# Types of wood you just won't burn?



## JUDGE1162 (Nov 9, 2006)

Basically are they any species of trees you just refuse to burn?

I seem to burn any type but I have heard of people that say I refuse to burn this or that or the wood is just not worth the effort (cutting, splitting, drying time, odor, too many sparks, too much ash, burns too fast, cause to much build up, very smokey, etc.

Just wondering


----------



## MS-310 (Nov 9, 2006)

Bass wood with IVY on it.
I wont burn pine not worth my time.


----------



## hautions11 (Nov 9, 2006)

*Wood*

Most of the low BTU softwoods, I do not bother with. What I find is the situation often determins what wood I will take. If it is easy to get to, helping someone, etc, there is very little that I will not burn. I have even gotten people that are trying to get rid of wood to help me. Early in the year, while it is still relatively warm, my wood furnace idels a lot. Decent dry softwood still lasts quite a while under these conditions. It also saves my good hardwood for when it is really cold. I have 1/2 a cord of punky elm that I cut and split this summer. It was in my yard, dead tree, easy to get to. Elm splits like Crap, so I sawed very round with a 3-4" cut. It will still burn and it is a lot better then just throwing on an outdoor burn pile.


----------



## turnkey4099 (Nov 9, 2006)

I don't turn my nose up at anything with one exception - cottonwood. That is only because I could not split it with wedges or with a hydraulic until I cut the 16" blocks to 8" and even then it was a PITA. It also never really dried in the round. Now if someone was to bring me a load already cut and split I would accept it.

Harry K


----------



## hautions11 (Nov 9, 2006)

*cotonwood*

2nd the cotonwood


----------



## olyman (Nov 9, 2006)

cottonwood doesnt stop my splitter--even at 34 inch round----i will N O T burn basswood---took down a huge one once--for pay--48 inch base--so you know how much wood was in that tree--thought--3 months burn--right!!!!!!!!!! 2 weeks later--all gone--never again---wont do catalpa tree either--twisted puke--and full of termites------or river poplar--bad as basswood--but pine burns great in my stove--lots of soft maple--these all are for the start of the season when dont need hot---or long fire----ash and other hardwoods later on---


----------



## Firewoodster (Nov 9, 2006)

*No Cedar*

No Cedar here or Pine.......
Our cedar here in western Kentucky pops like all get out and by the time the pine is dry enough to burn,......baby it BURNS and I mean burns up....
Split some stuff last month that a mill gave to me (logs) and I stlll don't know what it is....I had some ol' timers (loggers) look at it and they don't know what type wood it is either.... it's hairy and it sure does stick a wedge......
looks like oak when split, but not...........
Rick


----------



## PA. Woodsman (Nov 9, 2006)

I stay away from Pine and low heat throwing hardwoods, mainly because here in PA. we are Blessed with lots of good wood so you can be a "wood snob". But one wood that I really cut down on using is Mulberry; it burns well enough, but it sparks like CRAZY. Several times last season when I slowly opened the stove door to refuel, as soon as the air hit the Mulberry coals it was like someone set off a sparkler-lots of sparks flew out at me, and this happened on several occasions. So I kinda let Mulberry lay if I see it now..


----------



## treeman82 (Nov 9, 2006)

My recommendations for burning to people I meet are...

Don't burn: 

Conifers of any type
Tulip
Elm
Cottonweed
Catalpa
Willow


----------



## vcallies (Nov 9, 2006)

I took down a russian olive, and thought it was a nice, fragrant wood. Hauled the wood home and split it. It dried pretty fast (4 months), so I tried it in the outdoor firepit. Burned nice, but man, did it stink! Now I'm trying to burn up every last piece! I will not take it in the house to burn in the fireplace.


----------



## John Paul Sanborn (Nov 11, 2006)

A good rule of thumb is that if it grows fast it will have more water in it. That means higher dry time and lower mbtu/cord when dried.

If you burn for heat, then it's a big deal. If it's for ambiance then anything dry is good. 

That is if it smells OK.


----------



## Sprig (Nov 11, 2006)

Anything with high creosote like cedar or other highly aromatic conifers (juniper for example), can't take chances on peeps health imo as we don't always notice some of the by-products given, tho others you will smell.
Willow, its wet for almost ever, and is one of the few woods I'd classify as 'stinky', it did burn quite nicely tho, a bit of a surprise but over a year covered drying, last stuff I burned friends thought the cat had died and I was burning it, no bull, yuck.
Anything MFB, plywood, pressboard, etc etc., formaldahyde (sp gah) is out and out poison to all living things, just don't do it if you value your future health.
Any cut-offs from construction, unless you absolutely know its kiln dried without anti-fungal agents/stain treatments, another just don't do it, I have posted on this before and it is no joke, this crap is a time-bomb (chemicals passed by bought influences me thinks, little research before the facts). Not an expert, so my opinion, don't quote me eh.
Other than those basics, if it burns, burn it. Burn it dry and cured, burn it when yer cold, burn it when yer wet. Some woods are obviously better BTUs per, but ya gots ta do what ya gots ta do, if it takes an extra cord to get you through the winter because it is crap, so be it. Live with it.

