Future Firewood

[Wood Scrounge]

I am looking to plant some trees for future fuel. I want to plant about 4 acres. What are some good species that grow fast and burn hot? I was thinking Ash and Locust but would like some other suggestions.

 

[cunrya]

I wouldn't plant ash. AEB will eventually get you in PA. Don't know what the BTU's are like in some of the Hybrid species, (some grow 10-15ft a year) but don't imagine they would be very high.

Correct me if im wrong but fast growing trees just don't make BTU's, and if they do their burn time would be very short.

What's your timeframe to harvest this future fuel???

 

[acer saccharum]

Ash is in decline due to disease, probably not a good choice. Black Locust is a fast grower, exceptionally good for firewood and grows well in marginal soil. A winner.

 

[retoid]

Does Douglass Fur grow pretty fast?
I believe most of the logging companies in my area of Washington replant areas with Douglass fur's. I guess most of that wood is used for lumber though.

What determines a good burning wood?

 

[Peacock]

Yes to black locust. Fast growing tree.

Careful though, they are known to take over an area.

 

[kyle1!]

other choices could be mulberry or hackberry. Tough to beat locust though

Brian

 

[sredlin]

other choices could be mulberry or hackberry +1 on these fast growing and hardy

 

[Wood Scrounge]

other choices could be mulberry or hackberry +1 on these fast growing and hardy

does Mulberry grow fast? it's one of my favorite firewoods and has tasty morsels. HMMMMMMM

 

[sredlin]

mulberry grows real fast--should have fruit in 3 to 4 years

 

[windthrown]

For fastest growing firewood here that I would plant (around here) is red alder. Alder is also over $1,000 MBF now too (compare to $650 MBF for Doug fir). I planted some alders along a creek here for errosion control, and some of them are over 10 ft tall after only 2 years! It is not the hottest firewood though. It makes great 'aroma' cooking wood, and makes good charcoal. It is a light to medium hardwood.

Doug fir is good for firewood, has more heat than alder, but it also results in a lot of creosote building up when burning it. Oak and madrone are the best species for firewood here, but they grow slow. Basically the more dense the firewood and better for heating, the slower they grow. Oak, madrone and maple are all considered 'trash trees' here for timber, and I can salvage the slash piles around here for that stuff (if we did not have our own trees to cut and burn here already).

 

[kevin j]

interesting on the mulberry. Grew up in Wakonda SD, close to you in Vermillion, with lots of mulberries. great fruits, jams, pies.

Loved the fruit, tried to plant several times near MSP Minnesota, they won't winter over here. Doesn't seem that much different, but just enough colder I guess.....

kcj

 

[acer saccharum]

Only drawback I can think of with mulberry is when the birds eat the fruit and then decide to perch in a tree over your car......

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Osage Orange ( hedge tree ) grows quickly, makes more BTU's then Oak, Locust or Mullbery. It is a close cousin to the Mullbery and resprouts prolifically from the stump. With a little pruning they can grow fairly tall and do well in poor soils. The males seem to have fewer thorns.


Hopefully I will be harvesting some wood from mine in about 6 more years.

Oh, BTW the sap is VERY sticky in the spring/summer. I try to wait till the last of the leaves have changed color or fallen to start cutting.

 

[kyle1!]

I wouldn't plant anything that would sprout thorns. I can feel the pain right now

I have silver maple, junk elm, hackberry, mulberry and thorny locust on my 5 acres. I have been eradicating mulberrys because the birds spread them like wild fire and they quickly shade out others. Then if you don't kill the stump they quickly resprout.

If you plant mulberry on your 4 acres it will quickly turn into 8 then 16. With that in mind my vote is for thornless locust. The big tape seed pods get dispersed well but not with the help of birds.

Brian

 

[HardyOWB]

American Beech. It is a great firewood in terms of BTU per cord. It is fast growing and will take over a woods if not managed. I just had a logging company look at my woods and they told me to start taking these out as they grow faster than the cherry, maple, and oak.

 

[stihlfarmer]

Hedge is wonderful wood extremely dense grows fast and has a few thorns but not to bad we have lots around here the gov. planted millions of them in the dust bowl days to serve as windbreaks they make great fence posts as well that last longer than treated lumber it cures out somewhere about the consistency of steel 90% of the woodcutters around here cut is hedge its what everyone wants

 

[aandabooks]

If you plant hedge or the American Beech what is the growing time if you start from say 1 ft. tall? My barber is growing a stand of 5 acres of Black Walnut but he says he won't live to see it harvested. He's in his 60s and figures its for his grandkids to make the money on.

 

[farmer]

Beech has a disease problem that is killing the mature trees. Then you end up with a thick mess of young trees that smother everything else.

I have planted black locust, black walnut, and red oak. I would plant a mixture of trees. It is a 20 + year project.

 

[Marc]

Basswood around here seems to grow very fast and populates areas post softwoods... so I'm guessing they do well in slightly acidic soil.

Not fantastic firewood, but not bad either. Splits pretty well.

 

[Zodiac45]

American Beech. It is a great firewood in terms of BTU per cord. It is fast growing and will take over a woods if not managed. I just had a logging company look at my woods and they told me to start taking these out as they grow faster than the cherry, maple, and oak.

+1 Ditto Hardy, Silver beech are excellent firewood trees. It's a shame really that they are out of favor (read low priced) for lumber because they make some fine logs.