Cedar for Firewood

[tomtrees58]

pop bang boom i chip that junk

 

[Iron Head]

Western red cedar is way different than eastern cedar which isn't even a cedar and is much less dense. Consider the locations of other posters.

Our western red cedars can be an easy four feet in diameter with denser oilier wood that make it a much better firewood. I've burned many cords of it and would gladly take it about equivalent to a young (low density) doug fir. In a modern stove it burns great with good long burns, easy to split, thin bark, no slivers, good aroma, no extra creosote, etc.

Much like cottonwood, folks that have never burned this wood in a modern stove don't know what they are missing.

Western Red Cedar is fine firewood but like others have posted, it burns quicker than fir, it is more like hemlock. You will notice it is lighter in weight than an equal size piece of fir when seasoned. Splits easy, lights, and leaves very little ash. For western Washington, though, it's hard to beat fir and there is a ton of it around.

I have no choice but to burn alot of cedar with a little bit of fir, maple, and maybe fall a few ash later on this spring.
I don't know about cottonwood though. I've been burning this stuff this entire year and hated it. It burns way too quick and not easy to dry. Once dried, a few drop of rain will make it all wet again.
In our state, the strict air regulations call for the most advanced of modern stoves.
So I guess that also helps alot toward burning low btu wood.

Thanks. I love this site!

 

[Wood Doctor]

I usually mix cedar with mulberry whenever we have our neighborhood's 4th of July parties. That campfire pit makes the lady fingers look like peanuts. Snap, crackle, pop!

 

[Cascade Failure]

I use cedar for two things...

1) Great kindling.

2) Aww crap, I'm out of wood and need more. Time to go cut some long, dead cedar.