And keep your you pipes clean!!!!!!


----------



## Big Woody (Nov 11, 2006)

I won't burn any wood that I have to pay for.:deadhorse:


----------



## STIHLSamantha (Nov 11, 2006)

we don't like to burn a lot of poplar or pine....but we use it for kindling sometimes....


----------



## brian660 (Nov 11, 2006)

damn woody beat me to it


----------



## Gark (Nov 11, 2006)

Won't burn anything below soft maple on the BTU chart. Also quit bringing in mullberry for the woodstove 'cuz around here it's very buggy. Powder beetles eat away half the wood by the time it's dried. Don't want them in the house!


----------



## 046 (Nov 12, 2006)

prefer oak and ash... 

but will burn most anything that's dry to start fire.


----------



## colverpa (Nov 13, 2006)

STIHLSamantha said:


> we don't like to burn a lot of poplar or pine....but we use it for kindling sometimes....


why not poplar?


----------



## JUDGE1162 (Nov 13, 2006)

treeman82 said:


> My recommendations for burning to people I meet are...
> 
> Don't burn:
> 
> ...




Why no Elm, just because it is hard to split? or are there other reasons?


----------



## colverpa (Nov 13, 2006)

colverpa said:


> why not poplar?


?????????


----------



## computeruser (Nov 13, 2006)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> If you burn for heat, then it's a big deal. If it's for ambiance then anything dry is good.
> 
> That is if it smells OK.



+1. I'm an ambiance burner, for the time being anyway, and though I appreciate the fire I get off of good oak, walnut, maple, and ash, the faster burning stuff is nice to have for those last few logs of the evening so the fire burns down nicely by bedtime.

That said, willow and cottonwood don't hold much interest for me. The pines are OK, in small quantity, to mix in for fire quality maintenance and fast starting.

If I was burning for heat, then I'd be much more selective.


----------



## Sprig (Nov 13, 2006)

colverpa said:


> ?????????


 yo.
And for that matter why not pine if ya got it? And whats this about not burning conifers? Fir is one and I would choose it before most other woods (other than the obvious oaks and arbutus, maple etc), it be the cadillac of stove food in these parts. 
opcorn: opcorn:


----------



## chowdozer (Nov 13, 2006)

treeman82 said:


> My recommendations for burning to people I meet are...
> 
> Don't burn:
> 
> ...



If you lived in the NW you'd burn conifers or you'd get cold. 90% of what I burn is Douglas Fir. I can stoke the stove at 10 PM and have enough coals to start another fire the next day at 3 PM.


----------



## ciscoguy01 (Nov 15, 2006)

*Paper*



colverpa said:


> why not poplar?


you might as well burn paper as burning poplar. It burns fast and retains a ton of water. Sooo... It takes forever to dry dude, and once it does its as light as a feather. It does make good kindling though. Sometimes if its down, it really stinks when you burn it also...


----------



## logbutcher (Nov 15, 2006)

*Just Say No to Popple*



ciscoguy01 said:


> you might as well burn paper as burning poplar. It burns fast and retains a ton of water. Sooo... It takes forever to dry dude, and once it does its as light as a feather. It does make good kindling though. Sometimes if its down, it really stinks when you burn it also...


*DITTO DITTO * 
Native Americans from Maine use "popple" for totempole carving. After peeling the bark it hardens to like oak, yet it soft for carving. Otherwise a true PITA for firewood. Wet, wet, wet. A weed for the woods here. Rather burn spruce or fir.  
And, damn stuff is heavy green.


----------



## RaisedByWolves (Nov 16, 2006)

ciscoguy01 said:


> you might as well burn paper as burning poplar. It burns fast and retains a ton of water. Sooo... It takes forever to dry dude, and once it does its as light as a feather. It does make good kindling though. Sometimes if its down, it really stinks when you burn it also...





Poplar=Papler.


Heavy when wet, light as balsa (OK,Bass) when dry. I use it for getting the fire going from coals.



Fill the stove with Pop, 5min later its roaring, 1/2hr later its coals and you can start your hardwoods with ease.


----------



## rbtree (Nov 16, 2006)

treeman82 said:


> My recommendations for burning to people I meet are...
> 
> Don't burn:
> 
> ...




Douglas fir has the same heat value as our soft big leaf maple...and tamarack has more. I'll burn anything but poplar, cottonwood, willow. Love cedar for kindling.


----------



## Indiana John (Nov 18, 2006)

We don't really burn fir, but that's mostly just because we don't have much of that in our woods, tho seasoned pine makes good kindling. We stay away from cottonwood, simply because it's almost impossible to split. We love dead elm! In fact we actively seek out dead elms with the bark peeling, because it splits good with my splitter, and it burns long. The only down side is the "clinkers" it leaves in the stove due to the high mineral content, and it's also a bit hard on chains for that same reason, but I have a chain sharpener so we don't mind that. We also like wild cherry because it's extremely easy splitting and good burning (even when not fully dry). We also burn quite a bit of black walnut, but I don't really like it that well. It burns good, but seems to have a lot of creosote even when dry. Of course you should avoid anythng treated. I do burn mulberry, but I leave it lay for a long time so it's good and dry.


