# Mulberry/Hackberry wood for heating



## chipmaker29 (Oct 4, 2009)

can you guys tell me how long does it take for mulberry to dry before it burns well?

also, what about Hackberry? how long before you can burn & is it good wood for heating?

thanks!


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## smokinj (Oct 4, 2009)

chipmaker29 said:


> can you guys tell me how long does it take for mulberry to dry before it burns well?
> 
> also, what about Hackberry? how long before you can burn & is it good wood for heating?
> 
> thanks!



mulberry 18 mo.s and hackberry much quicker its alot like ash


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## forestryworks (Oct 4, 2009)

good early and late season wood, or good in a mix is what i've been told.


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## wdchuck (Oct 4, 2009)

We grow mulberry on purpose here, so there is plenty of trimmings.

One year, in the open/wind/sun doesn't seem to be enough.

Two years might just be the ticket. 


You'll know when its right for your area, climatewise, because you'll cook yer eyebrows with the stove door closed.


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## chipmaker29 (Oct 4, 2009)

wdchuck said:


> You'll know when its right for your area, climatewise, because you'll cook yer eyebrows with the stove door closed.



LOL...thanks for the responses. i havent burned mulberry yet but i have been told it is like hedge.

sucks it takes so long to season cuz i took out 3 of them of off a customers property. one was massive and i got tons of it.


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## KsWoodsMan (Oct 4, 2009)

Hackberry, in a pinch, I have cut, split and burned it the following week. I like to give it a minimum of 4-5 months here before I consider it ready to start the season with. I have 1/2 cord of 2 year old stuff that will start my season nicely this year very soon. 

Mulberry, I'd rather cut it one winter and burn it the next or the year after that. It pops and sparks like Hedge, otherwise the heat is closer to Red Oak. I have burned it within a few months of being cut and it was nowhere near ready to make excellent heat. 

Both are good firewood in my opinion.


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 4, 2009)

KsWoodsMan said:


> Hackberry, in a pinch, I have cut, split and burned it the following week. I like to give it a minimum of 4-5 months here before I consider it ready to start the season with. I have 1/2 cord of 2 year old stuff that will start my season nicely this year very soon.
> 
> Mulberry, I'd rather cut it one winter and burn it the next or the year after that. It pops and sparks like Hedge, otherwise the heat is closer to Red Oak. I have burned it within a few months of being cut and it was nowhere near ready to make excellent heat.
> 
> Both are good firewood in my opinion.


+1. I only take exception to the drying time of hackberry. If cut green in the spring, it also needs a full year to dry. I've tried burning hackberry in the fall after cutting it green in the spring and storing it inside in a well-ventilated garage. Is just wasn't ready yet. Perhaps it would have been had I sun dried it outdoors. So. I waited 6 more months and then it was ready--excellent firewood.

Give mulberry plenty of time, about the same as oak.


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## chipmaker29 (Oct 4, 2009)

Wood Doctor said:


> +1. I only take exception to the drying time of hackberry. If cut green in the spring, it also needs a full year to dry. I've tried burning hackberry in the fall after cutting it green in the spring and storing it inside in a well-ventilated garage. Is just wasn't ready yet. Perhaps it would have been had I sun dried it outdoors. So. I waited 6 more months and then it was ready--excellent firewood.
> 
> Give mulberry plenty of time, about the same as oak.



thanks to you all for the advice. 

is there any other wood other than ash that can be cut & burned soon that is low in moisture content like the ash?


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## trouba (Oct 4, 2009)

6 month or less for both, dead standing or even just dead hackberry tends to go south very fast both pretty decent wood I have burned alot of both.


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## SWI Don (Oct 4, 2009)

> is there any other wood other than ash that can be cut & burned soon that is low in moisture content like the ash?



Dead elms can be burned immediately. I usually try to at least wait a week or too though. Red elm is excellent firewood, american elm is ok although usually by the time I get to it, it is just fair fire wood. The guys I cut with are always on the look out for dead red elms.


Don


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 4, 2009)

chipmaker29 said:


> thanks to you all for the advice.
> 
> is there any other wood other than ash that can be cut & burned soon that is low in moisture content like the ash?


Soft maple and cottonwood, but neither are near the firewood that ash is. I use them primarily for a mix with drier, denser species like oak, locust, and mulberry. Even elm takes longer to dry than soft maple or cottonwood.

Overall, ash is the king of firewoods in my book and the onslaught of the Emerald ash borer may be the bane of my existence.


