worst wood species to burn

[woodbooga]

Lots of threads about which kinds of wood we most enjoy. Take a moment to consider the worst, based on btu, aroma, ease of processing, and shelf life before going to punk.

This is a multiple choice poll. You can vote for more than one option. If I neglected a species, feel free to note in a post. The max. options is 10 when setting up a poll.

This is my first poll. I feel like one of those people in those old Saturn commercials: "Everybody, this is woodbooga. And this is his first new car - err - AS poll."

 

[FELLNORTH]

Poplar

 

[Marc]

Not a big fan of white pine due to its short shelf life, low energy density... and that it's a big mess to process. Whenever I have to deal with one, I make sure I'm well stocked on Lestoil before hand.

 

[Ed*L]

You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:

Ed

 

[Hlakegollum]

Basswood, cut a huge one, split it all up and it dried to almost nothing and made tons of sparks. Sassafras and catalpa, they don't seem to burn.

 

[woodbooga]

You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:

Ed

Crossed my mind. I went with butternut and elm instead. The former because of its negligible btus according to some charts and elm because of its difficulty of splitting.

For those I've disenfranchised by my omission, feel free to post boxelder. After a while, I'll tally those going with it or anyother species and adjust the poll findings.

I'm sure a few will say, where's sassafrass or gum or even white birch.

 

[yooper]

I had to go with willow...It dont burn green and when dry it does a great disappearing in the wood stove...poof its gone!

 

[Maldeney]

I say White Elm (american) because of the nasty odor! Smells like Pi$$ when it's burning. If I was going on frustration though I would say soft maple because it is gone as soon as it hits the fire!

 

[WetBehindtheEar]

You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:

Ed

You know,

I don't mind box elder. Sure it doesn't have a lot of BTUs but it seasons quickly, splits relatively nicely (once you are away from the butt), and burns quick & hot. Good stuff to get the bigger pieces of oak going.

To each his own.

 

[wood4heat]

ALDER!!! Freaking hate it, pass it over everytime in the woods . Burns dirty, fast and just does not provide the steady heat of my local Doug Fir or Maple.

 

[Laird]

So far the most popular wood on the least popular list is Butternut.

Did I put that right?

 

[woodbooga]

You know,

I don't mind box elder. Sure it doesn't have a lot of BTUs but it seasons quickly, splits relatively nicely (once you are away from the butt), and burns quick & hot. Good stuff to get the bigger pieces of oak going.

To each his own.

Seeing some of the posts here, my suspicion has been that it gets a bad rap. Haven't burnt any myself. Seems to prefer urban waste lots around here.

But where it seems to prefer the same kinds of habitat that tree of heaven (got my vote) does, I've always kind of considered it to be a 'yucky' tree. If that makes any sense.

 

[woodbooga]

So far the most popular wood on the least popular list is Butternut.

Did I put that right?

What would've been real confusing would have been if the vote warranted, "Poplar is the most popular wood on the least popular list."

 

[motoroilmccall]

Butternut... The nuts stain anything they touch, the wood smells like shat while you're splitting it, and worse when you're burning it... It has no real heat value, it pops and crackles, and the saw chips make me nauseous and flemmy when I'm cutting the stuff (I might have a mild allergy, but I doubt it... I'm not allergic to anything that I know of).

 

[TREEWACKA]

Telephone poles, treated post, & railroad crossties. Have burned them all with accompanying stories to go along with results.

 

[sawinredneck]

Poplar isn't that bad, but Cottonweed SUCKS!! When you cut it it bleeds all over the place. It splits like Elm, just twisted and gnarly, green or dry!
Burn it a little green and it stinks to high heaven, burn it dry and it's gone like paper and leaves a huge pile of ash!! I hate this crap!

 

[Nailsbeats]

Elm is great, Poplar and Basswood can work for spring and fall, Willow is hideous.

 

[woodbooga]

Elm is great, Poplar and Basswood can work for spring and fall, Willow is hideous.

I've burnt quite a bit of poplar and some basswood and agree.

Never burnt any willow. Not even my FIL who'll burn pretty much anything will touch willow. He claims that it never really seasons. That even when dry, it will pull moisture out of the air and drink it right up.

Cotton wood's ok. I don't mind the ash, but it can be a bear to split. I'll often leave the knotty pieces behind and take home only the straight-grained rounds.

It's incredible how much weight cottonwood looses between felling and seasoning.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I said willow, it's either green and growing in the wood pile or punky I can't seem to find a middle ground with it.

 

[Laird]

I split by hand and the worst splitting wood for me has been sycamore. Stringy as all get out, But have not knowingly split any elm and I've heard that the worst. Hard to imagine though.