesn't burn great. Willow isn't worth it to me. We don't cotton to cottonwood around here either. Those are ones I can think of. Would you say that pretty much any hardwood other than the known bad guys will be a decent firewood and worth harvesting? I have some trees that need thinning and I don't know what they are. These are "smaller" trees, not huge. If they grow real big, I know what they are, lol. Mostly understory trees, 4" to 10" DBH.

 

[peakbagger]

You burn what you have, if it cuts, splits and its available then you can burn it. Some species are less desirable than others usually related to density. Less dense wood is going require more work for less BTUs.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Less dense wood seasons quickly and throws its heat fast. Good on shoulder seasons and burning down coals when they build up on the really cold nights.


Pine, willow, poplar species, punk wood... it all has a place.

 

[neverbilly]

You burn what you have, if it cuts, splits and its available then you can burn it. Some species are less desirable than others usually related to density. Less dense wood is going require more work for less BTUs.

Where I live, it doesn't get real cold that often, so, BTU content isn't that important. Firewood negatives are...

- difficulty splitting
- popping such that it explodes big chunks out of a fireplace that could start a fire and also bad odor
- toxic smoke such as poison ivy, sumac or oleander
- creosote buildup such as with pine
- bad odor like sweetgum
- very poor flame, such as willow (even in mild climes like mine... but I will try it again... it's been decades)

What else?

When spring arrives, I am going to make a concerted effort to identify some of these mystery hardwoods.

 

[SpaceBus]

No wood creates more creosote than another. I burn "pine" (fir, spruce, white pine, etc.) almost exclusively and don't have any creosote issues. The issues are generally related to overall moisture content of the firewood. A wet piece of pine weighs about the same as a dry piece of oak of the same dimensions. Half of the weight being water is the cause of creosote since water doesn't burn particularly well and cools flue gasses to the point that creosote condenses.

Likely that willow you tried to burn was just too wet and had more than 20% water content. Personally I would rather have pine type wood than cottonwood or willow. We do have some basswood on our land which is basically the same, and I would rather mill it or leave it standing. I cut and split any dead wood that is not big enough for the mill and also not rotten.

 

[peakbagger]

I wasnt aware that poison ivy, Sumac or Oleander would be considered hardwoods. I guess things grow bigger in Louisiana.

 

[SpaceBus]

I wasnt aware that poison ivy, Sumac or Oleander would be considered hardwoods. I guess things grow bigger in Louisiana.

I know poison ivy grows as a tree in Japan and they used the sap/oil, the very one that causes the rash, to make varnish.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

For me the best hardwoods are oak (any), hickory (any), red maple, white ash, and beech. Best softer woods are black cherry, white pine, and tulip poplar.

Sweet gum needs to be seasoned a long time, and mixed with other woods. It tends to be a real dud if you have four splits of sweet gum in there. I use it because I have a big one that loses limbs once in a while.