# worst wood species to burn



## woodbooga (Apr 7, 2009)

Lots of threads about which kinds of wood we most enjoy. Take a moment to consider the worst, based on btu, aroma, ease of processing, and shelf life before going to punk.

This is a multiple choice poll. You can vote for more than one option. If I neglected a species, feel free to note in a post. The max. options is 10 when setting up a poll.

This is my first poll. I feel like one of those people in those old Saturn commercials: "Everybody, this is woodbooga. And this is his first new car - err - AS poll."


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## FELLNORTH (Apr 7, 2009)

Poplar


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## Marc (Apr 7, 2009)

Not a big fan of white pine due to its short shelf life, low energy density... and that it's a big mess to process. Whenever I have to deal with one, I make sure I'm well stocked on Lestoil before hand.


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## Ed*L (Apr 7, 2009)

You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:

Ed


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## Hlakegollum (Apr 7, 2009)

Basswood, cut a huge one, split it all up and it dried to almost nothing and made tons of sparks. Sassafras and catalpa, they don't seem to burn.


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## woodbooga (Apr 7, 2009)

Ed*L said:


> You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:
> 
> Ed



Crossed my mind. I went with butternut and elm instead. The former because of its negligible btus according to some charts and elm because of its difficulty of splitting.

For those I've disenfranchised by my omission, feel free to post boxelder. After a while, I'll tally those going with it or anyother species and adjust the poll findings.

I'm sure a few will say, where's sassafrass or gum or even white birch.


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## yooper (Apr 7, 2009)

I had to go with willow...It dont burn green and when dry it does a great disappearing in the wood stove...poof its gone!


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## Maldeney (Apr 7, 2009)

I say White Elm (american) because of the nasty odor! Smells like Pi$$ when it's burning. If I was going on frustration though I would say soft maple because it is gone as soon as it hits the fire!


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## WetBehindtheEar (Apr 7, 2009)

Ed*L said:


> You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:
> 
> Ed



You know,

I don't mind box elder. Sure it doesn't have a lot of BTUs but it seasons quickly, splits relatively nicely (once you are away from the butt), and burns quick & hot. Good stuff to get the bigger pieces of oak going.

To each his own.


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## wood4heat (Apr 7, 2009)

ALDER!!! Freaking hate it, pass it over everytime in the woods . Burns dirty, fast and just does not provide the steady heat of my local Doug Fir or Maple.


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## Laird (Apr 7, 2009)

So far the most popular wood on the least popular list is Butternut.

Did I put that right?


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## woodbooga (Apr 7, 2009)

WetBehindtheEar said:


> You know,
> 
> I don't mind box elder. Sure it doesn't have a lot of BTUs but it seasons quickly, splits relatively nicely (once you are away from the butt), and burns quick & hot. Good stuff to get the bigger pieces of oak going.
> 
> To each his own.



Seeing some of the posts here, my suspicion has been that it gets a bad rap. Haven't burnt any myself. Seems to prefer urban waste lots around here.

But where it seems to prefer the same kinds of habitat that tree of heaven (got my vote) does, I've always kind of considered it to be a 'yucky' tree. If that makes any sense.


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## woodbooga (Apr 7, 2009)

Laird said:


> So far the most popular wood on the least popular list is Butternut.
> 
> Did I put that right?



What would've been real confusing would have been if the vote warranted, "Poplar is the most popular wood on the least popular list."


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## motoroilmccall (Apr 7, 2009)

Butternut... The nuts stain anything they touch, the wood smells like shat while you're splitting it, and worse when you're burning it... It has no real heat value, it pops and crackles, and the saw chips make me nauseous and flemmy when I'm cutting the stuff (I might have a mild allergy, but I doubt it... I'm not allergic to anything that I know of).


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## TREEWACKA (Apr 7, 2009)

Telephone poles, treated post, & railroad crossties. Have burned them all with accompanying stories to go along with results.


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## sawinredneck (Apr 7, 2009)

Poplar isn't that bad, but Cottonweed SUCKS!! When you cut it it bleeds all over the place. It splits like Elm, just twisted and gnarly, green or dry! 
Burn it a little green and it stinks to high heaven, burn it dry and it's gone like paper and leaves a huge pile of ash!! I hate this crap!


