Weeping Willow

[raybonz]

Has anyone burned weeping willow here and is it worth the trouble? I just looked out the window and saw a big pile of it in my neighbors yard and he has no way to burn it.. Did a search here and found very little about this wood.. If I can get it for free is it worth my time as I usually burn oak.

Ray

PS: I found a firewood BTU chart that says it about as good as white pine which there is lots of in my yard already and not worth the trouble to burn so I will not waste my time..

 

[Backwoods Savage]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 1.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I burn it. It's free and no gas will be spent getting it.

When it's cold out. Not much isn't worth it.

Matt and doesn't understand wood snobs.

 

[raybonz]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 1.

Thanx Dennis my research revealed it was pretty worthless.. I always burn hardwoods and I think the combustor will last longer by doing this plus I get long hot burn times too.. I would imagine there is plenty of hardwood out your way too..

Ray

 

[raybonz]

I burn it. It's free and no gas will be spent getting it.

When it's cold out. Not much isn't worth it.

Matt and doesn't understand wood snobs.

Guess you could call me selective aka a wood snob lol.. BTW who is Matt?

Ray

 

[savageactor7]

I burn willow a lot...it's a good fall/spring wood. Ya know when the mornings are cold but the temp soon climbs to 65-70*.

Willow is perfect for those days, it burns hot to quickly to heat your house then goes out and leaves no long lasting coals that force you to open all the doors and windows. Also if you have less than perfect wood that has trouble starting? Throw in the willow first.

If it's free grab it...just keep it separated from the rest of your wood...and use it as 'willow'...it's special.

Just say'en...my grandmother use to cook with willow...it was her preferred wood to cook with.

 

[Vic99]

I've burned a fair amount of willow in Dec-Jan.

Pros:

1) Compared to other hardwoods, it dries quickly. Willow easily seasons in under a year.

2) Ave to split.

3) Good for the shoulder season and as top off the firebox wood.

4) Its free and easy to get, so it's totally worth it.


Cons:

1) Burns quickly and lower heat yield.

2) Seems to have a weird smell when damp.


I say go for it.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Interesting to note that willow and grape are used to make charcoal for use in forges.

Matt

 

[raybonz]

Interesting to note that willow and grape are used to make charcoal for use in forges.

Matt

Interesting that you say that I understand willow does not make very good coals... Guess I am spoiled burning oak all the time.. Will see what neighbor wants to do with it..

Ray

 

[Backwoods Savage]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 1.

Thanx Dennis my research revealed it was pretty worthless.. I always burn hardwoods and I think the combustor will last longer by doing this plus I get long hot burn times too.. I would imagine there is plenty of hardwood out your way too..

Ray

Ray, thanks to the emerald ash borer, we'll be burning mainly white ash for several years. That will be mixed with maple too, but we have a bunch of ash that are dying. Such a shame to lose those wonderful trees.

I do think you are right about the combustor lasting longer.

 

[savageactor7]

Ray as long as the willow is at your neighbors why not try a few wheel barrow loads for the shoulder season? What's nice about it is that it heats up fast and leaves no coals..you must have days when the mornings are cold but soon it warms up to 70* by 1100? That's willow burning time my brother.

People that I have turned on to burning willow over the years kick themselves for passing so much of it up in the past.

 

[milner351]

Backwoods - I've been burning ash here for the last several years thanks to that darned bug - it burns hot, seems to need at least 1.5 years to dry completely -- depending on how dead the tree was when it was taken down, and it splits really easy when it's dry. It does not burn as long as oak, but it does put out a good bit of heat.

I'm pretty disappointed with the hickory I've been burning the last couple weeks - it was free and easy to get - but there's not a lot of heat content and it burns down to coals in a matter of 4-5 hours.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I'll burn anything. I got some willow right now that I'll burn next year. Sure, it ain't worth a whole bunch, but I just burn that stuff up on warmer days, leave the good stuff for real cold weather.

Only way I'd pass on this willow is if it was far, far away, but if that bad boy fell within a hundred yards of my wood stove it'd be ash in no time

 

[DriftWood]

Yes get it its free but try to get them to help.
Tell him you will let them pi;le it on you property so it will be out of the way and their yard will not look so bad. Or Tell him you will help them pile it on you property so it will be out of the way and out of their yard !

 

[Vic99]

I had some hickory that I cut in May and burned in January. I figured a dense wood like that would take a long time to dry out and since I wanted to burn it this year, I cut it shorter than I normally would . . . to 10-12 inches. Got to a moisture content of 14-18% in January. The hickory has given me the longest overnight burn out of everything I've tried, hands down.

I would guess that hickory is one of those woods that would take 1.5-2 years to season properly at an 18 inch split.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience, but maybe it didn't season enough.

 

[raybonz]

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 1.

Thanx Dennis my research revealed it was pretty worthless.. I always burn hardwoods and I think the combustor will last longer by doing this plus I get long hot burn times too.. I would imagine there is plenty of hardwood out your way too..

Ray

Ray, thanks to the emerald ash borer, we'll be burning mainly white ash for several years. That will be mixed with maple too, but we have a bunch of ash that are dying. Such a shame to lose those wonderful trees.

I do think you are right about the combustor lasting longer.

Sad to see the trees die but I'm glad to see you give them a proper cremation! Didn't the American Walnut die to some type of disease years ago? Combustor life using softwoods does concern me especially sappy ones like pine.. My combustor is about $100.00 but some cost much more.. Time to do some research..

