curious what wood can be used if it is still part green uprooted,if any to burn...i know i seen someone post this before.....that some wood cures fast or is say less wet,even seen someone say something about live trees to cut and burn,which i dont,but it would be nice to know....thanks
curious what wood can be used still part green
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Cheesecutter
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ash is the only one I've heard of.
Streblerm
Addicted to ArboristSite
Pretty much any wood can, but none of it should.
I have found that any wood that hasn't been cut and split for a while really isn't ready to burn. This includes standing dead, on the ground, or large rounds.
I split some rounds at my house this fall that had been cut for two years and they were still wet in the middle. I have been cutting some tops lately with my dad. They were cut 3 years ago. They were stacked off the ground behind his barn over a year ago and most of it is still wet in the middle.
Stuff that has been cut or dead for a while does seem to dry faster once split than green does, but I have found very little that is truly ready to burn.
In addition to ash many of the old timers around me will say maple can be burned green. I agree it contains less moisture than oak. The lesser hardwoods (less dense) seem to dry faster as well.
I have found that any wood that hasn't been cut and split for a while really isn't ready to burn. This includes standing dead, on the ground, or large rounds.
I split some rounds at my house this fall that had been cut for two years and they were still wet in the middle. I have been cutting some tops lately with my dad. They were cut 3 years ago. They were stacked off the ground behind his barn over a year ago and most of it is still wet in the middle.
Stuff that has been cut or dead for a while does seem to dry faster once split than green does, but I have found very little that is truly ready to burn.
In addition to ash many of the old timers around me will say maple can be burned green. I agree it contains less moisture than oak. The lesser hardwoods (less dense) seem to dry faster as well.
zogger
Tree Freak
Where I am, ash and tulip (yellow) poplar will dry the fastest. Narrow diameter NON standing dead of most anything can be burned pretty soon after getting it home. STANDING dead is a wildcard. some can be ready to rock soon, some, no way. species/location, plenty of variables there.
If the big branch or tree is full down, broken, not in any way connected to the roots, with the smaller branches keeping the main good stuff off the ground, that's what I would look for should I run short and need something to burn soon. Bark falling off is a good sign. And again, smaller diameter the better.
If the big branch or tree is full down, broken, not in any way connected to the roots, with the smaller branches keeping the main good stuff off the ground, that's what I would look for should I run short and need something to burn soon. Bark falling off is a good sign. And again, smaller diameter the better.
zogger
Tree Freak
OK, I have one more trick from the "been there, had to do that" list.
Rotten wood. I mean soaking wet saturated nasty wood. Gushy. I mean stuff you don't saw because it is too dirty and just dumb to saw it. Just stomp it against another log, couple whacks with an axe, etc. Sounds counter intuitive, but get it axed to size, then out in the sun and wind, the soaking wet stuff will dry fast and burn like crazy. It is full of airholes.
Now if it is below zeero and frozen solid, nope. But any sort of milder weather, dry out, sunny and windy, it should dry out fast.
another thing I did once was accidental, but I tried it and it works. Long time ago I needed some morre dry, was running low. I had previously built a screen rack over my heater to make jerky. I started pre cooking some still pretty green splits and small rounds over the heater, those were the next pieces in, then reload the rack.
I am not recommending anyone do that, obviously kinda sorta dangerous...but it worked for me.
When you move into a new place and don't have any wood at all and winter is in your face, you do what ya gotta do...
Rotten wood. I mean soaking wet saturated nasty wood. Gushy. I mean stuff you don't saw because it is too dirty and just dumb to saw it. Just stomp it against another log, couple whacks with an axe, etc. Sounds counter intuitive, but get it axed to size, then out in the sun and wind, the soaking wet stuff will dry fast and burn like crazy. It is full of airholes.
Now if it is below zeero and frozen solid, nope. But any sort of milder weather, dry out, sunny and windy, it should dry out fast.
another thing I did once was accidental, but I tried it and it works. Long time ago I needed some morre dry, was running low. I had previously built a screen rack over my heater to make jerky. I started pre cooking some still pretty green splits and small rounds over the heater, those were the next pieces in, then reload the rack.
I am not recommending anyone do that, obviously kinda sorta dangerous...but it worked for me.
When you move into a new place and don't have any wood at all and winter is in your face, you do what ya gotta do...
ZOGGER YOU ALWAYS FULL OF GREAT INFORMATION,VERY THANKFUL........THANKYOU
haveawoody
Addicted to ArboristSite
None.
Nothing should be burnt green.
Everything will burn green if given enough heat but even high btu wood burns poorly and creates lots of creosote.
IMO silver maple is one of the fastest to dry in 90 days of summer in a windy sunny place, everything else is 6 months or longer.
The burning green ash myth is just that a MYTH.
Standing dead is another story, anything from a few days drying up to 1 year depending on how long it's dead, what species it is, how wet it is, location of the wood when it was found and location of wood on the tree.