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## Nailsbeats (Apr 7, 2009)

Elm is great, Poplar and Basswood can work for spring and fall, Willow is hideous.


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## woodbooga (Apr 7, 2009)

Nailsbeats said:


> Elm is great, Poplar and Basswood can work for spring and fall, Willow is hideous.



I've burnt quite a bit of poplar and some basswood and agree.

Never burnt any willow. Not even my FIL who'll burn pretty much anything will touch willow. He claims that it never really seasons. That even when dry, it will pull moisture out of the air and drink it right up.

Cotton wood's ok. I don't mind the ash, but it can be a bear to split. I'll often leave the knotty pieces behind and take home only the straight-grained rounds.

It's incredible how much weight cottonwood looses between felling and seasoning.


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## Wood Scrounge (Apr 7, 2009)

I said willow, it's either green and growing in the wood pile or punky I can't seem to find a middle ground with it.


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## Laird (Apr 7, 2009)

I split by hand and the worst splitting wood for me has been sycamore. Stringy as all get out, But have not knowingly split any elm and I've heard that the worst. Hard to imagine though.


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## clutch25 (Apr 7, 2009)

Laird said:


> I split by hand and the worst splitting wood for me has been sycamore. Stringy as all get out, But have not knowingly split any elm and I've heard that the worst. Hard to imagine though.



I pulled some elm out of a local river bottom about 2 months ago for a buddy. All I knew is that it was dead standing wood with no bark and dry. I went to split if for him and OMG!!!!! I spent probably 4 hours splitting about 10 chunks of wood! That crap WILL NOT SPLIT! You would have to pound a wedge all the way through it and still pry it apart!

My buddy loved the way it burned but I told him unless it's river ash, he can split it himself!


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## England14 (Apr 7, 2009)

Worst wood I've ever burnt was pallet wood. It did keep us warm for a week or so till I found something else.


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## MishMouse (Apr 7, 2009)

clutch25 said:


> I pulled some elm out of a local river bottom about 2 months ago for a buddy. All I knew is that it was dead standing wood with no bark and dry. I went to split if for him and OMG!!!!! I spent probably 4 hours splitting about 10 chunks of wood! That crap WILL NOT SPLIT! You would have to pound a wedge all the way through it and still pry it apart!
> 
> My buddy loved the way it burned but I told him unless it's river ash, he can split it himself!



The only way I can split Elm without the use of a splitter is get it around -20.
It still fights you every inch of the way but at least at that temp it doesn't swallow up your wedges. I had a 20" long, by 12" wide piece that 2 wedges got stuck in it. One on the top and one on the bottom, so I left it outside for a month in below zero weather, took a 3rd wedge to it and was finally able to split it. Around 4 hours spent trying to split 1 piece. Needless to say after that I bought the 34 ton Swisher.


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## lfnh (Apr 7, 2009)

Cottonwood and willow are valuable only as takedown jobs.


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## danrclem (Apr 7, 2009)

I voted for pines simply because it doesn't last very long and I don't have any burning experiences with most of the other woods.

I have a splitter and that's the reason that I don't mind sycamore and elm. If I didn't have a splitter they would be on my wood not to get list unless I couldn't get anything else.


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## Rickytree (Apr 7, 2009)

yooper said:


> I had to go with willow...It dont burn green and when dry it does a great disappearing in the wood stove...poof its gone!



I agree but I haven't split anything as annoying as Linden. Just brutal.


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## woodbooga (Apr 7, 2009)

Rickytree said:


> I agree but I haven't split anything as annoying as Linden. Just brutal.



The little bit I've had tended to "chunk off" at the knots. Gave me an awful lot of real ugly firewood.


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## Turkeyslayer (Apr 7, 2009)

I really dont like either, but when it comes down to it I would rather burn willow (black willow) than cottonwood.


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## Lignum (Apr 7, 2009)

I voted poplar. Poplar, willow, and Sweet Gum are the only woods I'll let go and let some other poor fool grab up.


