Anyone burn standing dead elm trees

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dbowling

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Here lately Ive been cutting down alot of smaller 4-16 in. dead elm trees for firewood and they burn really well, getting 18 hr. burn times from my Woodmaster 4400.. only thing is there doesnt seem to be a huge bed of coals left after they burn down like oak, and hickory leave, but its easy firewood to get...anyone else make use of standing dead elm trees.??
 
elm

believe it or not alot of guys around here dont like elm...not sure on its btu output but my boiler seems to not burn too long to get up to temp. even when its in the teens with it, may be due to the fact that the wood is so dry and doesnt have to burn off much moisture. On the other hand Ive got a buddy with a indoor furnace and thats all he burn 90 percent of the time and swears by it..


Anyone burn standing dead elm trees?

All the Elm trees I burn are DEAD!
Usually lay them down to burn them in my furnace.



Ready to GO wood. Fun to split.
 
burnt a LOT of it growing up...we were never far enough ahead on seasoned wood so we mixed it with the non cured oak and hickory. remember where those trees were standing...that's how I find my morel mushrooms in the spring. look around dead elms :)
 
Here lately Ive been cutting down alot of smaller 4-16 in. dead elm trees for firewood and they burn really well, getting 18 hr. burn times from my Woodmaster 4400.. only thing is there doesnt seem to be a huge bed of coals left after they burn down like oak, and hickory leave, but its easy firewood to get...anyone else make use of standing dead elm trees.??
A friend of mine over in Plympton, MA, that's about all he burns!! For coals just mix in some other hardwoods like oak!
 
Not many elm around here. Burned them up around 15 years ago when they first started to die. Might find one or two out in the back woods and they go in the pile first. Oak and Elm were on the top of my list.
 
Used to find a lot of standing dead red elm around here and that was the primo wood in my opinion. It's all long gone now. I don't know if the trees were actually red elms, the heartwood had a red tint they died when dutch elm disease was killing the nice elms around here. I still cut the standing dead elms I find and burn it but it's not half as good fire wood. They were good places to find mushrooms for some reason, dead or alive.
 
I have had two truck loads of dead elm that I cut up this past year. same sizes as the OP. I think its pretty good firewood, you are right, very little ashes with elm. When its down to coals it burns with a nice blue flame. I have a friend who likes it because he does not need to take as much ash out of his stove each week with the elm. The smaller elm seems to split easily too, at least what I have had in the 12-16" range did. Stuff was standing dead and 18% moisture in the center after it was split, so it's very dry stuff. I do not use it for the really cold nights as I like the hickory and oak for that, but any other time during a moderately cold spell, the elm holds a fire well enough.
 
You betcha !

2012-12-2308_03_59_zps75bc0752.jpg
 
I have a lot of standing dead elm trees. When the bark is off, it's instant satisfaction. Cut and burn in the same day. The lower six feet will be wetter. Some near 30%. But the upper will be under 20%. View attachment 275783
Here's one we cut recently. Near 20 inches at the base. Added it to the burn pile that day.
 
Used to think it was trash, but after installing my new insert with large firebox it is one of my favorites. Lights very easily and flames up pretty quick compared to the hedge I usually burn.

Good for a quick hot fire. The wife likes it cause it's not very heavy to carry inside.
 
Used to think it was trash, but after installing my new insert with large firebox it is one of my favorites. Lights very easily and flames up pretty quick compared to the hedge I usually burn.

Good for a quick hot fire. The wife likes it cause it's not very heavy to carry inside.

Yep. Lights really easy. Especially after its split. Those strings burn like wicks right away. Also, most elm I use has no bark, makes for nice clean wood to use in my fireplace.
 
Dead elm is my favorite wood to burn. Plenty in my hood to harvest too. I love how it burns. Ive got three that need to be cut down right now but it too cold for me.:msp_wink:
 
We always thought it was trash like poplar. My in-laws started burning it a few years ago. They love it. No seasoning required. One thing I noticed is it didn't do well if you left it out for the next season. It doesn't hold up once you take it out of tree form. Cut it, stack it and burn in the same year. Splitting it is a different matter. Anything over 16" can get miserable with a maul. Some of the stuff over 24" wasn't worth trying to split without gas powered help.
 
What is it with the mushrooms anyway? I got about four cords of it in the yard that I haven't split yet, big stuff like 36", and some of it was covered with little tiny orange mushrooms.
 
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