All Around Best Firewood

[woodbooga]

Seems like someone sould start a poll.

Ash is my favorite all around wood, with red oak being a close second. The tie breaker is the seasoning. After that, I'd go with beech, sugar maple, red maple.

I get a kick out of the Tennesee and Arkansas folks who describe the availability of hickory, white oak, and other high btu species. There seems to be an inverse relationship between winter harshness and the availability of high quality hardwoods. Just think of those folks way up north who have nothing but conifers, poplar, and birch!

 

[pdqdl]

I think you're right about that. I suspect that is more related to water availability and heat tolerance in the summer, than to winter survival.

 

[Jon Tyler]

my favorite...

Black locust for me is outstanding! find it standing dead and fairly dry, and I'm like a little kid on Christmas morning! BTW... Am I the only person to start his wood stove the last few days?



Jon

 

[myzamboni]

Almond is right up there with oak but has gotten scarce as you only find it when farmers cut out there old grove.

+1. It is a nice break from all the pine I burn.

 

[Coldfront]

To say which is best I would have to say depends on how cold your winters are, and what type wood you have in abundance in your area. I have a inside wood furnace, early in the season I like birch and soft maple for quick not so hot fire, then red oak when it gets colder, Ash, then white oak and my hottest burning wood around here nicknamed Ironwood but is really named East Hophornbeam. I save that for when it is -15 to -40 below zero, Eastern Hophornbeam burns hotter than real coal. All around I would go with Ash or Red Oak, splits easy and there is nothing like the smell of fresh split Red Oak.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I'm gonna throw a plug in for dead, barkless standing Elm. In mid winter, if your in a pinch, just go down the fenceline, lay a few out, buck them up, trailer them to the house and in the stove. Of course, grab the woodsplitter for the bigger ones. And BTW, I've never been in a firewood pinch, minimum 10 years out at all times.

 

[b0181]

apple then the oaks

 

[CharlieG]

Wood that is delivered for free . I'll burn anything!

 

[chainsawaddict]

apple then the oaks

hmm apple... good wood. Personally, I reserve the little bit I come across for smoking and grilling!

 

[J.Walker]

Any wood that I get paid to cut down and remove. Spruce, pine and Blackwalnut they make a oneway trip to the brush dump.

 

[chainsawaddict]

Any wood that I get paid to cut down and remove. Spruce, pine and Blackwalnut they make a oneway trip to the brush dump.

Interesting...I always thought blackwalnut was a hardwood??? Ive never really worked with it.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

My vote would be for cherry. You will be hard pressed to find a hardwood that seasons relatively fast, splits fairly easy, and is as easy on your saw as cherry. Throw in the fact it lights and burns well with a nice aroma and you have the perfect firewood.
But then its just my opinion

I agree. Also, limbs are few on these guys. All the time you spend on limbing a maple, the cherry can be cut up and thrown into the truck. It is a little rough on the hands but hey, you cant have everything...otherwise elm would be easy to split.

 

[pdqdl]

Black Walnut is ok. Splits easy, has plenty of heat. It tends to hold water more than some woods, but not as bad as cottonwood & elm.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Best "all around" firewood

Well if I'm getting your meaning correctly you are asking what we think is the best "all around" wood which in my vote would also be Ash; we call it "utility wood" because you can use it for kindling, quarter-splits and fuelwood.

 

[dustytools]

This will be my first year heating with a stove since I was a kid. I have however burnt throughout the winter in my fireplace for the last several years and seem to get the best heat from Locust and Hedge Apple and Oak when I was lucky enough to get some. My stacks are very diverse so far, they include Cherry, Walnut, Locust, Elm, Hickory, Red Oak and Ash. I have until now shied away from the Walnut because it seems to wanna pop clean out of the fireplace.

 

[woodguy105]

Oak is my favorite. I'm burning some cherry this year for the first time, interested to see how well it burns.

 

[Joshlaugh]

Ash for the same reasons others have already posted. I also like my oaks/hickories. And currently I am splitting by maul 2 elm trees that were standing dead and now being thrown into my stove. They make the red oaks and bitternut hickory seem easy to split!

 

[chainsawaddict]

Ash for the same reasons others have already posted. I also like my oaks/hickories. And currently I am splitting by maul 2 elm trees that were standing dead and now being thrown into my stove. They make the red oaks and bitternut hickory seem easy to split!

To be honest, I didnt know elm was so hard to split until everyone told me:censored:

 

[johnzski]

an easier way to hand split elm is to cut the rounds about 8" long(really short). did elm for alot of years that way. Oh yeah I vote for ash as the best---cuts easy, splits even easier, and can almost burn it green

 

[Ole Farmerbuck]

To be honest, I didnt know elm was so hard to split until everyone told me:censored:

I didnt either. (and still dont)