In the Midwest you can find a lot around old homesteads and farms. I have been told by old timers that elm was planted in huge numbers after the dustbowl to control wind erosion because it grows so fast.
Most of those were Siberian Elm, and some experimental hybrids... mostly in Nebraska, Kansas, parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, South Dakota and Texas. The area, known as the "High Plains", had few if any natural trees before settlers plowed up the sod... the Siberian Elm was selected not only because it grew fast, but also because it could survive in the arid, hot, windy, conditions of summer and cold windy winters.
Now the Siberian Elm is nothing but a nuisance tree found (in greater or lesser numbers) near everywhere between the Mississippi and the Rocky's... even considered an invasive species in some areas. We can thank FDR for that, he went against recommendations from the Soil Erosion Service (eventually the Soil Conservation Service) that he started... yeah, he thought he knew better than the expert service he created. The "Service" wanted to educate farmers to use soil conserving methods (which they did) and not further screw with the natural order of things like plant trees that didn't belong there (although some wind-breaks were recommended in specific circumstances). But FDR, being the big government, big spending, progressive he was, needed something done
NOW! So the government paid to plant over 200 million trees, from the Canadian boarder to central Texas... many of which didn't survive the first year (but the Siberian Elm flourished and became the nuisance it is).
As far as firewood... Siberian Elm ranks somewhat below the American Elm (IMHO), and no where near Red Elm.