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## Joshlaugh (Apr 7, 2009)

I split some basswood this year and really didn't mind it that much. I will have to see how it burns. My least favorite wood to burn is catalpa. I just don't like the form, seed pods or wood of the tree. And I have ready access to lots of it. My fil's farm has 1-2 acres of ALL catalpa, that is all dying and he wants me to cut most of it down.


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## MJR (Apr 7, 2009)

I vote any wood that is not your own! If I cut it, spilt it, stack it, I am burning it. Hell, I burn the mice the cat brings in from the wood pile.


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## AKKAMAAN (Apr 7, 2009)

Is aspen assumed included in one of these 
'poll' categories? I know Carl von Linne put aspen in the poplar family. Scandinavian aspen in latin _Populus Tremula_
Tremula means "wobbling", the leaves wobbles


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## MR4WD (Apr 7, 2009)

AKKAMAAN said:


> Is aspen assumed included in one of these
> 'poll' categories? I know Carl von Linne put aspen in the poplar family. Scandinavian aspen in latin _Populus Tremula_
> Tremula means "wobbling", the leaves wobbles



Doesn't it mean trembling, or more litterally quaking? Either way, in the few books I have, cottonwood, poplar and aspen are all generally classed very similarly.

Still don't get all the naysayers that hate pine.


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## AKKAMAAN (Apr 7, 2009)

MR4WD said:


> Doesn't it mean trembling, or more litterally quaking? Either way, in the few books I have, cottonwood, poplar and aspen are all generally classed very similarly.
> 
> Still don't get all the naysayers that hate pine.



Oki thanks...yea my translation "wobbling" was what I found online....of course trembling is the correct word...thx again Mr4wd

Anyone know an online site with all North American tree spieces , pictures and latin names??


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## AOD (Apr 7, 2009)

Pine burns fine as long as it's good and seasoned. It does burn fast and hot. Not the greatest wood but it will keep you warm. Poplar isn't terrible either, similar to pine but a bit longer burning.


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## 046 (Apr 7, 2009)

we're spoiled in Okla... lots of hardwoods easily available. 
Oak is everywhere, large pecan trees are common. 

getting to where the only wood I'll take is Oak or Pecan. 
worst wood around here is willow and elm. not worth fooling with.


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## Steve NW WI (Apr 7, 2009)

I'll vote for box elder, although I burn a bunch of it this time of year because not much heat is needed, and it's OVERLY plentiful.

I have 2 horse chestnuts to take down for a friend when the ground dries up, looking at the btu charts, they will be going in the campfire pile - dang near dead last. At least I get a couple of oak limbs in with the deal.


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## wvlogger (Apr 7, 2009)

i hate sycamore it is a pain to split if you can get it to split and WILL NOT burn green. i hate it


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## johnnylabguy (Apr 7, 2009)

I voted "other conifers" because spruce is a bear to split and gives off little btu's. Plus the sap gets all over everything! Brush and campfires are all I use it for.

Basswood is nice for getting the fire going in the morning and I found it didn't split too bad with the splitter. (Of course it was already dropped and cut for me to pick up otherwise I wouldn't go through the trouble!)


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## stihl sawing (Apr 7, 2009)

Of what you have listed and what i have burned i'm gonna say willow. Stuff dries out and it's light as paper. Burns about as quick too.


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## EastwoodGang4 (Apr 7, 2009)

Lignum said:


> I voted poplar. Poplar, willow, and Sweet Gum are the only woods I'll let go and let some other poor fool grab up.



I second that


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## GrizzlyAdams86 (Apr 7, 2009)

In my woodcutting adventures (or misadventures) where I cut, short of box adler poping up all over is this invasive buckthorn crap. Small, annoying and worthless, it's covered in thorns that makes prickly ash seem innocent. I usually just cut it up and leave it, but for fun I wanted to see how it would burn. It pretty much just sat there and smoldered and maybe had a flame here or there until I threw more wood in the stove.


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## audible fart (Apr 7, 2009)

motoroilmccall said:


> Butternut... The nuts stain anything they touch, the wood smells like shat while you're splitting it, and worse when you're burning it... It has no real heat value, it pops and crackles, and the saw chips make me nauseous and flemmy when I'm cutting the stuff (I might have a mild allergy, but I doubt it... I'm not allergic to anything that I know of).