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## huskystihl (Oct 4, 2009)

Wood Doctor said:


> Soft maple and cottonwood, but neither are near the firewood that ash is. I use them primarily for a mix with drier, denser species like oak, locust, and mulberry. Even elm takes longer to dry than soft maple or cottonwood.
> 
> Overall, ash is the king of firewoods in my book and the onslaught of the Emerald ash borer may be the bane of my existence.



Agreed 100%! We just cleared over 200 ash trees, some dead some on their way. I burned it as I split it and have sold about 5 cords. The stuff was bone dry as it was split.


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## Lugnutz (Oct 4, 2009)

I had some mulberry last year and it was great. Not to hi jack the thread but how long would you let honey locust dry? I've got some I cut early this spring, and I have about 6 more to drop that I plan on saving for next winter.


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## Steve NW WI (Oct 4, 2009)

SWI Don said:


> Dead elms can be burned immediately. I usually try to at least wait a week or too though. Red elm is excellent firewood, american elm is ok although usually by the time I get to it, it is just fair fire wood. The guys I cut with are always on the look out for dead red elms.
> 
> 
> Don



:agree2:

Lots of dead elm around here, thanks to Dutch Elm Disease. If the bark is off, the tops are ready to burn, bigger stuff should be split for a bit before burning.


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## huskystihl (Oct 4, 2009)

Lugnutz said:


> I had some mulberry last year and it was great. Not to hi jack the thread but how long would you let honey locust dry? I've got some I cut early this spring, and I have about 6 more to drop that I plan on saving for next winter.



I have a cord at the end of my pile for late winter thats gonna be ok. I through a few pieces in the airtight last night and it took right off. Just make sure you split smaller than you would your maples and such so it dries faster.


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## SWI Don (Oct 4, 2009)

> ....but how long would you let honey locust dry?



If the tree was alive 18 mos to two years. If it was dead then 1 year or less. I have burnt a lot of honey locust the last two years. It had all been girdled the summer before the first time we cut it. The second year we cut it a excavator had pushed them all down and the river bottom had flooded so the bark was full of sand. Talk about dulling chains in no time flat.:censored:
It is some heavy wood even when dry. It doesn't burn as hot as mulberry or oak and doesn't start real easy either but it was a good chunk of what I burned the last two winters. 

I was just picking up wood this morning to move into the wood shed from the farm and the pieces of honey locust were the heaviest pieces I loaded. They were all cut at least two years ago from trees that had been dead 1.5 years at least. 

Don


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## KsWoodsMan (Oct 5, 2009)

chipmaker29 said:


> thanks to you all for the advice.
> 
> is there any other wood other than ash that can be cut & burned soon that is low in moisture content like the ash?



Seems I've seen a table that listed the moisture content as well as the BTU's of different firewood. For Moisture content, Ash was rated #1 , Black Locust was Rated #2 and Hackberry Was #3 . BTU content was a different matter.

I'll see if I can provide the link unless someone beats me to it.


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## outdoorlivin247 (Oct 5, 2009)

KsWoodsMan said:


> Seems I've seen a table that listed the moisture content as well as the BTU's of different firewood. For Moisture content, Ash was rated #1 , Black Locust was Rated #2 and Hackberry Was #3 . BTU content was a different matter.
> 
> I'll see if I can provide the link unless someone beats me to it.



It is a Sticky at the top of this forum...

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=32667

Or the direct link...

http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html


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## KsWoodsMan (Oct 5, 2009)

outdoorlivin247 said:


> It is a Sticky at the top of this forum...
> 
> http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=32667
> 
> ...



That wasn't the one I had in mind but it serves the purpose quite well. It doesn't list hackberry by moisture content in the table listed in green however. Just as well, the one I was thinking of IIRC didn't show Birch either.

Thanks for helping me out on that one.


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## chipmaker29 (Oct 6, 2009)

Thanks alot to you all for your input. very useful information!

mike


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## Mike PA (Oct 7, 2009)

I've burned a lot of hackberry - hate it, but I guess that depends on where you live and what is available. Hackberry around here is low quality wood - creates lots of ash and has short burn times. I have, however, burned it after being down for only four-five months. May not be ideal, but it did ok. Make certain that it is off the ground and out of the weather - it goes bad quick.


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## chipmaker29 (Oct 7, 2009)

Mike PA said:


> I've burned a lot of hackberry - hate it, but I guess that depends on where you live and what is available. Hackberry around here is low quality wood - creates lots of ash and has short burn times. I have, however, burned it after being down for only four-five months. May not be ideal, but it did ok. Make certain that it is off the ground and out of the weather - it goes bad quick.



thanks for the info. i took out 2 medium sized hackberrys a couple months ago. got them split up and i have it under a tarp so hopefully it will burn decent.


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