I dont believe the BTU Charts on this one

[Whitespider]

...cut into one this year and found what Dad used to call pi$$ elm... smelled like somebody kicker over a porta-john...

The proper name for pi$$ elm is "Winged Elm".
Do you live in southern Ohio? The "Winged Elm" is rarely found north of Kentucky, but is common in the extreme south-west of Ohio.

Winged Elm is very, very stringy and probably the most difficult to split of all the elms...
I think it's used for Hockey Sticks? Because, once cured, it's near impossible to split.

 

[Butch(OH)]

The proper name for pi$$ elm is "Winged Elm".
Do you live in southern Ohio? The "Winged Elm" is rarely found north of Kentucky, but is common in the extreme south-west of Ohio.

Winged Elm is very, very stringy and probably the most difficult to split of all the elms...
I think it's used for Hockey Sticks? Because, once cured, it's near impossible to split.

Central, bout an hour NE of Columbus. This one was dead and appeared like the other white elm on the farm but sure dint smell like the others. Splitting was about elm normal,,, TOUGH.

 

[woodhounder]

I don't see the BTU rating of American Elm to be accurate either. I have been burning cherry this fall and have now run into a little bit of elm. The elm has a lot hotter and longer burn than the cherry and they are rated pretty close to the same. If it was me I would put it in the 23-24's

 

[sunfish]

Are you sure the white wood isn't box elder? Up here in NW Ohio box elder will die and debark just like elm. Many times at first glance I have mistaken box elder for elm. One cut though and the white color with the red stain in it and I know it's box elder and just walk away..
It rots QUICK. Usually by the time the bark is gone the wood is trash. Even when the wood isn't trash it is still not worth taking home.

Our elm is a tan color that will have a yellowish hue to the inside. (seems like after a period of time though the yellow goes away)

I believe I have the same "red" wood around here. I've never known for sure what it was though. It almost black on the barkless trunks or limbs (black like you hit it with a torch) and an almost solid reddish orange on the inside. I don't know if what I have is a variety of elm though. Never usually anything big. Mostly 12" and under stuff and a boatload of 4" - 6". I've often wondered if it is very old locust.
Love both of these!

Could be, but the locals call the two, Red Elm and White Elm. I moved here 20 years ago from north FL, we didn't have Elm down there. The red here is redish-brown and hard as hell. We have lots of Locus and it's different. The barks falls off a standing dead tree, but the wood doesn't rot. Great firewood. What we call white, rots before the bark comes off.

 

[branchbuzzer]

I find the other information in this chart to be wrong therefore question the BTU info as well. For example it lists white oak as being easy to split but red oak as difficult. I don't know were they got that information but it sure wasn't from swinging a maul.

Yep, I was just doing some red oak blowdowns today by coincidence, and was doing ~20" rounds in two swings and most smaller stuff in one. Celery is more difficult. I imagine the chart took someone's experience splitting rounds that had sat for like three years. I split some white rounds that had sat for a couple years recently and had to use two wedges ( I normally don't use wedges at all ).

 

[Wood Doctor]

The heat content of elm wood varies remarkably by species.

 

[wdchuck]

Had some 5yr old chinese elm logs, 2' long sitting out of the weather and the 8" rounds have been out heating hickory in the living room fireplace. We were burning the three year old hickory stump splits last night and thought that was putting off too much heat, but tonight, whoo boy.

 

[firewood guy]

I'm having trouble burning those online charts, must not be seasoned enough.

You gotta get the whole PC burnin first!

 

[firewood guy]

About 25 or so years ago I was single and renting this little house with no wood heat, I came to an agreement with the landlord to put in a wood stove And he asked if I could cut down two Very dead Elm trees in the Back of the property.

So I did both, Now that dead Elm was hard as rock and nearly immpossible to split. But good god it burned real hot and long.

But most of the BTU charts list Elm as about 19 Million BTUs to the cord The same as Lodgpole pine. But it burns longer and hotter than that I can say for sure. I even thought it was better than Scrub Oak but not Quite as good as What we call Prarie Locust. I dont Know where the Info is gathered but Lots of these charts are way off on their heat values.:notrolls2:

I'm out here in high desert , CA and we have a lot of elm. Pretty sure its American Elm, cause of the bug attacks. It must be a climate thing, but have no problem splitting it. And it burns like oak! The species we have trouble splitting is Eucalyptus. The grain is like stranded rope wraped around stranded rope.. have to split this one green otherwise it will bend splitter beams and other parts will suffer as well. But I sure like Elm for heating! Burns hot and clean out here and is an easy wood to process for us. P.S.. don't believe all those BTU charts.. I saw one that put Eucalyptus @ 25MBTU what a joke! It burns hotter than Oak in USDA tests and University studies. Our customers always want Euc over any other wood even though it is a "softwood" because it is evergreen. Makes no sence that crap wood like poplar / birch / alder classifies as a "hardwood" with almost half the BTU content!! Keep burnin' that great Elm!! :chainsawguy:

 

[treevet]

I love the elm too. I don't sell it (Chinese/Siberian elm goes in the garbage) cause it is a little stinky in the fireplace...but I love to have it for my own.

It dries out quickly cause generally it has died from DED which is a wilt disease and much of the moisture has gone out of it prior to being dead. Then the bark falls off (from the vascular disease too) and it seasons even better. We find it splits pretty good when frozen on the splitter.

When bringing in the wood stacked in the driveway and I see a nice fat elm round with no bark....well....

it makes me real happy :biggrinbounce2:

 

[Whitespider]

Why do you toss Chinese and Siberian Elm (two separate species) in the garbage? I know they ain't the exact equal of Red Elm, but I've never burned "bad" elm... all make a lot of heat.

 

[treevet]

Why do you toss Chinese and Siberian Elm (two separate species) in the garbage? I know they ain't the exact equal of Red Elm, but I've never burned "bad" elm... all make a lot of heat.

Already knew they were seperate species....but both VERY fast growing trees and corresponding fast burners....and stinky. Nowhere the equal of A. elm. Garbage IMO. I don't burn poplar, ailanthus, etc. either....but we have many better choices around here.

If that is all you got? burn em.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Shhh. Stop telling everyone!



Most people I know won't touch elm because it has a reputation for being not good firewood. Sure, it's' difficult to split by hand, but I really like the heat and it's an excellent coaling wood. A lot of charts have it at 19.5 BTU/cord, but I've also seen at almost 24 BTU/cord.

Elm is horrible heat, impossible to split, and may cause cancer. Send it to me for disposal!

 

[Wood Doctor]

Elm is horrible heat, impossible to split, and may cause cancer. Send it to me for disposal!

And, whatever Steve can't burn, I'll take all the rest.