Your post reads like a letter to penthouse forum. I agree; butternut smells horrible and sucks as firewood.


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## dingeryote (Apr 7, 2009)

MR4WD said:


> Doesn't it mean trembling, or more litterally quaking? Either way, in the few books I have, cottonwood, poplar and aspen are all generally classed very similarly.
> 
> Still don't get all the naysayers that hate pine.



Around here, all the old Dutch Farmers call Poplar, "Quakes" from the old translation. 

I don't get the Pine Hate either.

It all burns cheaper than Propane or oil.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## thejdman04 (Apr 7, 2009)

box elder


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## J.W Younger (Apr 7, 2009)

I voted elm but thats just because it takes so long to dry or split.dead standing is good. sweet and black gum suk too


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## Hlakegollum (Apr 8, 2009)

Joshlaugh said:


> I split some basswood this year and really didn't mind it that much. I will have to see how it burns. My least favorite wood to burn is catalpa. I just don't like the form, seed pods or wood of the tree. And I have ready access to lots of it. My fil's farm has 1-2 acres of ALL catalpa, that is all dying and he wants me to cut most of it down.



I split a big basswood by hand, split easy like ash. But it dried to really light and threw off a lots of sparks when burning. Still better than paying the oil or propane man.


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## SawTroll (Apr 8, 2009)

Alder, among those I have tried over here - willow is actually better.....


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## BIG JAKE (Apr 8, 2009)

If all I had to burn was cottonwood I'd get a pellet stove. :censored:


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## woodbooga (Apr 8, 2009)

AKKAMAAN said:


> Is aspen assumed included in one of these
> 'poll' categories? I know Carl von Linne put aspen in the poplar family. Scandinavian aspen in latin _Populus Tremula_
> Tremula means "wobbling", the leaves wobbles



A bit of lore I've heard is that Jesus' cross was made from aspen. It quakes in memory of its connection to the crucifixion.

An aside to the poll. In addition to Box Elder, gum almost made the cut, and I considered chestnut too. But I was limited to 10.


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## myzamboni (Apr 8, 2009)

I just split a cord of sweetgum, so I hope the opinions on here are because you are all spoiled by and abundance of hardwood.


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## IndyIan (Apr 8, 2009)

I burnt alot of butternut this year, seemed to dry very very fast as it was split in July/08 and not one piece was hissing in the stove this winter. I always put in a couple chunks of sugar maple or white oak if I wanted coals in the morning though.
The worst wood I've burnt is eastern white cedar... hard to split as its very knotty, sticky sap, and the bark makes alot of stinky smoke... Its good for kindling though in slab format.


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## boltonranger (Apr 8, 2009)

England14 said:


> Worst wood I've ever burnt was pallet wood. It did keep us warm for a week or so till I found something else.



I've burned pallet wood also. Some is lousy; but some is hardwood and will throw alot of heat. I usually mix it into the regular split logs that I burn.

I agree about sycamore. By hand it can be wretched to split.

Former SF used to burn pallets when he worked for an International pump co.
Some of that brazilian wood burned pretty well. Smelled good too.
-br


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## Wood Doctor (Apr 8, 2009)

Ed*L said:


> You forgot Boxelder! :hmm3grin2orange:
> 
> Ed


+1! It's the worst of them all, closely followed by willow and basswood. At least willow and basswood don't smell like a dead bug.

I'm, surprised cottonwood is getting such a bad rap. At least it dries fast, burns fast, and kicks out some heat.


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## woodbooga (Apr 8, 2009)

Wood Doctor said:


> At least willow and basswood don't smell like a dead bug.



Posts like this one give me some insight on how you spend your free time. 

Coming soon to a Web site near you: Wood Doctor's poll, "Which dead bug smells worst."

Helpful hint: don't get your sniffer too close to those winged kinds with the black and yellow stripes.


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## Wood Doctor (Apr 8, 2009)

woodbooga said:


> Posts like this one give me some insight on how you spend your free time.
> 
> Coming soon to a Web site near you: Wood Doctor's poll, "Which dead bug smells worst."
> 
> Helpful hint: don't get your sniffer too close to those winged kinds with the black and yellow stripes.


