Thread: Ailanthus as firewood?

I think I already know the answer, but I think I've found a HUGE Ailanthus tree (tree of heaven) that has fallen and want to know if anyone knew if it's worth burning or not. I think not.

It's possible this tree isn't Ailanthus tho'. The leaves (already almost indistinguishable due to wilting after tree fell) do not look like the Ailanthus as far as how they are positioned on the branches (directly across and in a line of 10 or more).

I'll take some pics of the tree and post again, but does the Ailanthus get as large as 3 feet in diameter?? The bark is smooth, about 1/4 inch thick at the base, 1/8 inch think at the 6" diameter, and has some very small, hard "flake looking" protrusions, although they are not loose flakes like most Ailanthus. It is mostly grey in color with some very faint 2" x 1/4" oblong, and running vertical, designs in the bark throughout. It is pretty heavy. Easy to split. Very white inside. Looks to be about 45 years old from the rings. No smell to mention.

My wife, who can seem to id any tree (she's an entomologist; Bugs if you need to id anything let me know) is even stumped. I'll post some photos. I'm afraid it is Ailanthus, too bad, this tree is huge. Damn. Except for the leaf locations and the thickness of bark, it looks like Ailanthus.

Thanks guys.

PS. My Northstar "Northern tool" 20 ton splitter w/ 4 way slip on is working like a charm. It'll go through the biggest stuff I can seem to give it (with the 4 way off). Most pcs 16" and under go through with the 4 way. I love my splitter.

Does it have a pithy center? If not, I don't think it's ailanthus (Tree of Someplace OTHER Than Heaven).


As for burning ailanthus, well, it burns. If you have plenty of other good wood, I wouldn't bother. If not, well, it burns.

No pithy center. I'll take some photos tonight. The wood actually resembles maple to me (inside), but it's surely not.

I wish there was one set of flash cards or something that showed bark, leaves, shape, growing area, typ max hgt, inside grain/split, etc. for common species. We have a book, but it jumps you all around. I need to get better at ID'ing trees.

Thanks for the reply BlueRidgeMark. I think I'll cut a pc of known Ailanthus we have on our property and compare the inside... although we don't have one any were near this size.

BTW, I've seen it over 2' diameter, so I guess I can believe 3'. But I have not split it. It's pretty brittle, so I suppose it would split easily.

A friend had a huge ailanthus cut down and sliced into firewood sized chunks. The heartwood is surprisingly dense for such a soft wooded species. By looking at it I'd guess it would be similar to cottonwood in BTU output. Why not burn it?
-moss

Could it be Sumac? We get some huge ones around here and some of 'em look surprisingly similar to ToH.

As for ToH, it burns fine for what it is. If it is free and hanging around anyway, why not keep it for firewood? I tried some last year and it burned well enough for quick, flash fires in my fireplace. This is not all-night-long woodstove stuff, obviously, but for shorter duration fires or as a mix with other woods for a medium-duration fire it is fine.

Remember, the best wood to burn is always free wood.

I have burned it before as it is a big nusiance tree on my small lakefront Lake of the Ozarks property. As long as you properly IDed the tree (not confuse it with poison sumac) and it is very convenient to process you might as well burn it. The wood has a low btu and the wood deteriorates the fastest of any wood I have burned (use it in one burning season). If it is a big hassle to process it I would not bother with it.

It is true that ailanthus if used as firewood needs to be used within 3 to 6 months after having been cut and split BUT it actually makes great firewood. I do not know the btu of this wood and haven't been able to find it listed in any firewood rating sites but I split the logs in May and am burning it now in late October.

It is no oak, ash, or hickory but most definitely rivals cherry and black walnut (In our region people frequently mistake the ailanthus tree for the black walnut tree) in the heat output we feel in our home. However, the hazard I have encountered when the tree is freshly cut down because of its soft heartwood is that it usually harbors carpenter ants (like tulip poplar), and countless other insects. When the ailanthus firewood is cured (1-3 months) however most of the ants seemed to have packed up and moved to greener pastures (or trees as the case may be). Obviously it not advisable to store this firewood near your dwelling.

I live in Brooklyn NY and have just finished my sixth season with a Napoleon 1400. I get all my wood by scrounging from the street. It might seem impossible to collect enough wood from city streets but I can and do. I currently have a cord and a half of wood stacked in my backyard seasoning for next year. About one face cord of this wood is Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven). I have burned this wood many times as it is extremely abundant in my area. It is often referred to as Ghetto palm. I have read that it is very close to Birch and White Oak in it's BTU output. It is not the best firewood in the world but it is definitely worth burning. It does not go up like paper like some people say. It does tend to rot and get punky faster than other wood but I would not dismiss it without trying it out. Mix it with other types of wood and it will burn just fine.

If you get on isa-arbor.org and go to the book section there is are some good refrence material on tree Id. Also where is your wife a entomology at? We are always looking for a good bug person to help is ID stuff when we are stumped.