Wood type?????

[Blowin smoke]

Hi. I am completely new to using wood in a stove but I love it. I don't know much about anything but would love to learn it all. Do you know what kind of wood this is and does the dark ring in the center mean it's still not dry enough? Thank you very much.

 

[Applesister]

Something is telling me Elm but the center wood is very dark for Elm.
Colors change when the wood becomes saturated with moisture. Its like soaking it in linseed oil. Wood oxidizes with time and exposure to elements too. Some lighten and some darken.
If you bring this piece inside and let it dry the center will change color.
But the colors and the changes they go thru are not necessarily linked to the seasoning process.
They are only temporarily linked to surface moisture.
Wood can even be sunbleached and dry on the surface and still be totally saturated with water.

 

[bigbarf48]

The end shot looks like cherry maybe?

 

[Blowin smoke]

Something is telling me Elm but the center wood is very dark for Elm.
Colors change when the wood becomes saturated with moisture. Its like soaking it in linseed oil. Wood oxidizes with time and exposure to elements too. Some lighten and some darken.
If you bring this piece inside and let it dry the center will change color.
But the colors and the changes they go thru are not necessarily linked to the seasoning process.
They are only temporarily linked to surface moisture.
Wood can even be sunbleached and dry on the surface and still be totally saturated with water.

I was told I was getting mostly ash and some oak. The piece I sent the picture of was outside in the snow and just brought in. I just hope I didn't buy some junk wood that's not good to burn. I am VERY new to this but I really want to learn.

 

[midwestcoast]

If you just bought it, then it's very likely not dry enough to burn well in an EPA stove. There are a hundred stories on this forum of people getting "seasoned firewood" that is way to wet to burn effectively for every one story of someone getting properly dried wood. Firewood suppliers are generally unaware that EPA stoves need wood at or below 20% moisture. Most that know that seem unwilling to dry the wood long enough regardless.
It is very hard to tell from a pic, but that wood looks pretty green (wet) to me.

I would guess Red Elm, but again, it's tough from that pic.

 

[Applesister]

Oak is a great firewood but it gets bashed here. I never knew it took that long to season. But when I have purchased wood in the past I may have gotten maybe 6-7 splits out of a whole cord.
Elm is on par with Ash. Both excellent.
In Ohio you probably have pick over both Western species and Eastern.
In Gods fertile country.
There is no such thing as bad wood.

 

[Blowin smoke]

If you just bought it, then it's very likely not dry enough to burn well in an EPA stove. There are a hundred stories on this forum of people getting "seasoned firewood" that is way to wet to burn effectively for every one story of someone getting properly dried wood. Firewood suppliers are generally unaware that EPA stoves need wood at or below 20% moisture. Most that know that seem unwilling to dry the wood long enough regardless.
It is very hard to tell from a pic, but that wood looks pretty green (wet) to me.

I would guess Red Elm, but again, it's tough from that pic.

Thank you very much. How much do one of those moisture meters cost? I have a buck 27000 I believe ( still learning:/) and is it ok to pack your stove up pretty full at night so you don't have to do it 4 times? I'm still trying to learn how to do the air slots and dampher thing. Only get a couple hrs burn now.

 

[UncleJoe]

I would guess Red Elm, but again, it's tough from that pic.

I was leaning toward Chinese Elm.

 

[midwestcoast]

moisture meters run from $25 up to as far as you want to go.
Each stove is different, but generally yes, you can & should fill the stove up for better burn times & cleaner burning. Sounds like you really need to find & read an owners manual for your stove first & keep learning from there.

 

[Hilljack with chainsaw]

Crab apple with epicormic shoots. Dark heart wood is the nature of the tree.