# Soft Maple for firewood



## rob066 (Sep 5, 2011)

Over the years I have sold some soft Maple for firewood. My customers had never complained about it. I have been cutting quite a few soft Maples around a stone quarry I work at for clearing. My question is how is soft Maple for firewood? Is it okay to sell whole loads of it ? Or should I mix it with with other hardwoods such as I did in the past? The ones I want to sell is what was cut and split in the spring. THANKS in advance ROB


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## Hedgerow (Sep 5, 2011)

rob066 said:


> Over the years I have sold some soft Maple for firewood. My customers had never complained about it. I have been cutting quite a few soft Maples around a stone quarry I work at for clearing. My question is how is soft Maple for firewood? Is it okay to sell whole loads of it ? Or should I mix it with with other hardwoods such as I did in the past? THANKS in advance ROB


 
It totally depends on what your customers needs are? The BTU's on Silver Maple are almost identical to other trees like Douglas Fir, Sycamore, and Norway "red" Pine... It season's quickly, and ignites well.. It even burns hot... But it doesn't have a good sustained burn time like say, Oak or Hickory... I personally love burning the stuff, but you REALLY NEED some good hardwood to mix with it. Then do your best to educate folks how best to use the different varieties...


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## geoxman (Sep 5, 2011)

I agree with Hedgerow. I love burning the stuff mixed with other denser woods. It is also great for shoulder season by itself. I am an urban scrounger and I always find downed silver maples that people let me chop up and keep the wood. As Hedgerow also stated it seasons real fast as well. good luck with your customers


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## OhioGregg (Sep 5, 2011)

Soft maples, like the Silver Maple, not high on the desirability list, but works well for folks with a fireplace, or mixed with harder woods as mentioned. Or like my friend rms62Moparman says, "It burns better than snowballs!":hmm3grin2orange:


Gregg,


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## Hedgerow (Sep 5, 2011)

OhioGregg said:


> Soft maples, like the Silver Maple, not high on the desirability list, but works well for folks with a fireplace, or mixed with harder woods as mentioned. Or like my friend rms62Moparman says, "It burns better than snowballs!":hmm3grin2orange:
> 
> 
> Gregg,


 
Ain't that the truth!!! :big_smile:


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## woodbooga (Sep 5, 2011)

If split and stacked and kept covered now, it should be good to go for milder March/April/May heating. Silver's a good wood along with popple, hemlock, etc for late season heat, allowing you to make the good stuff last longer for use when you really need it in deep winter.


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## Coldfront (Sep 5, 2011)

I don't complain about just a "little" bit of soft maple in a load. I do burn soft maple but what I get for free. I would not pay money for a load of soft maple. To me soft maple is almost the same as burning Aspen (poplar) or pine. Certainly not worth the same price as hardwood. If someone tried to deliver me a load of soft maple I would refuse it. Not much coals a lot of ash and burn fast. With that said I will burn it no problem if its free.


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## RunNGun17 (Sep 5, 2011)

I had a cord or Silver Maple last year. I used it in March. Burned hot, ignited VERY easily, but burns fast. Ended up making two fires a day, one in the morning and one after work. I wish I would have kept all of it and split it smaller all for starter wood. 

Mixed in you probably wont notice, but selling nothing but soft maple and the buyer not being educated on what they are buying, they will be very disappointed. 


Def. better than snowballs for sure! haha made me laugh.


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## logbutcher (Sep 5, 2011)

" Dance with one that brought you."

Red/Soft Maple is one of the dominant species along this Maine coast, along with Paper/White Birch and too many Spruce and Fir.
I do have a serious case of O.E.(Oak Envy:msp_scared for those in more southern climes like N.H.  But you burn what your woodlots give you. It takes more cordwood for sure than the Hickories, Hard/Rock/Sugar Maples, or other high BTU species, butt it does the job. Better than Elm damnit.

And, we're better off than those way north of us with ONLY softwoods to burn. No whining here.


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## Oldtimer (Sep 5, 2011)

I sell a lot of soft (Red / Swamp) maple, and some times pure cords of it. No complaints.
It's fine firewood.


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## logbutcher (Sep 5, 2011)

Oldtimer said:


> I sell a lot of soft (Red / Swamp) maple, and some times pure cords of it. No complaints.
> It's fine firewood.



No way OldTimer. It's among the lower grade firewood species for those heating with wood. IF we had other higher BTU species to harvest here, I'd use them like we had in northern Mass: hickory, ash, oaks, Sugar Maples. You've got better wood in N.H. for firewood than Red Maple. 

