Types of wood you just won't burn?

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JUDGE1162

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Basically are they any species of trees you just refuse to burn?

I seem to burn any type but I have heard of people that say I refuse to burn this or that or the wood is just not worth the effort (cutting, splitting, drying time, odor, too many sparks, too much ash, burns too fast, cause to much build up, very smokey, etc.

Just wondering
 
Bass wood with IVY on it.
I wont burn pine not worth my time.
 
Wood

Most of the low BTU softwoods, I do not bother with. What I find is the situation often determins what wood I will take. If it is easy to get to, helping someone, etc, there is very little that I will not burn. I have even gotten people that are trying to get rid of wood to help me. Early in the year, while it is still relatively warm, my wood furnace idels a lot. Decent dry softwood still lasts quite a while under these conditions. It also saves my good hardwood for when it is really cold. I have 1/2 a cord of punky elm that I cut and split this summer. It was in my yard, dead tree, easy to get to. Elm splits like Crap, so I sawed very round with a 3-4" cut. It will still burn and it is a lot better then just throwing on an outdoor burn pile.

1-2Elm.jpg
 
I don't turn my nose up at anything with one exception - cottonwood. That is only because I could not split it with wedges or with a hydraulic until I cut the 16" blocks to 8" and even then it was a PITA. It also never really dried in the round. Now if someone was to bring me a load already cut and split I would accept it.

Harry K
 
cottonwood doesnt stop my splitter--even at 34 inch round----i will N O T burn basswood---took down a huge one once--for pay--48 inch base--so you know how much wood was in that tree--thought--3 months burn--right!!!!!!!!!! 2 weeks later--all gone--never again---wont do catalpa tree either--twisted puke--and full of termites------or river poplar--bad as basswood--but pine burns great in my stove--lots of soft maple--these all are for the start of the season when dont need hot---or long fire----ash and other hardwoods later on---
 
No Cedar

No Cedar here or Pine.......
Our cedar here in western Kentucky pops like all get out and by the time the pine is dry enough to burn,......baby it BURNS and I mean burns up....
Split some stuff last month that a mill gave to me (logs) and I stlll don't know what it is....I had some ol' timers (loggers) look at it and they don't know what type wood it is either.... it's hairy and it sure does stick a wedge......
looks like oak when split, but not...........
Rick
 
I stay away from Pine and low heat throwing hardwoods, mainly because here in PA. we are Blessed with lots of good wood so you can be a "wood snob". But one wood that I really cut down on using is Mulberry; it burns well enough, but it sparks like CRAZY. Several times last season when I slowly opened the stove door to refuel, as soon as the air hit the Mulberry coals it was like someone set off a sparkler-lots of sparks flew out at me, and this happened on several occasions. So I kinda let Mulberry lay if I see it now..
 
My recommendations for burning to people I meet are...

Don't burn:

Conifers of any type
Tulip
Elm
Cottonweed
Catalpa
Willow
 
I took down a russian olive, and thought it was a nice, fragrant wood. Hauled the wood home and split it. It dried pretty fast (4 months), so I tried it in the outdoor firepit. Burned nice, but man, did it stink! Now I'm trying to burn up every last piece! I will not take it in the house to burn in the fireplace.
 
A good rule of thumb is that if it grows fast it will have more water in it. That means higher dry time and lower mbtu/cord when dried.

If you burn for heat, then it's a big deal. If it's for ambiance then anything dry is good.

That is if it smells OK.
 
Anything with high creosote like cedar or other highly aromatic conifers (juniper for example), can't take chances on peeps health imo as we don't always notice some of the by-products given, tho others you will smell.
Willow, its wet for almost ever, and is one of the few woods I'd classify as 'stinky', it did burn quite nicely tho, a bit of a surprise but over a year covered drying, last stuff I burned friends thought the cat had died and I was burning it, no bull, yuck.
Anything MFB, plywood, pressboard, etc etc., formaldahyde (sp gah) is out and out poison to all living things, just don't do it if you value your future health.
Any cut-offs from construction, unless you absolutely know its kiln dried without anti-fungal agents/stain treatments, another just don't do it, I have posted on this before and it is no joke, this crap is a time-bomb (chemicals passed by bought influences me thinks, little research before the facts). Not an expert, so my opinion, don't quote me eh.
Other than those basics, if it burns, burn it. Burn it dry and cured, burn it when yer cold, burn it when yer wet. Some woods are obviously better BTUs per, but ya gots ta do what ya gots ta do, if it takes an extra cord to get you through the winter because it is crap, so be it. Live with it.

And keep your you pipes clean!!!!!! :givebeer: :givebeer:

:chainsaw: :chainsaw:
 
Won't burn anything below soft maple on the BTU chart. Also quit bringing in mullberry for the woodstove 'cuz around here it's very buggy. Powder beetles eat away half the wood by the time it's dried. Don't want them in the house!
 
prefer oak and ash...

but will burn most anything that's dry to start fire.
 
treeman82 said:
My recommendations for burning to people I meet are...

Don't burn:

Conifers of any type
Tulip
Elm
Cottonweed
Catalpa
Willow


Why no Elm, just because it is hard to split? or are there other reasons?
 

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