Willow-can you burn it?

[brider]

I had (2) big willow trees fall over this spring, not weeping willow, but very tall, knotty, nasty willow none the less.

Seems a shame to just cut it up and haul it to the landfill; is it burn-able, or is it to be avoided, like pine?

 

[savageactor7]

I've burned tons of it over the years...burns hot leaves no coals to speak of. Good shoulder season wood. If you want to burn it to save money just use the willow for when you're up and about to tend the fire...cause you'll be doing that frequently. And save your harder woods for keeping a fire overnight.

Once split and kept in a sunny location it will dry well enough to burn this winter...if your start soon.

 

[cmonSTART]

If it fits in the stove, burn it.

 

[wg_bent]

I have yet to find a wood not worth burning. I've burned tons of pine, cedar, sumac, and other "junk" wood. I love it... people want to give it to me free because they don't want it. It heats my home and my Osburn burns clean enough that the chimney never has more than a few cups of fly ask in it. Burn away my friend!

Warren

 

[begreen]

However, you have found wood not worth splitting if I remember. Can we say ... ELM?

 

[fossil]

...is it burn-able, or is it to be avoided, like pine?

Oh, brider...don't get me started. Just send me all your Pine, and I'll stack it up with all the rest of my Pine. Rick

 

[FatttFire]

Along with Pine and Willow not to mention other kinds of wood, my Uncle always told me it wasn't worth it b/c it doesn't burn good! He had a " fireplace " and I have a woodstove, and yes I am sure other people will contest, everything burns different in stove compared to a fireplace! So as long as it is free, and I season it right, I burn burn baby burn!

 

[Highbeam]

Too many people are burdened with what the grand daddy told them. I burned many codrds of cottonwood this year which is very similar to willow. I have cut and split willow this year along with the alder and other junk in my woods that blew down. I have a rural piece of property that has a bunch of these deciduous trees. I don't like leaves so am selectively killing them off.

 

[fossil]

...I don't like leaves so am selectively killing them off.

Arboreal Cleansing?! Wait until the UN gets a whiff of what you're doing. :bug: Rick

 

[Elderthewelder]

here is a link to a pretty user friendly btu chart from Tom ( chimneysweep)
I am happy to see the Douglass Fir a little higher up on the chart than I was thinking it would be, that's great as it is probably the most common wood available to me, that and Alder
(broken link removed to http://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm)

 

[Highbeam]

Funny that the chart put up by a western washington business has Kentucky Coffeetree but not madrona or western red cedar which we have coming out of our ears.

 

[Elderthewelder]

Funny that the chart put up by a western washington business has Kentucky Coffeetree but not madrona or western red cedar which we have coming out of our ears.

I don't think I have ever even seen a Madrona tree, let alone burn the wood. Maybe I have seen 1 but just did not realise it.
If you have Madrona coming out your ears invite me over and I will take as much as you want to give away, I'll go rent me a big A$$ dump truck

 

[gyrfalcon]

I have yet to find a wood not worth burning. I've burned tons of pine, cedar, sumac, and other "junk" wood. I love it... people want to give it to me free because they don't want it. It heats my home and my Osburn burns clean enough that the chimney never has more than a few cups of fly ask in it. Burn away my friend!

Warren

Sumac? No kidding? That's one thing I've got a lot of. I guess it's staghorn sumac, with the big spikes of red berries in winter.

I'm always desperately short of medium-to-large kindling and end up having to buy bags of lumber ends at the hardware. Sumac burns well enough to use for kindling?

 

[begreen]

Funny that the chart put up by a western washington business has Kentucky Coffeetree but not madrona or western red cedar which we have coming out of our ears.

I don't think I have ever even seen a Madrona tree, let alone burn the wood. Maybe I have seen 1 but just did not realise it.
If you have Madrona coming out your ears invite me over and I will take as much as you want to give away, I'll go rent me a big A$$ dump truck

Madrona is a magnificent, beautiful tree. It's especially appreciated because it keeps its leaves in winter. We're fortunate that it like our soil and have several young trees thriving on our property. It grows quite quickly and reminds us of ballet dancers with its shapely form. Great tree and one of my favorites.

If you're in Seattle, head out to Lincoln Park and take a walk in the madrona grove there. It's magical.

(broken link removed to http://picasaweb.google.com/rolf.neugebauer/Nature/photo#5191455707601225938)


http://www.seattle.gov/parks/_images/parks/lincoln/path.jpg

http://www.northwestarborist.com/madrona.htm

 

[Highbeam]

I don't have nearly as many madrona coming out of my ears as I do red cedar. My woodlot was allowed to naturally regenerate itself from windborn seeds and other natural processes some 30 years ago. Lots of red cedar came up in the wetter areas along with maple. Some madrona, fir, alder, and willow. The red cedar isn't very windfirm so when we have the big storms I usually have some cedar fall down.

Madrona is a pretty messy tree. It rains these little bell flowers on your head, sheds its paper like bark, and even drops leaves. A very cool tree though. They always seem to lean one way or the other, you won't find a vertical madrona very often.