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Dalmatian90

Dalmatian90

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Complete pain in the rear to split even using a magical Fiskars...

Reddish color...

Stinks...

Bark...oh, the bark...

Box Elder.

I detest Box Elder.

Ok, so it burns better then a snowball.

But there's a reason I girdle young ones when I find them.

This was a big 'un -- a solid 18" DBH, maybe a smidge more. Big log. So I got a lot to split.

I remember felling it last fall, it was part of "clump" with some red maples -- the bases all grown together.

Scientific Name: Acer negundo.

Should be: Acer suckmucho.

Box Elder. Bah.
 
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They grow like weeds here in PA.; I don't bother with them as there is so much better stuff here, especially now after the storm last Halloween. Some people like it I guess, but if you can get better do it. I spotted a tree that had fallen from that storm in an area where I had gotten some of the best burning Walnut I've ever had; when I got a chance to go check it out guess what it was? Box Elder.

Sorry, no thanks.
 
PA. Woodsman said:
They grow like weeds here in PA.; I don't bother with them as there is so much better stuff here, especially now after the storm last Halloween. Some people like it I guess, but if you can get better do it. I spotted a tree that had fallen from that storm in an area where I had gotten some of the best burning Walnut I've ever had; when I got a chance to go check it out guess what it was? Box Elder.

Sorry, no thanks.
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What's funny is that I don't have any! None of the bugs either. As far as I know I've never seen one. Every time it comes up I look it up again, and darn if that's a tree I'm not familiar with. I'm going to be on the lookout for them though, because it seems mighty strange that you'd have lots and me have none so close together. The most likely explanation is that I just don't know what I'm looking for, but I have actually tried to get educated on it. And I don't see any.

Want any autumn olive? Got lots of that.
 
WoodHeatWarrior said:
What's funny is that I don't have any! None of the bugs either. As far as I know I've never seen one. Every time it comes up I look it up again, and darn if that's a tree I'm not familiar with. I'm going to be on the lookout for them though, because it seems mighty strange that you'd have lots and me have none so close together. The most likely explanation is that I just don't know what I'm looking for, but I have actually tried to get educated on it. And I don't see any. .
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Oh they're all over here; light-brown bark, medium-to large tree. You'll know what it is if you ever see the inside of one as it has purplish-reddish "streaks" in it; when you see the cut side of one, you'll see what appears to be a "butterfly" shape in that color.

Now I'll bet you'll see them all over the place lol!!!
 
All right guys... I am local to pawoodsman and woodheatwarrior and encountered a tree last winter that drove me crazy. Now I was an eagle scout and outdoors most my life ant this tree has me stumped (no pun intended). It would not split and burned like "c**p and I left the rest to sit. Thinking it has to be this!
 
I burnt an entire season with box elder with an outdoor woodburner. When dried out it burnt just fine, actually little difference in burn time than oak. Maybe a couple hrs. on an all night burn.....NO WAY i would past it by.
 
I don’t burn Box Elder, not even in the fire pit, and I’ve got thousands of them growing in the wood lot. I don’t hesitate to cut one down though… if I even think it might be in the way of falling a “real” tree. I’ll even cut down several just so I can make the one I think might be in the way fall out of my way. Sometimes when I get started I just can’t help myself, and I may drop a dozen or more of them… one on top of another until I have a huge pile. I hate them… I don’t even consider them to be trees, more of a weed, and I treat them as such.

I see some of those BTU charts place Box Elder close to the better pines and firs, not far behind elm. Are you kidding me? Has the guy who made the chart ever burned that crap? Jeeeezzzz, I place it somewhere in the Cottonwood/Buckeye/Willow category… ya’ know? JUNK! I’d rather burn Pine and Aspen any day (or night).

Now don’t get me wrong… I’m not a “wood snob”. If somebody brought me a free load of seasoned Box Elder, and it was bucked to the length I like, and it was split, and they unloaded it, andthey stacked it neatly within a few steps of the wood-burning furnace, and they cleaned up the mess from tossing it in the basement… well… then I guess I’d burn it. Otherwise I believe it’s a total waste of my time to handle the stuff, and a total waste of space to season it. I just feel my time and space can be better utilized… it’s the same way I feel about cutting the small stuff on the “real” trees… I want to maximize the return on my time and space.

I’ve said this before… If it wasn’t for the fact that I have so many standing-dead American Elm on my place I probably wouldn’t cut it either. But when it’s dead, bark-less and pre-seasoned… well that makes good use of my time… cut, split and toss right in the house. No stacking, double-handling, seasoning, etc. I only cut standing-dead American Elm in the fall… and once I get the basement full I quit cutting it and leave it standing “on-the-stalk” until the next fall. But I’ll walk right past a Box Elder, alive or dead... I ain’t wastin’ my time.
 
Whitespider said:
Otherwise I believe it’s a total waste of my time to handle the stuff, and a total waste of space to season it. I just feel my time and space can be better utilized… it’s the same way I feel about cutting the small stuff on the “real” trees… I want to maximize the return on my time and space. But I’ll walk right past a Box Elder, alive or dead... I ain’t wastin’ my time.
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This is EXACTLY what I meant in my post; sure, it burns, but if there is better stuff available (and in my area there sure is) go after that instead. If you're hurtin' for wood then take it, but there's better stuff and like you said space is important. If you have time and storage space then chuck some Elder in it if you desire.

Why stock up on hot dogs and bologna when you can get steak and roast beef? And the refrigirator/freezer can only hold so much lol!!!
 
I have zillions of them around me. I don't bother to touch em. Tried burning it a few times and came to the conclusion that a ball of wet leaves would burn better.
 
Well, I do have it - or did. There was a small shrubby thing that fell over on the edge of the field at Halloween, and I finally got around to ID-ing it. I had cut it up and split one round in November or so. Real red inside with a very light ring, thin bark. Looks just like the pictures I've found.
 
LOL I just finished burning the last of my 1 cord of box elder.
Glad winter has been so mild and it's gone.

Not a bad btu wood, just bad to split, smells bad and a couple drizly weeks and even in the cure area it likes to get a mouldy smell to it.

Mine was on my property but i wouldn't go next door to get one LOL
 
Quit being a wood snob and burn it. There are people out in the desert that don't have ANY trees at all to burn that would be darn grateful to have it.

Now pardon me while I go start my fire. I'm all out of locust inside and I need to dip into my black birch and hickory inventory. It's down to 48 degrees and I need big-time heat.
 
branchbuzzer,

I was more than happy to burn it this winter.
Just wish box elder was a little less prone to becoming mouldy box elder because it's not a terrible wood when you get past the smell curing it.

I probably curbed for free takers 40+ cords of box elder at work this year.
Seemed like every second job was a broken box elder.
Only wood that gives me a sore throat and the itches cutting and handling it.

That might be just a me thing though but my partner says he gets a sore throat when cutting it but not handling it.
He moves it to the curb and i cut with a dust mask on. LOL
You know what they say about a mouldy box, you should put it out to the curb :)
 
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