If we had to buy firewood, Red Maple and Paper Birch would not be acceptable for wood heating. For entertainment fires, or supplemental heating "up from" a fossil thermostat at 65 F, yes.

Complaints.:msp_mad:


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## rmount (Sep 5, 2011)

logbutcher;3139142.... Paper Birch would not be acceptable for wood heating. For entertainment fires said:


> Burn 'em if you've got 'em! We burn non-stop mid November to mid April, usually a mix of hard and soft maple, white and yellow birch, and a bit of oak and beech. Last year we were about 70% white (paper) birch, Burned about a half cord more than usual but we stayed just as warm as ever.


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## ponyexpress976 (Sep 5, 2011)

*Jbh*

Just be honest about it. Then what can they really say? If you advertise as silver maple give them all silver. If you advertise as mixed you better put some other stuff in there to keep them happy. Throw in a good amount of cherry or ash and call it a day. It's not the best and it sure does burn better than snowballs.


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## Wood Doctor (Sep 5, 2011)

*Here's My Evaluation*

For firewood used to heat buildings, I would rate the following common species *above* soft maple: Ash, Oak, Hickory, Locust, Mulberry, Hackberry, Red Elm, Yellow Birch, Black Birch, Apple, Pear, and Walnut.

I would rate the following common species *about equal* to soft maple: Chinese elm, White Birch, Russian Olive (large variety), Gingko, and Sycamore.

I would rate the following common species *below* soft maple: Linden (basswood), Willow, Cottonwood, and most evergreen trees, such as pine, cedar, spruce, etc.

All of these have other properties besides heat content that have to be considered, such as drying time, ease of splitting, and rot resistance. Soft maple dry rots and becomes punky faster than any species I know of, even when stored indoors.


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## laynes69 (Sep 5, 2011)

I also think its great firewood. I like larger splits when burning it. As long as its seasoned correctly it puts out good heat. Its not locust or oak, but it does the job. Its much better than cottonwood or poplar. I don't have a problem going overnight with it either.


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## Steve2910 (Sep 5, 2011)

I ended up w/ about 5 cords of it this year. It dried fast, even as a pile of unsplit rounds. The green rounds I split (judging by "feel"), were probably ready to burn after 1 month of MD summer. I'm planning on burning most of it in the shop, since somebody is there to keep the stove loaded. I'll save my Hickory/Locust/mulberry for the house. People who buy firewood around here think Oak's the only game in town, so I'll sell my Oak.


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## ponyexpress976 (Sep 6, 2011)

Sounds like your area needs some education if oak is the only game in town. Im guessing a lot of D.C. yuppie money in your neck of the woods?


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## logbutcher (Sep 6, 2011)

Wood Doctor said:


> For firewood used to heat buildings, I would rate the following common species *above* soft maple: Ash, Oak, Hickory, Locust, Mulberry, Hackberry, Red Elm, Yellow Birch, Black Birch, Apple, Pear, and Walnut.
> 
> I would rate the following common species *about equal* to soft maple: Chinese elm, White Birch, Russian Olive (large variety), Gingko, and Sycamore.
> 
> ...



Your BTU ratings are on target and listed on many sites including the sticky here. 
Red Maple will rot, not as fast though as unscored Paper Birch. Scored Paper Birch still rots in a year or 2 in this climate in cover.

However, for those heating with wood ( 24/7, no central furnace, no fossil thermostats ) *ONLY* species' BTU's count...depending on what grows in your woodlots. Those "other properties" don't mean jack, jack. 

Help me: the O.E. syndrome persists. "Will work for Oak."


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## Coldfront (Sep 6, 2011)

Well the question wasn't about burning it as most of us do, but selling it as firewood? You better make sure the customer knows what he is buying. Around me you would have a whole lot of pissed off people if you were selling it at hardwood prices. It might be worth half price.