Ray

 

[raybonz]

Ray as long as the willow is at your neighbors why not try a few wheel barrow loads for the shoulder season? What's nice about it is that it heats up fast and leaves no coals..you must have days when the mornings are cold but soon it warms up to 70* by 1100? That's willow burning time my brother.

People that I have turned on to burning willow over the years kick themselves for passing so much of it up in the past.

Good point you make there.. Is willow a sap type soft wood or just a soft hardwood? For that matter what defines hard and softwoods?

Ray

 

[milner351]

clownfish I'm certain mine was not seasoned long enough.
it was standing dead for over a year, but was split and burned nearly immediately - one of these days I'll get a moisture meter!

 

[savageactor7]

Ray as long as the willow is at your neighbors why not try a few wheel barrow loads for the shoulder season? What's nice about it is that it heats up fast and leaves no coals..you must have days when the mornings are cold but soon it warms up to 70* by 1100? That's willow burning time my brother.

People that I have turned on to burning willow over the years kick themselves for passing so much of it up in the past.

Good point you make there.. Is willow a sap type soft wood or just a soft hardwood? For that matter what defines hard and softwoods?

Ray

Good morning Ray.

Well freshly cut I guess you could say it's sappy cause it's full of water. To me it's junk wood with a definite purpose. The willow I use is always dry and like I said I keep it separated in it's own pile....there's the wood pile and then there's a pile of willow.

Strange that I would appreciate a wood that would burn fast and hot and leave no coals...but there it is. A perfect wood for cold frosty mornings when you know it'll be 60/70* by 1100am.

 

[elleninpa]

We've got two willows in the yard and one has to come down now. Aside from the cost of getting a tree surgeon in to bring it down, my dh and I don't have room to stack it all! The trunk is something like 6 foot diameter and has two main leads off it.

He was thinking of just two cords, but I'd like to keep more especially now that I hear about using it in a cookstove.

I will vouch for the off smell. It really bothers my dh but as far as me, I sort of like it, tangy and sweet at the same time.

There is a lot of snap crackle and pop when we burn it in the fireplace.

You know, aspirin is from willow, has a compound in the bark that kills pain, and my bunny rabbit really likes it, the green leaves and soft green thin shoot branches.

The kids play under its canopy, even still, we bring chairs under it and read in the cool of its shade in summertime. And weave little wreaths from it too.

 

[raybonz]

We've got two willows in the yard and one has to come down now. Aside from the cost of getting a tree surgeon in to bring it down, my dh and I don't have room to stack it all! The trunk is something like 6 foot diameter and has two main leads off it.

He was thinking of just two cords, but I'd like to keep more especially now that I hear about using it in a cookstove.

I will vouch for the off smell. It really bothers my dh but as far as me, I sort of like it, tangy and sweet at the same time.

There is a lot of snap crackle and pop when we burn it in the fireplace.

You know, aspirin is from willow, has a compound in the bark that kills pain, and my bunny rabbit really likes it, the green leaves and soft green thin shoot branches.

The kids play under its canopy, even still, we bring chairs under it and read in the cool of its shade in summertime. And weave little wreaths from it too.

Hello Ellen,
Just wondering what DH means?

Ray

 

[elleninpa]

oh, dh is dear husband (dd is dear daughter, ds for son, dgs for dear grandson etc)

 

[raybonz]

oh, dh is dear husband (dd is dear daughter, ds for son, dgs for dear grandson etc)

Hmmm been on the net for over 15 yrs. surprised that one escaped me.. Must be an aol chat thing or similar.. I stopped chatting years ago so that's possible..

Thanx,
Ray

 

[Beanscoot]

"For that matter what defines hard and softwoods?"

Hardwoods are deciduous, meaning they have broad leaves, and in temperate climates they lose them in the winter.

Softwoods are coniferous, meaning they have needles and cones, and in temperate climates they keep them in the winter. Thus they are evergreens.


The terms hardwood and softwood are a bit informal, and sometimes are misleading. There are some hardwoods that are pretty soft while some softwoods are fairly hard.

And I also like to burn willow. Since I live in a city and generally scrounge up firewood in small loads, I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing what kind. Often I don't know what kind of wood it is. But it's all free and it all burns. Assuming the wood is reasonably dry one gets heat from it proportional to its weight. One exception is wood that's really pitchy, as pitch is more like oil than cellulose and gives off more heat (and noxious black smoke, in my experience) than an equal weight of cellulose (wood).

 

[raybonz]

"For that matter what defines hard and softwoods?"

Hardwoods are deciduous, meaning they have broad leaves, and in temperate climates they lose them in the winter.

Softwoods are coniferous, meaning they have needles and cones, and in temperate climates they keep them in the winter. Thus they are evergreens.


The terms hardwood and softwood are a bit informal, and sometimes are misleading. There are some hardwoods that are pretty soft while some softwoods are fairly hard.

And I also like to burn willow. Since I live in a city and generally scrounge up firewood in small loads, I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing what kind. Often I don't know what kind of wood it is. But it's all free and it all burns. Assuming the wood is reasonably dry one gets heat from it proportional to its weight. One exception is wood that's really pitchy, as pitch is more like oil than cellulose and gives off more heat (and noxious black smoke, in my experience) than an equal weight of cellulose (wood).

Thanx for the reply... What you sais sounds correct to me... One site classified willow as softwood and I think they were wrong.. What you say makes sense to me..

Ray