Sugar Maple?

[Herd8497]

Posted ome picture some time back of some wood I had been getting at a local golf course that had cut 170 trees down. Been loading up on honey and black locust and red and white oak. Grabbed two loads of sugar maple yesterday. Looks like it is solid for firewood based on the BTU charts, but can any of you experienced chaos give me some practical advice about it as a firewood? Seasoning time, and so forth?

Thanks

PS. All of it is free so it's coming home regardless of the quality

 

[Whitespider]

The big hard maple I cut last March seasoned fast, it was "ready" (using my seat of the pants method of determining that) well before summer's end. It wasn't all that easy to split, most of it knotty and/or stringy. I haven't burned any of it in any sort of wood heater... but I burned all of the "uglies" (and there was a lot) in my fire pit. As far as building a hot, long lasting coal bed for cooking it is hands-down the best I've used. That tree provided me with about 3-cord that will have been stacked and seasoning for a full year when I start using the fire pit sometime this month... I can already see, smell and taste the steaks, chops and whatnot that will be simmering over those coals all spring, summer and fall this year.

Going on that... get it split and stacked by first of May and you'll have some fine firewood this fall (providing the weather doesn't turn abnormally wet).

 

[Woody912]

Personally I would get the maple before the black locust ( locust will last forever anyway) but make sure you split it at least once to break the bark seal. I think all of that sugar feeds bacteria and breaks it down quicker so dry it quickly. Not an easy splitter. Burns good, low flame but good coals and makes a lot of ash. Not my favorite but many gallons of sap have been cooked over maple including some of mine

 

[trophyhunter]

I'm with Spidey on using it for cooking, toss the bark splits aside for stove wood and you got some of the best wood there is for fast coaling with a nice long high heat times for charring a steak. I'm all over the stuff when I can get it for stove wood in the shoulder season's, I about died last fall on account of not having any ready and burning oak in it's place. Had to leave the screen in the storm door open most of the early season to let heat back out.

I got some that went up to dry from fresh rounds last September and it's going to get burned here starting next week with the temps warming up, it's plenty dry already.

 

[old_soul]

Posted ome picture some time back of some wood I had been getting at a local golf course that had cut 170 trees down. Been loading up on honey and black locust and red and white oak. Grabbed two loads of sugar maple yesterday. Looks like it is solid for firewood based on the BTU charts, but can any of you experienced chaos give me some practical advice about it as a firewood? Seasoning time, and so forth?

Thanks

PS. All of it is free so it's coming home regardless of the quality

Good score, probably the best burning maple you can get.....

Depending when they cut it, will tell you how long it will last. If it was cut in late winter, spring, it will be full of sap and will want to go punky quick. Almost goes soft from the inside, doesn't even look bad until you split into it. Cut in summer, dry season it will dry out much better.

We cut one last Feb and I left it in rounds all summer, when I finally split it up around Christmas it was already starting to get soft; you could see the white mold along the check lines. So my practical advice is split it, stack it and cover it as soon as possible.................it will be ready to burn by the fall.

 

[zogger]

Hard maple is jamup nice firewood! Isnt any around here, but I used to get it, drag branches home from whoppers and their deadfall.

 

[Herd8497]

Good score, probably the best burning maple you can get.....

Depending when they cut it, will tell you how long it will last. If it was cut in late winter, spring, it will be full of sap and will want to go punky quick. Almost goes soft from the inside, doesn't even look bad until you split into it. Cut in summer, dry season it will dry out much better.

We cut one last Feb and I left it in rounds all summer, when I finally split it up around Christmas it was already starting to get soft; you could see the white mold along the check lines. So my practical advice is split it, stack it and cover it as soon as possible.................it will be ready to burn by the fall.

All the trees were dropped two weeks ago. As soon as I finish some drywall and two bathroom floors, I can get to splitting. I have everything I have taken bucked to length and ready.

Thanks for the info. guys. Much appreciated

 

[PEKS]

Sugar Maple is excellent, one of the best, take it all..

 

[allstihl]

ive been burning mostly sugar maple for the last 18yrs. great stuff

 

[stihly dan]

I love sugar maple, a couple splits in with the rest so you know there will be coals at next fill up.

 

[haveawoody]

Nice thing with sugar maple is it's a real high btu wood, coals up like a champ, real nice for cookin and one of the very few dence harwoods that you can start a fire with pretty easy.

As far as firewood goes i think it's the best allaround one.

 

[CTYank]

Some seem to think that sugar maple is shoulder-wood. Maybe the odd tiny-splits, which really would be better used for starting a fire. No other wood lights as easily, burns with long flames, and produces coals as well. Just gotta get it dry, which is no challenge. :msp_thumbsup:

For peak-season, you just have to learn how to stack it in the stove, densely, with limited air-gaps between. :cool2:

 

[Herd8497]

Some seem to think that sugar maple is shoulder-wood. Maybe the odd tiny-splits, which really would be better used for starting a fire. No other wood lights as easily, burns with long flames, and produces coals as well. Just gotta get it dry, which is no challenge. :msp_thumbsup:

For peak-season, you just have to learn how to stack it in the stove, densely, with limited air-gaps between. :cool2:

Love that last bit, thanks

 

[stihly dan]

Why would anyone think that one of the highest btu wood is shoulder season?

 

[J1m]

Why would anyone think that one of the highest btu wood is shoulder season?

Considering we can't get oak in my part of the world and sugar maple is vastly abundant...That just seems like crazy talk to me! :msp_ohmy:

 

[PLAYINWOOD]

we have black locust as yard tree, and its okay, pops alot, we have white and red oak which are fine, we have smooth and shag hickory, we have ironwood, but when its cooold and I have to be warm its sugar maple that will do the job.

It almost perfect wood, a little heavy on the ash, and it does produce too many coals whe burning for a week straight, but other than that..its perfect

 

[NJ_Toolnut]

when its cooold and I have to be warm its sugar maple that will do the job.

It almost perfect wood, a little heavy on the ash, and it does produce too many coals whe burning for a week straight, but other than that..its perfect

Yep! My neighbor gave me one he had cut by a tree service a couple years ago. It was in his front yard and had been "lollipopped" several times. It was gnarly, crossgrained, full of burls and knots, and generally miserable to split with a sledge and wedges and an axe (for the few straight-grained rounds) but beautiful to burn! I got almost two cords out of it. To top it off, the tree service had not bucked it to the correct length for my stove so I had to re-buck quite a few rounds. I've been burning it in my workshop wood stove for the last month, and it was certainly well worth the effort.

Stan

 

[PLAYINWOOD]

I forgot to add, if its 30 inch plus, twisted,knotted with many crotches, it is miserable to work with.
Ported saws, and a good splitter, with some good, help makes it a better go

 

[woodbooga]

I forgot to add, if its 30 inch plus, twisted,knotted with many crotches, it is miserable to work with.
Ported saws, and a good splitter, with some good, help makes it a better go

I hear that. The sugar maple I've handled have been from disused sugarbushes planted way back when they were basically allowed to grow and spread out like yard trees with vast crowns, massive boughs, and mega knots/burls/twists.