Thread: do blue spruce and cotton wood make good firewood

I have gone through about 2 cords of cottonwood this winter in my stove. It was cut and cross stacked this summer and seasoned just fine. It starts with just crumpled newspaper, (no kindling needed), but does burn quicker than fir or maple, so I use it in the daytime and longer burning wood at night. These were about 30" in diameter trees and I used a splitter to make 6" slabs and it split very easily. The one thing that I learned on this site that I believe helped was to leave the trees dry out till the leaves were papery before bucking and splitting. I wouldn't pay for cottonwood but if its free and easy access, I'd take it again. Maybe there are different subspecies of cottonwoods, the ones around here are "black seeded cottonwoods", they grow like weeds and are real messy. Also, it smelled as described when dropping but there is no noticeable odor when burning, as far as I can tell. I also burned a small spruce this winter, about 18" diameter, and agree, it sounded like a sting of firecrackers in the stove. Burns hot but fast.

We burn cottonwood because that's what we have. Hardwood is rare in the southwest, except for Siberian Elm. We use about three cords a year in our stove. I save my elm or ash for really cold days or for "all-nighters".

Cottonwood splits easily if it is good and dry. If it is wet at all, it will string. If I find a little dampness in a log I cut, I'll let it sit for a couple of months.

I've never noticed a bad smell from cottonwood, but I have from elm.

We lost about 100 trees to the 2002-03 drought, and I've cut about six cords this winter just trying to clean up the wind-blown ones.

Cottonwood burns fast, lots of ash, I use it when someone has me cut and haul it from their yard or something, but I don't look for it otherwise. Blue spruce I have a lot of on my 12 acres, have cut a dozen or big ones when killed by budworm. The rounds near the base, in this area of the world, are typically 25 to 32 inches diameter for a hundred-footer or taller. Naturally, this makes very heavy rounds, even dead and dry. I no longer wrestle them up into my truck bed via ramp, I section them up to where I can pick up the pieces. [Noodle making] It burns fine, though it is nothing like hardwood. It is better firewood than cottonwood, not as good as ponderosa or lodgepole, in my opinion. But I'd sure take it if I were you, particularly as the guy is willing to deal with the trillion smaller branches they have and which are a bear to haul off and handle.

I don't have a splitter, do it by maul and axe. The blue spruce, unless really seasoned, can be a real job to split by hand. I often have to hammer the maul through the splits with a sledge. It is a real workout. If it's seasoned, and has been cut into rounds a while, it will have begun to check pretty well and is much easier to split.

Originally Posted by Larry Ashcraft

We burn cottonwood because that's what we have. Hardwood is rare in the southwest, except for Siberian Elm. We use about three cords a year in our stove. I save my elm or ash for really cold days or for "all-nighters".

Cottonwood splits easily if it is good and dry. If it is wet at all, it will string. If I find a little dampness in a log I cut, I'll let it sit for a couple of months.

I've never noticed a bad smell from cottonwood, but I have from elm.

We lost about 100 trees to the 2002-03 drought, and I've cut about six cords this winter just trying to clean up the wind-blown ones.

You are 100% right on the money!! I am burning cottonwood right now, where I live cottonwood is the tree we have the most of. I do like the elm and ash better but I burn cottonwood and sell alot of it to people who heat with it all the time! Most of the stuff you here about cottonwood is from people who have heard it from someone else and wouldnt know a cottonwood if they were burning one. As far as the smell no I dont notice any smell at all from it, but like i said once before it smells like smoke when you burn it I wouldnt recommend sticking your head in your stove! As far as hard to split thats complete horse It splits really nice when its dry! Yes it does burn up a little quicker than elm or ash and not quite as much heat. But I can fill my stove with cottonwood and it will last most of the night and keep it 75 to 80 degrees in my house and its not a small house! Also glad to have you on AS and nice to see an opinion from someone else who burns cottonwood!!

thanks for the replies, i think both trees will get bucked up i have freind comeing so ill be buckn with the 359 and hell have the 026.


ohhhhhhh something werid happend today, i grabbed spar oregon 72lg chain for the 026 and when i got home and went to put it on the saw it felt weird have the drive teeth wouldnt go in the bar so i got to lookin and half the chain is marked 75 man i have some weird luck with getn stuff dor this saw.

dump truck is not going now all big wood will be bucked and put on my 20' foot equipment trailer. im hopen with 4 foot sides i can haul both trees bucked and stacked tight.

thanks again for the replies.

also got nother firewood buyer. so i need this wood, specialy since it free permit less wood.

Originally Posted by taxmantoo

Cottonwood is great stuff. Almost as good as used Pampers.

You got yourself some rep for that one.

I would pass from on the cotton wood.

hmmmmmmm called the guy today to tell him id be there sunday, well hes like ohhhhh someone did it yesterday, all my plan right down the drain, i even had that wood sold.

ohhhwell i guess first come first serve thats what happens when trees are my second job and hobby that has to come second from my normal work.

I guess by reading all the replies that it is a wonder my kids didn't't freeze to death last night when the wind was blowing 20 mph and it was 0 out. I can't believe that cottonwood kept my house warm! You guys must have some piss poor wood and some rinky dink stoves if you can't have a fire last all night. Either that or you need to get up earlier. I have said before that it's not my #1 choice, but it is easy to get and keeps the place warm. Mowoodchopper I think the smell they think is from the cottonwood is from the Stihl boys pissing down their leg when a Dolmar fires up.

I hear what your saying about that Cottonwood but ,that along with Aspen, and Pine and "PISS ELM" that's all we got out here my way. I guess you take what you can get. Once it's dried it's really not that bad. Burns fast though. Stringy and Smelly when green and wet.

I thought you guys had quite a bit of Douglas Fir and various Pine trees in Colorado? If so I'd forget all about the hardwood species you mentioned for firewood. If you guys think Cottonwood / Aspen smell bad, try a piece of Subalpine Fir sometime. Smells like stale cat piss, and a single log will stink up the entire sawmill when it hits the edger.

One thought about quick hot burning firewood -- for masonry heaters this may actually be an advantage, as the goal in this type of wood burning is to capture the heat as fast as possible, followed by slow release of captured heat by the thermal mass of the heater. One or two fires a day lasting under two hours is usually sufficient to heat an average home! Ancient, proven technology and I use it

cotton wood makes great shoulder season wood but like ll wood it must be seasoned first

Originally Posted by Evan

well see what happens,

if its 48"s ill do it if bigger i dunno. i have just shy of 24"s of bar past the dog on my 359.

thanksfor the egen me on. id realy like to do it .


Evan

I removed two Blue Spruce at my place lasst year. Both would have gone in the 30' range, both about 18" DBH.

Harry K

Why would you cut a 3-5ft dia spruce up for firewood? has much greater value as construction lumber.
I dont mean to get on a soapbox, but I see a lot of folks cutting up some great sawlogs for firewood, which is a pet peave of mine, unless you dont use any lumber in your area for anything. just my .02 worth.