I'm actually kind of surprised that OP even included elm on the list. Red elm is right there with ash and oak as being the best firewood there is.

When I see a red elm tree ready to die or already dead, that turns me into a bloodhound. Not much burns hotter than red elm and with no sparks at that. :greenchainsaw:


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## Dave (Apr 8, 2009)

All the willows I take down come from someone's yard. Roots usually find their way into the septic system. Smells like feces when you drop it, smells like crap while it dries and smells like colon filling while it burns. What's not to love?


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## Lignum (Apr 9, 2009)

myzamboni said:


> I just split a cord of sweetgum, so I hope the opinions on here are because you are all spoiled by and abundance of hardwood.



Spoiled perhaps, but I'd personally rather split any species of Elm than deal with that crap. JMHO


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## user 19670 (Apr 9, 2009)

Willow.

We only have birch, poplar and conifers to choose from here. 90% of our woodpile was poplar and 10% birch going into last winter. Poplar stinks like hell but I have to buy birch and poplar grows on our land.


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## olyman (Apr 9, 2009)

cut down a huge basswood years ago. didnt know what for a tree it was, but had almost 4 cords out of it!!!! worse damn wood ever--burnt that all up in 1 1/2 weeks flat. burnt about like balsa wood. what a waste of my time and effort. burnt a lot of bottom ground willows, and black poplar. thats just as bad.this was when i first started burning, and it was late in the season. but box elder is of the ash family, it aint bad,just most of them grow twisty. i take just about whatever i get, cause i seperate out the soft and hardwood. the soft gets burnt at the start of the season---then into the hardwood.


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## woodbooga (Apr 9, 2009)

Wood Doctor said:


> I'm actually kind of surprised that OP even included elm on the list. Red elm is right there with ash and oak as being the best firewood there is.
> 
> When I see a red elm tree ready to die or already dead, that turns me into a bloodhound. Not much burns hotter than red elm and with no sparks at that. :greenchainsaw:



Red elm must be considerably different that the stuff I've fought with. It's like the hand of god took a straight-growth tree and gave it a 12° twist to one side. Stringy as all hell once split.

Dutch elm killed most of the trees around here decades ago. Lots of thoroughfares called "Elm Street" now lacking their namesakes.

Not much left, but the old timers burnt lots of it in the 60s and 70s because of its availability. I can always get a smile out of an old yankee by tossing out a phrase like, "Yup. That tractor was as stuck in the mud like a 6lb maul in a round of elm."


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## Marc (Apr 9, 2009)

woodbooga said:


> Red elm must be considerably different that the stuff I've fought with. It's like the hand of god took a straight-growth tree and gave it a 12° twist to one side. Stringy as all hell once split.
> 
> Dutch elm killed most of the trees around here decades ago. Lots of thoroughfares called "Elm Street" now lacking their namesakes.
> 
> Not much left, but the old timers burnt lots of it in the 60s and 70s because of its availability. I can always get a smile out of an old yankee by tossing out a phrase like, "Yup. That tractor was as stuck in the mud like a 6lb maul in a round of elm."



When someone who is unfamiliar with firewood hears me complaining about splitting elm, and asks why, I do a simple demonstration.

I hold my hands together in the air, flat palm to palm, and tell them to pull my hands apart. Most people can do this pretty easily. I tell them that's ash or red oak.

Then I weave and interlock my fingers together, tell them that's pretty much what the grain of elm looks like, and have them try to separate my hands again.

Then they get it.


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## woodbooga (Apr 9, 2009)

Marc said:


> When someone who is unfamiliar with firewood hears me complaining about splitting elm, and asks why, I do a simple demonstration.
> 
> I hold my hands together in the air, flat palm to palm, and tell them to pull my hands apart.  Most people can do this pretty easily. I tell them that's ash or red oak.
> 
> ...



True story:

Some time ago, my former company did one of those touchy-feely corporate team building retreats.

One of the exercises involved our pairing up with someone. The objective was for one person to clasp his hands and the other to separate them.

