All Around Best Firewood

[AOD]

Ash is tough to beat, only thing I dont like about it is it doesnt leave good coals like maple or oak does, it kind of burns away into powder.

Regarding red oak, I have a great big huge red oak log thats been sitting around for 2 summers in the sun, could that be ready to burn pretty soon if I cut it up?

 

[stihl sawing]

Ash is tough to beat, only thing I dont like about it is it doesnt leave good coals like maple or oak does, it kind of burns away into powder.

Regarding red oak, I have a great big huge red oak log thats been sitting around for 2 summers in the sun, could that be ready to burn pretty soon if I cut it up?

I just cut one up that had been blowed over for a couple of years. It wasn't in the sun but it was still green.

 

[BaldSawRunner]

Ash!
Least sap of all the hardwoods, so it seasons quickly. The tree is mostly trunk, so there isnt a log of limbing. It splits easily, and is pretty common throughout the country.

KNOT a lot of NOTS

But knots are what keeps the fire all night, and on holidays

 

[AOD]

I just cut one up that had been blowed over for a couple of years. It wasn't in the sun but it was still green.

I read in a thread not too long ago that logs that have sat around awhile will season in a month or two when cut and split. Maybe I will buzz a few rounds off this monster and see for myself.

 

[chainsawaddict]

But knots are what keeps the fire all night, and on holidays

Knots are good if you're knot splitting.

Ok, ill quit now...knot..

I crack myself up!

 

[sawinredneck]

Osage Orange (Hedge around here). Most BTU's you can realisticly get. It's like a weed around here, farmers planted it during the dustbowl for fence lines, nothing else would grow.
I get paid for doing fencerow clearing and take all I can get.
I also like Hackberry in the airtight.
Oak is ok, easy to split, seasons well, I like using it in my grill more than the fireplace.
AOD: I wouldn't even think about burning Osage in anything but an airtight with fire brick!! It's eve been outlawed to sell in one county here in KS because it's caused so many fires in the past.
I don't use a grate, start the fire on the brick and stir up the coals when you add more wood.

 

[PA Plumber]

I've seen a few of these threads now and Beech seems to get skipped over.

I'll go with Beech. Easy to split, dries out nicely, and decent heat.

Of course I do like White Oak, Chestnut Oak, and Hickory.

And ,there ain't noth'n wrong with the Red Oak family.

 

[spike60]

My favorite is Hickory followed by White Oak.

I have four different kinds of oak on my property, and they are pretty different firewood wise. White, Red, Pin, and Chestnut, or what some people around here call Rock Oak. The White Oak is way better than the other three. The Red and Pin oaks are about the same, followed not far behind by the Chestnut oak. The Chestnut oak seems to dry quicker than the Red despite the thick bark.

The Hickory I have is two types, Shagbark and Mockernut. Better but not near as numerous as the oaks. Best burn time, and best smell!

Also have plenty of maple, and some Ash. Not a big fan of Ash. Yes it has it's positives, as some guys have stated, but the big negative is short burn time. If you have a lot of Ash, the wood pile goes down mighty quick.

But............if it's free, it's good wood.

 

[KindlingKing]

Around here it is:

Madrone
Locust (close second to madrone)
White oak (red oak is a close 4th since it splits so much easier)

If it grew around here, I'm sure Osage would be right up there with madrone and locust on my list. I don't have much burn time with the eastern hardwoods (osage, maple, hickory, etc) so can only offer a perspective for the woods available on the LEFT coast. Yes, I'm a political misfit, here in California......

 

[046]

best depends upon where one is located...

for some areas... pine is what's available...
in Tulsa.. Oak is the best available wood.

there's other hardwoods available like pecan, hickory, mulberry etc. but for ease of splitting, long burn times and most importantly ...plentiful... Oak is king!

In your humble opinion, which species is the best all around firewood?

I vote for Oak.

 

[dlr123]

good wood

anytime I get wood its good will have to vote for white oak here in western pa locost is good too Don HO

 

[Andyshine77]

My top ten list.

1. Osage
2. Locust
3. White Oak
4. Beech
5. Hickory
6. Ash
7. Red Oak
8. Cherry
9. Hackberry
10. Anything free.

 

[cityevader]

Madrone=great burn, extremely low ash

Oak goes in after the Madrone for overnight/off to work for longer lasting coals.

 

[OilHead]

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

 

[savageactor7]

Ash!
Least sap of all the hardwoods, so it seasons quickly. The tree is mostly trunk, so there isnt a log of limbing. It splits easily, and is pretty common throughout the country.

KNOT a lot of NOTS

dittos to that plus you can make a lot of production in a short amount of time.

 

[Echo-man]

As far as ease of cutting and splitting- ash.

Burning wise- Ironwood (blue beech). Absolutley no fun to cut or split, but man does that stuff burn forever.

 

[Ole Farmerbuck]

Around here we have elm, elm and elm. I guess i like elm. And really, i have no trouble splitting it!

 

[chainsawaddict]

Around here we have elm, elm and elm. I guess i like elm. And really, i have no trouble splitting it!

If siberian elm gets plenty of water and has room to grow so that it will grow straight, it actually can be easy to split, but it doesnt take much stress to make it a big project.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I've seen a few of these threads now and Beech seems to get skipped over.

I'll go with Beech. Easy to split, dries out nicely, and decent heat.

Of course I do like White Oak, Chestnut Oak, and Hickory.

And ,there ain't noth'n wrong with the Red Oak family.

Is beech common out there? it seems somewhat rare here in chest. co. I only know of maybe a couple dozen beech trees in the area.

 

[PA Plumber]

Is beech common out there? it seems somewhat rare here in chest. co. I only know of maybe a couple dozen beech trees in the area.

We have quite a few along the stormwater runoff runs, creeks, and natural drainage ditches.

I can think of 5 that are close to 30" DBH and hundreds that are smaller.

I would cut more of them for firewood, but I know they do have some wildlife value.

Occasionally, I will thin out a few, just to give other trees a chance. Once you get one in a area, they can really throw out the shoots.