White rotted oak, or mixed hardwood with bark?

[NiftyB]

Hi! I posted awhile back about receiving punky wood, and y'all helped me out (thank you!), informing that it's called "white rot." It was SO messy to deal with, and I was glad to be rid of it. Anyway, I kept receiving white rotted splits from various sellers, and my most recent delivery, from a very reputable seller (who previously brought me good quality oak), is disappointingly the worst one yet. I had used some other dealers, but decided to go back to this particular seller, even though they charge a little more, because I was tired of trying to save a few bucks and getting punky wood for my efforts. This recent delivery is "mostly oak" and not a single split has bark, and it will probably light right up. $300/cord. But its like a sawdust storm when I'm getting it stacked. How much heat value is gone from these splits? It's hard for me to know.

I had used another seller in the past, who sold me "mixed hardwood" (I believe oak, maple, hickory & birch), but most of the splits had bark. I wasn't disappointed in the quality, but popping bark off is a pain (I only do so if it comes off easily). They charged $250/cord.

I need 2.5 more cords delivered (I take delivery now, of so-called "seasoned" wood, to give it the summer to dry, split and stacked, in my yard). Do I go back for more punky, white rotted "mostly oak" with no bark for $300/cord? Or do I get some of the "mixed hardwood" with bark for $250/cord? My chimney sweep doesn't seem bothered about burning bark. I always thought it contributed to creosote, but he doesn't seem to think it's an issue. I have my system cleaned and inspected 2x per year. I have an Osburn 2000 insert, and I'm in southern New England (and wondering if there is a regional epidemic of stand-dead trees, because that's what they all say this punky stuff is). Thanks!

 

[Dieselhead]

Sounds like oak wilt, very messy. Zero concerns with bark, perfectly fine to burn.

 

[Slimdusty]

Agree with Dieselhead, nothing wrong with with burning bark, I do it all the time including using it for kindling at times.

 

[stoveliker]

I would go for the solid wood; more BTUs in that. It may need longer drying though than dryrotted standing dead stuff.

In general, wood sellers don't let wood dry for more than a few months. It would take too much space ($$) to do otherwise. Moreover their "drying" is often in piles, which does not work.
So if you're getting oak, and it's been in a pile for a few months, it may not be dry after one summer only.

Best is to get two to three years delivered, stack it off the ground, top cover it, and burn it after two to three years. That's a one time big investment. But after that each year you only need to buy what you burn one year, to replace what you used. It'll then have time to wait and dry until you get to burning it.

 

[m37charlie]

The white mold on the cut flat edges simply means it’s been cut long enough to dry properly IF promptly split. Wood can be called “rotten” if it’s lighter than it should be for that particular species.
OTOH I have seen lots of unsplit rounds in my neighbors’ yards that have gone rotten due to the crime of not splitting them.
It’s utterly harmless to burn splits with the mold on the ends. Likewise bark.
Cellulose is basically a sugar polymer = CH2O. Which is why it has ~40% the btu content/mass of pure carbon, like anthracite coal or graphite.
Lignin is more like an unsaturated aromatic hydrocarbon with a few OH groups hanging of some (but not all) carbon atoms. It has a higher btu content per kg. IF dry. Which can only happen if the rounds are split. Preferably at least a year before burning.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

All of the species, except maybe maple, will need multiple years of drying before ready. Some species of maple can dry pretty fast.

 

[stoveliker]

I would not call mold on the cut ends proof that it's dry enough if it was split.
This depends a lot on climate and wood species.
I can see mold forming within 3 months on oak if the wood is stacked top-covered, split but rain hits the cut ends.
Mold forms when it's *wet* for a sufficient length of time, so it's not an indication that it can be dry - in my view, with the wood species I have here (including pine and spruce, but also maple and oak), and in my climate. So maybe things are different in Alaska?