I was a recently-promoted young buck of a department head paired off with the CEO, who was about 60. We has a great relationship, but he was determined to prevail. After a bit of a struggle, I got his hands separated.

When we did the whole group discussion, we had to describe the experience. Another of my colleagues reported that she, too, was successful. How? She simply asked, "Would you be so kind as to separate your hands so we can put our time to more productive use?" The 5 minutes me and the CEO wasted were put to good use by the other team that brainstormed some real clever promotional ideas that became an important part of their work plan.

Next time I'm needing to split some elm, I'll see if this lesson translates.


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## Marc (Apr 9, 2009)

woodbooga said:


> True story:
> 
> Some time ago, my former company did one of those touchy-feely corporate team building retreats.
> 
> ...



Lol, good story, however, let me point out, it's all about priorities, isn't it. You and your ceo, for struggling those 5 minutes, received far greater physical benefit.

Splitting elm by hand may result in far fewer joules of heat energy per joule of work energy I put into it than ash or oak, but then again, my arms are beginning to look like those of one of those 6'4" kiwi standing chop champions you see on the Stihl Timbersport Series.

And yes, I'm a big pain in the ass whenever I'm sent to any time of corporate personnel BS class. Corporate trainers hate me for pointing out flaws in their conventional wisdom, even if half the time they are completely outlandish.


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## sbhooper (Apr 9, 2009)

If it is in my way while doing my clearing contract, it gets cut and salvaged. I use a wood furnace, so the odor is not an issue as all the smoke is outside the house. 

Elm can be hard to split, but I have stayed in great shape doing it! I have not burned any cottonwood, but I have a pile that I salvaged and I would say just looking at the wood, that it will burn somewhat like an old wasp nest!!

As far as heat, the ash and elm are great and I also like cured red cedar. It burns rather quickly, but produces good heat and like all of the rest -IT'S FREE.


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## McC (Apr 10, 2009)

Cotttonwood or boxelder, my stove will not get hot with either. I have burnt almost 90% elm, must be "american" the last 5 years. We just went through our second wave of Dutch Elm disease, and it took out a couple thousand 2nd gen trees that were saplings back in the early 70's. It simply can't be split without a splitter unless it is punky. It has to be the cleanest firewood to bring in your house though. Just wait till the bark falls off before you cut it down. I find almost no bugs in it. It burns nice and hot, coals don't last as long as oak, but it has been free and plentiful for me.
Scott


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## bore_pig (Apr 10, 2009)

olyman said:


> but box elder is of the ash family, it aint bad,just most of them grow twisty.



Isn't Boxelder in the maple family? I don't mind the stuff. Burns/splits decent. 

Cottonwood isn't good for much other than starting a fire though. That stuff would be my choice.


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## woodlumn (Apr 10, 2009)

all I've got to say is that poplar burns plenty good. it's 75% of what I burned this year. no problems, no complaints.


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## Old Goat (Apr 11, 2009)

Russian Olive, by far the worst I have ever dealt with.


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## trialanderror (Apr 12, 2009)

FELLNORTH said:


> Poplar




haha
that's 95% what i burn!

green poplar too....it burns quite hot.... my boiler has a forced draft too, suppose that helps alot...


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## trialanderror (Apr 12, 2009)

woodlumn said:


> all I've got to say is that poplar burns plenty good. it's 75% of what I burned this year. no problems, no complaints.





yup, as my other post. green too..


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## Larry Ashcraft (Apr 12, 2009)

We burn mostly cottonwood, cause that's what we have. We get some Siberian Elm, which I use for overnighters. Also we occasionally get some Ash or fruitwood, but that's rare in the west.

Our cottonwood actually works quite well, and I've had a stove full last all night on more than one occasion. Here's my theory:

Here in the arid southwest, we only get about 12 inches of precipitation a year, plus we're at almost a mile in elevation, so trees grow slowly. An Ash a foot in diameter may be 50 years old. A cottonwood 20 inches in diameter will be 30-50 years old, making a denser wood than it would in a lower, wetter climate.

I've got one cottonwood in the yard that is almost eight feet in diameter, and over 125 years old. Cottonwoods aren't supposed to live that long, but there it is.