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## Oldtimer (Sep 6, 2011)

logbutcher said:


> No way OldTimer. It's among the lower grade firewood species for those heating with wood. IF we had other higher BTU species to harvest here, I'd use them like we had in northern Mass: hickory, ash, oaks, Sugar Maples. You've got better wood in N.H. for firewood than Red Maple.
> 
> If we had to buy firewood, Red Maple and Paper Birch would not be acceptable for wood heating. For entertainment fires, or supplemental heating "up from" a fossil thermostat at 65 F, yes.
> 
> Complaints.:msp_mad:


 
Hogwash. It's not White Oak, it's not Red Oak, but standing next to the stove in the evening after being outside in 10* weather for a few hours your ass can not tell the difference. 
Besides, I never said it's the best, or even close to it. I said it's fine firewood and I sell a lot of it with absolutely no complaints.
Well, I do have one 83 year old man who wants none of it. He insists it will not burn in his stove.
He also wants no Ash, burns too quick.
Another wants ONLY white wood like Maple and Ash, no Oak.
Another wants anything but white birch..
And some would biatch if you hung them with a new rope.


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## logbutcher (Sep 6, 2011)

Oldtimer said:


> Hogwash. It's not White Oak, it's not Red Oak, but standing next to the stove in the evening after being outside in 10* weather for a few hours your ass can not tell the difference.
> Besides, I never said it's the best, or even close to it. I said it's fine firewood and I sell a lot of it with absolutely no complaints.
> Well, I do have one 83 year old man who wants none of it. He insists it will not burn in his stove.
> He also wants no Ash, burns too quick.
> ...



Glad you brought the subject up OT: my ass can tell the difference. It is a smart one. 

It is sensitive to species in our stoves ( 4 ). 

My ass since you are concerned about it :msp_ohmy:, also knows the worked species when felling, bucking, limbing, splitting, stacking, burning. 

It is a good ass, that many times has been saved ( as in "saved your ass" ), and has saved many other asses.

So, leave the ass alone, it has great value. So get off my ass OT. 

Complaints redux. :hmm3grin2orange:

P.S. "Hogwash" ?


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## broncofan7249 (Mar 22, 2017)

I sell as much soft maple as hardwood. It sells good in the fall and I sell a lot in the summer for campfire wood. I just sell it cheaper than my hardwood and a lot of my customers love it. It's great for these new epa stoves don't get me wrong it isn't oak but if it's priced cheap u can sell the heck out of it burns great and hot just fast


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## Full Chisel (Mar 23, 2017)

I sell soft maple as campfire wood as well...half the price of the primo hardwoods. I like cutting it...makes the saws feel twice as fast and it splits easy too.


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## svk (Mar 23, 2017)

Old thread revival!

I classify "soft maple" into a couple of categories.

-Silver maple limb wood is very light, dries extremely quick (fastest drying wood I have ever dealt with).
-Silver maple trunk wood from a larger tree is often twisted and is usually much more dense, and can be a pain to split-I'd put it's density up with red maple and white birch.
-I often find small to medium red maples up here that have been starved out of sunlight by faster growing species. In that case even the smaller trees have core rot as they have often been deteriorating for a while
-Healthy cut or storm damage red maple is good wood. Unsplit rounds do take a long time to dry compared to split red maple!

Regardless, it makes great heating or firepit wood although it doesn't burn nearly as long as the primo species. Smells very good, coals nice, and has a quiet, blue to orange flame.


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## Wood Doctor (Mar 23, 2017)

Nice to see an old thread revived. I often mix soft maple with cottonwood in campfire bundles. Usually the bark falls off while I split it. Seems to be a good mixture along with dry elm. I only wish soft maple didn't dry rot so fast, but it does.


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## DSW (Mar 23, 2017)

I burn quite a bit of it. It's plentiful around here, easy to split and dries very quick. I sold some this year, no complaints but I didn't charge a premium price for it. If it left more coals it'd be an ideal wood.


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## DSW (Mar 23, 2017)

Everything always gets compared to Oak. Whether it's fair or not. That being said Oak just plain does it for me. I never get to cut hedge. Locust I come across but not often. Hickory is all around me but they never go down. So for me Oak is it, plentiful, premium, excellent for coals. But I still burn soft maple, poplar, cherry, tons of sassafras. Variety is the spice of life.


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## Woodcutteranon (Mar 23, 2017)

Wood Doctor said:


> *Here's My Evaluation*
> 
> Soft maple dry rots and becomes punky faster than any species I know of, even when stored indoors.



Totally agree. I enjoy silver maple...looks good, burns good...but don't let it sit until next year. It turns punky fast.


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## jrider (Mar 23, 2017)

It's a big part of my mixed firewood I sell and I get $20 less a than oak for a cord of it.


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## unclemoustache (Mar 25, 2017)

broncofan7249 said:


> I sell as much soft maple as hardwood. I just sell it cheaper than my hardwood



Yup. Sell it for a lower price, but always be up front with what you have. I had a customer specifically ask for it.


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