Firewood. What are the Best woods?

[ratski]

I've seen alot of chatter over getting firewood, burning firewood, aging firewood.

What I want to know is what woods do you look for?

The last stack I got had alot of cedar in it. That stuff seems to burn very fast and hot.

Aging is a factor, but I figure by the time I get around to buying it this year, I won't need it (have enough for this year with no problem) so I can buy it, stack it and age it for a year or two.

About the only wood I can readily identify is....never mind.

So, what is best and how do you tell what it is?


Dave
Dave

 

[inactive]

Any evergreen is softer and burns hot and quick. Hardwoods work best.

That usually means oak, maple, and some pecan around these parts. The pecan can also be used for smoking meats so sometimes it is pulled and sold at a premium for that purpose.

I like oak the best, but use whatever of those I can get my hands on. That means oak and pecan mainly, as I have a very mature oak and 2 mature pecans that give me about half rick a year just from regular pruning. The sweet gum limbs are hauled away as it is far too sappy to burn.

 

[Honeybee]

I like a mixture of hardwoods and softwoods that way you can get the fire going and hot with the soft woods and keep the fire burning a long time with the hard woods.

I seperate them at home

Hardwoods: OAK, WALNUT, HICKORY, PECAN, OSAGE ORANGE, MAPLE, BIRCH, AND ALL FRUIT TREES LIKE PEAR, APPLE, PEACH, ECT.

Softwoods; CEDAR, PINE, MAGNOLIA, POPLAR

 

[twocan]

I like hack berry. I cut my own and there is plenty of it. It don't need seasoned if you burn it in a wood stove. The bugs love it so if it sets over a year you loose some.

 

[twocan]

And hackberry is pretty good in the smoker too.

 

[4play]

Hard woods, fruit trees, nut trees, berry trees, usually have the highest BTU's, but a lot of the softer woods burn better/faster so it can be a toss up on heat output. Using more softwoods seems to be a good heat producer but adding hardwood after a good fire is burning might be the way to go.

 

[rebelracer79]

some good seasoned oak is what my dad perfers, he cuts his own and wont waste his time with anything else.

 

[shotty]

Oak, usually blackjack sometimes post, dark deep ridged bark
Hackberry, smooth bark with bumps and/or bumpy rough, white wood
Pecan, smoother than oak, but a red at bottom of bark layer
Mulberry, usually smooth on younger wood, flatter ridges on older, wood is yellow
Maple, smooth gray bark, white wood
These 5 are the most predominate trees used for firewood. But there are others, Elm, Sycamore, Birch, Pine, Ceder, Sweetgum, etc.
I try to season all wood at least a year, split when cut, stack wood off ground and in a rick. Some holes in the stack big enough for a mouse to go through, but not a cat. Cover with a tarp or a peice of tin for best results. Burning green wood will cause alot of cresote to build up in your pipe or chimmney.

 

[Danny Tanner]

I've seen alot of chatter over getting firewood, burning firewood, aging firewood.

What I want to know is what woods do you look for?

The last stack I got had alot of cedar in it. That stuff seems to burn very fast and hot.

Aging is a factor, but I figure by the time I get around to buying it this year, I won't need it (have enough for this year with no problem) so I can buy it, stack it and age it for a year or two.

About the only wood I can readily identify is....never mind.

So, what is best and how do you tell what it is?


Dave
Dave

Any evergreen is softer and burns hot and quick. Hardwoods work best.

That usually means oak, maple, and some pecan around these parts. The pecan can also be used for smoking meats so sometimes it is pulled and sold at a premium for that purpose.

I like oak the best, but use whatever of those I can get my hands on. That means oak and pecan mainly, as I have a very mature oak and 2 mature pecans that give me about half rick a year just from regular pruning. The sweet gum limbs are hauled away as it is far too sappy to burn.

I like a mixture of hardwoods and softwoods that way you can get the fire going and hot with the soft woods and keep the fire burning a long time with the hard woods.

I seperate them at home

Hardwoods: OAK, WALNUT, HICKORY, PECAN, OSAGE ORANGE, MAPLE, BIRCH, AND ALL FRUIT TREES LIKE PEAR, APPLE, PEACH, ECT.

Softwoods; CEDAR, PINE, MAGNOLIA, POPLAR

Hard woods, fruit trees, nut trees, berry trees, usually have the highest BTU's, but a lot of the softer woods burn better/faster so it can be a toss up on heat output. Using more softwoods seems to be a good heat producer but adding hardwood after a good fire is burning might be the way to go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-te0pEIa9U

 

[Dale00]

Ratings according to an Oklahoma State University factsheet:

Excellent
BLACK LOCUST
Heating Value: 1 cord = 29.3 million BTU’s
Density: 1 cord = 4,192 pounds
Comments: Moderate to split, few sparks,
slight fragrance, difficult to start, light smoke, excellent
coaling qualities

HICKORY (Also Pecan)
Heating Value: 1 cord = 28.5 million BTU’s
Density: 1 cord = 4,072 pounds
Comments: Moderate to split, moderate
sparks, excellent fragrance,
difficult to start, light smoke, excellent coaling qualities

Very Good
WHITE OAK (Burr Oak, Post Oak, etc.)
Heating Value: 1 cord = 26.4 million BTU’s
Density: 1 cord = 3,776 pounds
Comments: Easy to split, few sparks,
slight fragrance, moderate
to start, light smoke,
excellent coaling qualities

HONEY LOCUST
Heating Value: 1 cord = 25.8 million BTU’s
Density: 1 cord = 3,680 pounds
Comments: Moderate to split,
moderate to start

RED OAK (Blackjack Oak, Black Oak, etc.)
Heating Value: 1 cord = 24.8 million BTU’s
Density: 1 cord = 3,536 pounds
Comments: Easy to split, few sparks,
slight fragrance, moderate
to start, light smoke, good
coaling qualities

WHITE ASH
Heating Value: 1 cord = 24.3 million BTU’s
Density: 1 cord = 3,472 pounds
Comments: Easy to split, few sparks,
slight fragrance, moderate
to start, light smoke, good
coaling qualities

NREM-9440 Firewood: How to Obtain, Measure, Season, and Burn

A ton of good info on a wide range of topics is available at http:
//pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/HomePage
(best to use the advanced search option)