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## wvlogger (Apr 12, 2009)

Larry Ashcraft said:


> We burn mostly cottonwood, cause that's what we have. We get some Siberian Elm, which I use for overnighters. Also we occasionally get some Ash or fruitwood, but that's rare in the west.
> 
> Our cottonwood actually works quite well, and I've had a stove full last all night on more than one occasion. Here's my theory:
> 
> ...




:camera::camera:


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## Boogieman142 (Apr 12, 2009)

I'd hafta put my vote in for willow, won't burn unless its been a few years drying, atleast thats my findings.


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## mowoodchopper (Apr 12, 2009)

Larry Ashcraft said:


> We burn mostly cottonwood, cause that's what we have. We get some Siberian Elm, which I use for overnighters. Also we occasionally get some Ash or fruitwood, but that's rare in the west.
> 
> Our cottonwood actually works quite well, and I've had a stove full last all night on more than one occasion. Here's my theory:
> 
> ...



:agree2:

I also burn alot of cottonwood. If I fill my stove and go to bed, get up at 7:00 am, I still have a nice bed of coals. As far as the stuff you here about it not getting hot, I have to keep my stove shut down tight if I open up the air itll get way too hot!! 800 degrees no prob! Most of the people who bash the cottonwood either live in a total diff part of the country than us or just repeat what they have heard from someone else. You also hear alot it is so hard to work with, also not the case. And it is alot harder than people think I have cut alot of old dead hard cottonwoods that will dull a chain as quick as anything! And as you said, a 6 ft cottonwood here is pretty comon!


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## mowoodchopper (Apr 12, 2009)

wvlogger said:


> :camera::camera:



Next time I go out Ill take some pics and post them!! I pulled the grill of my wood pickup, a 1975 chevy , up to a big old cottonwood last weekend and the tree was easily a foot wider on each side of my pickup! That day I got out to the woods , by myself at 8.00 am and cut 3 pickup loads piled up probably close to cab high, as much as I can throw on and not lose any. I delivered 2 loads to 2 diff customers, 1 really close, 1 10 miles away and took my load home and was home before noon. If you have good cottonwood you can cut alot fast!


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## Larry Ashcraft (Apr 12, 2009)

> Most of the people who bash the cottonwood either live in a total diff part of the country than us or just repeat what they have heard from someone else.


Agreed.

The cottonwood here is pretty heavy, solid stuff. Not Ash, by any stretch of the imagination, but pretty good firewood.

BTW, with my last name, I should be a big proponent of Ash. Well, I am, but around here, cutting down an Ash for firewood would be a huge waste.

I also agree on the willow. Absolutely worthless.


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## Larry Ashcraft (Apr 12, 2009)

mowoodchopper said:


> Next time I go out Ill take some pics and post them!! I pulled the grill of my wood pickup, a 1975 chevy , up to a big old cottonwood last weekend and the tree was easily a foot wider on each side of my pickup! That day I got out to the woods , by myself at 8.00 am and cut 3 pickup loads piled up probably close to cab high, as much as I can throw on and not lose any. I delivered 2 loads to 2 diff customers, 1 really close, 1 10 miles away and took my load home and was home before noon. If you have good cottonwood you can cut alot fast!


I would have taken some pics today if it hadn't snowed here all day (praise the Lord!).

The tree in question is up behind the garage and almost inaccessible until I can get a brush hog up there this spring.

Suffice to say, one of the branches was threatening the garage a few years ago. I had a professional tree service come out and drop the branch. It was 40" in diameter at the base.


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## wvlogger (Apr 12, 2009)

mowoodchopper said:


> Next time I go out Ill take some pics and post them!! I pulled the grill of my wood pickup, a 1975 chevy , up to a big old cottonwood last weekend and the tree was easily a foot wider on each side of my pickup! That day I got out to the woods , by myself at 8.00 am and cut 3 pickup loads piled up probably close to cab high, as much as I can throw on and not lose any. I delivered 2 loads to 2 diff customers, 1 really close, 1 10 miles away and took my load home and was home before noon. If you have good cottonwood you can cut alot fast!



:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: wow wish my oaks and hickorys were that big


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## mowoodchopper (Apr 12, 2009)

Larry Ashcraft said:


> Agreed.
> 
> The cottonwood here is pretty heavy, solid stuff. Not Ash, by any stretch of the imagination, but pretty good firewood.
> 
> ...



:agree2: with you there to Larry, it is not ash or elm I burn both of them. It does burn up quicker than ash or elm but it is pretty good firewood.
And here there is alot of it dead, no reason to waste it! Also if you do burn alot of it you learn how to set your stove to make work real nice!


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## mowoodchopper (Apr 12, 2009)

wvlogger said:


> :jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: wow wish my oaks and hickorys were that big



Yes it is fun to drop a big cottonwood 4 ft across every now and then!! I miss your oaks and hickory to though, I grew up in MO and like the timber. But you just use what you have, my bro came out this winter and cut with me and said man I wish we had cottonwood like this back in MO. I said If most people heard that they would think your crazy LOL !!!!!


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## bore_pig (Apr 12, 2009)

I do burn cottonwood too. Just isn't a real great wood up here. Took part of a 50+ incher and used it this past winter. Burned fast, little heat. Unless I mixed it with some oak that was a bit green. That was a pretty good mix! I'll probably get some more cottonwood this summer. It's good for the early fall or late spring.


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## mowoodchopper (Apr 12, 2009)

I didn't even vote on the poll, I cant say anything about some of the woods because I have not burned them! 

I just hate to see any tree deemed useless, its all probably good for some people in some places, for something!!!!

And if its dead or dying why waste it even if its not your first choice!!


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## wvlogger (Apr 12, 2009)

mowoodchopper said:


> Yes it is fun to drop a big cottonwood 4 ft across every now and then!! I miss your oaks and hickory to though, I grew up in MO and like the timber. But you just use what you have, my bro came out this winter and cut with me and said man I wish we had cottonwood like this back in MO. I said If most people heard that they would think your crazy LOL !!!!!



it is quite fun to drop a tree that big most sycomores get that big around here


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## yooper (Apr 12, 2009)

Is paper bags a wood species...they burn like crap I tell ya! really they do!


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## hvy 1ton (Apr 13, 2009)

I have never liked the smell of cottonwood, or how much it weighs when you cut it and how little it weighs when you burn it. I cut up a basswood every once in a while if it dead or blown over, its real great for starting fires and spring/fall fires.


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## mercer_me (Apr 13, 2009)

I only burn Beech, Rock Maple, Birch, and Oak.


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## mowoodchopper (Apr 13, 2009)

hvy 1ton said:


> I have never liked the smell of cottonwood, or how much it weighs when you cut it and how little it weighs when you burn it. I cut up a basswood every once in a while if it dead or blown over, its real great for starting fires and spring/fall fires.



All my cottonwood weighs the same when I burn it a when I cut it. I only cut dead hard cottonwood and it still is pretty heavy, not like ash but not like punky wood that has no weight left! If its not good and solid,heavy I leave it.


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## woodbooga (Apr 14, 2009)

Thanks, all, for participating in this little exercise. 

Although the numbers suggest there's two far and away leading contenders for "worst" - willow and cottonwood/poplar, which are in a dead heat (unintended pun) - I find it interesting reading the posts that provide a qualitative back story to the quantitative findings.

On the surface, based on the numbers, they would appear to be equally "bad." But I'm not seeing too many defenses of willow in comparison to those who stick up for the much-maligned cottonwoods and poplars.

Any willow boosters out there willing to put in a kind word?


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## barnumb (Apr 14, 2009)

In some countrys they burn dried animal dung. That makes any wood seem ok to me.......... Then there are the power plants that burn human feces. Otherwise my vote is willow.


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## woodbooga (Apr 14, 2009)

barnumb said:


> In some countrys they burn dried animal dung. That makes any wood seem ok to me.......... Then there are the power plants that burn human feces.



Wonder what it's like to live downwind from one of those plants.

I guess in parts of Africa, deforestation resulting from burning cooking fires is a big problem. There's a renewed interest in burning other fuels. I read an article recently about a plan to burn bananas instead.


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