----------



## JohnH (Nov 18, 2006)

Willow I will NOT burn


----------



## ciscoguy01 (Nov 18, 2006)

*Willow?*



JohnH said:


> Willow I will NOT burn



Man, I just cut up a willow. It's wet as all get out and it stinks, but it's better than some of the firs out there. What's so bad about willow eh? You do need to season it a year for sure before burning dude.


----------



## turnkey4099 (Nov 19, 2006)

ciscoguy01 said:


> Man, I just cut up a willow. It's wet as all get out and it stinks, but it's better than some of the firs out there. What's so bad about willow eh? You do need to season it a year for sure before burning dude.



NOthing at all wrong with willow. It is well down on the list of btu value/pound but it still heats my house almost 100%. Wouldn't burn it myself if there was a source of better wood at the same cost.

Your 'stinking willow'. BTDT and found that after it dries, the smell disappears...at least my one tree did.

Harry K


----------



## Woodsrover (Nov 19, 2006)

colverpa said:


> why not poplar?



I burn poplar but I hate it. There were four big ones in the yard and one more to go. The only reason I burn it now is it was easy to get to, it splits very easy and I hate to waste it. All the same, anything with a knot or a crook gets thrown over the bank. I should be done with it next year. The water that pours out of them when you make your first cut is incredible and it does take a long time to dry. I knock the rounds in half and stack it under a shed roof so it's good to go in a year. It does burn fast so hardwood goes in the stove overnight and in the morning before we leave for work.

All the same, I can't wait to be done with this crap!


----------



## Sprig (Nov 19, 2006)

turnkey4099 said:


> NOthing at all wrong with willow. It is well down on the list of btu value/pound but it still heats my house almost 100%. Wouldn't burn it myself if there was a source of better wood at the same cost.
> 
> Your 'stinking willow'. BTDT and found that after it dries, the smell disappears...at least my one tree did.
> 
> Harry K


The last willow I dealt with was what we call 'American willow', pretty different from 'weeping' variety, has a huge shock of little white flowers in the spring and seems to die off at around 40-50yrs, the bark is a bit like alder and the branch structure can only be called crazy. And wet? OMG, I had to drop a 'dead' chunk about 20ft high and 20"dbh, what came out of my poor wee saw resembled porridge, stuck to everything within 4 feet (me mostly). I stacked it at the back of my shed figuring it'd be fine by spring, ya right, it got burned about 2yrs later, and what I said earlier about the dead cat burning smell was being polite, yuck! I must say though that it did burn nicely with very little ash (not a whole whack of heat but it burned). It was interesting to see that a couple of years later just about every chunk of branch that was left on the ground (we lived in a managed forest area at the time) had 1-2ft sprouts, the conservation group that wanted to revert the land back to a natural state is going to have fun with those lol.


GO LIONS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!:rockn:


----------



## turnkey4099 (Nov 21, 2006)

Sprig said:


> The last willow I dealt with was what we call 'American willow', pretty different from 'weeping' variety, has a huge shock of little white flowers in the spring and seems to die off at around 40-50yrs, the bark is a bit like alder and the branch structure can only be called crazy. And wet? OMG, I had to drop a 'dead' chunk about 20ft high and 20"dbh, what came out of my poor wee saw resembled porridge, stuck to everything within 4 feet (me mostly). I stacked it at the back of my shed figuring it'd be fine by spring, ya right, it got burned about 2yrs later, and what I said earlier about the dead cat burning smell was being polite, yuck! I must say though that it did burn nicely with very little ash (not a whole whack of heat but it burned). It was interesting to see that a couple of years later just about every chunk of branch that was left on the ground (we lived in a managed forest area at the time) had 1-2ft sprouts, the conservation group that wanted to revert the land back to a natural state is going to have fun with those lol.
> 
> 
> GO LIONS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!:rockn:



Different stuff that what I get. I don't know the species but it grows big and tall. 30" and up butts and 70 to 80ft tall, not unusual to see the first crotch 40 or more ft up. Takes one year to cure. I cut one year and aim to burn the winter after after so the stuff has 1 full and one partial summer to dry.

Odd facts about it which one wouldn' suspect.

1. It used to be a prefered wood for charcoal making.
2. It is still used for smoking meats. Local gun club won't use anything else for smoking their annual sausage production.

Harry K


----------



## woodchux (Nov 23, 2006)

I wont burn any hawthorn inside


----------



## Sprig (Nov 23, 2006)

woodchux said:


> I wont burn any hawthorn inside


Why? Toxic? Smelly? Just curious as any hawthorn up here isn't big enough to bother with. Quite the roots on 'em though and a real biatch to rid & slash imo (bring the peroxide and band-aids), if this is the species with big honkin' spikes everywhere I am (unfortunately) familiar with. If not, kk.


----------



## woodchux (Nov 24, 2006)

Hawthorn stinks like it was soaked in cat piss


----------