Nothing should be burnt green.
Everything will burn green if given enough heat but even high btu wood burns poorly and creates lots of creosote.
IMO silver maple is one of the fastest to dry in 90 days of summer in a windy sunny place, everything else is 6 months or longer.
The burning green ash myth is just that a MYTH.
Standing dead is another story, anything from a few days drying up to 1 year depending on how long it's dead, what species it is, how wet it is, location of the wood when it was found and location of wood on the tree.
I've used some green Hedge aka; Osage Orange.....common around here for farm corner fence posts. It is dense and loaded w/BTUs. Also some around here use green Hackberry, which might be akin to Ash? Splits pretty good too.
Coldfront
Addicted to ArboristSite
I'm there. This winter has been so cold up here my dry wood is all gone already. I am resorting to cutting some standing dead pine. This stuff is dry to the point of starting to rot. It burns like gasoline, I mix in a piece of green red oak and it has been working ok for me. If I try to just burn the oak, yes it will burn but it doesn't put out much heat. I agree on the ash if you can get it. For me right now I am eying every standing dead pine I see. Standing dead oak 2nd. That week we had of minus -30f I burned a month worth of wood in one week.
mainewoods
Addicted to ArboristSite
Really better to scrounge dead standing trees than burn green wood. But if no other choice, small diameter green ash and maple will dry somewhat faster. I have brought in green split wood and filled a wood rack, in a warm room with a box fan blowing on it, and it helps speed up the drying process. You can hear it snap and crack as the moisture is drawn out. Not ideal, but the longer you have the wood at room temp and a fan constantly blowing on it, the more moisture will be removed. Burn it hot and don't damp it down any more than is necessary. Dead standing wood is even better, same method.
white ash.
Here is a chart on "Regarding Seasoning of Wood" . It's about 3/4 of the way down the page.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html
F
fuzz1500
Guest
Would never burn anything green unless it was on an outside fire pit ! I always find it fun about this time of year...to go out and find dead standing . I say its fun this year..because I dont "need" to do it ......but its a good way to clean up our woods ! Other years I have definetly needed to ! The best stuff up my way to snag dead standing is Ash , Maple ,and Tulip Poplar . Our woods is in a certain transition......so I only go for the 6 to 10 inch stuff....with the bark all fallen off !
740jsmayle
ArboristSite Operative
I agree with Holtby. I have some 2 month old hedge that I'm burning now .MM says 19%
Only wood I'll burn green is for smoking.
Rather than burn green (wet) wood for heat, I'd be all over the discarded skids in the area. Waaaay better than green wood.
Mind you, anything that goes into my stove gets at least a couple of days basking in its warmth- finishes off the drying quite nicely.
Rather than burn green (wet) wood for heat, I'd be all over the discarded skids in the area. Waaaay better than green wood.
Mind you, anything that goes into my stove gets at least a couple of days basking in its warmth- finishes off the drying quite nicely.
nice thankyou,i know not too burn green-wet,but sometimes if in a pinch,good info
woodchuck357
Addicted to ArboristSite
I took down a big honey locust a few years ago and sold the wood really cheap to the customer's neighbor. A few weeks later, while driving by, I noticed the pile of wood some what reduced. I stopped and asked if they were burning the green wood. They were, and were very happy with it. I cautioned them about the problems associated with burning wood that hadn't seasoned and offered to sell them some dry to burn until the locust had had time to dry. They only bought one rick and continued burning mostly green locust. The next fall when I cleaned their chimney I was surprised to find only a normal amount of accumulated soot. So, I guess honey locust is one wood that can be used with minimal seasoning.
davidbradley360
ArboristSite Operative
obviously locust and pin oak can be burned green, there's videos on youtube of a guy who invented the McGuire stove doing so in his backyard with one of the prototypes, and also burning it in his house in the other prototype. See the other thread I started on McGuire stoves. The inventor believes that green wood may actually burn better in his lava rock filter/secondary stove. The wet wood burns slower. He goes on to say the time to cut green wood for burning is just after the leaves fall off in fall, that's when the tree has least amount of moisture in it, and is going into hibernation.
creosote is bad, in a conventional stove. it smokes, and causes chimney fires. but creosote is not so bad in a lava bed filter stove, that's designed to capture and burn the creosote as a secondary fuel. the creosote is responsible for some of the BTU's the stove puts out, and the chimney doesn't smoke once the secondary kicks in and begins burning it.
you have got to see those videos. he has patented the design and is going into production on it. the stove costs around $1500 and to be able to burn marginal unseasoned wood that other stoves won't tolerate, that's a bargain. he shows a pile of wood there with green leaves still on it, and he's stuffing it in the stove, and it's burning with no smoke out the flue pipe. the temp gauges are reading 600 stove and 150 flue. that's 75% efficiency with no catalyst and GREEN wood.
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mainewoods
Addicted to ArboristSite
Oak would be the last wood I would "smolder" in a wood stove.
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