Black Walnut as firewood

[laynes69]

I'm in Ashland county about 2 counties over from you. How big is this tree?

 

[morningwood]

Here is a picture of the osage orange tree:

It is pretty small, maybe 6 - 8" at the base.

Here is a couple pictures of the locusts that I hope to take down within the next few years:

This locust actually had a red oak tree fall on and it split the back half out:

This is a picture of a top that I have been cutting on for the past few months. Out of what you can imagine is gone I probably have gotten close to a full cord of white oak. There is probably another three to four cords left. The butt of the top is about three feet in diameter.

Here is the stump of the tree that was cut down, where the top came from. I would say it is probably four to four and half feet wide if I were to guess.

The sad thing is thing is that the elderly lady who had the woods logged before we bought the place probably got cents on the dollar because she did not know what she had. I would say there are probably ten stumps easily over two - three feet in diameter. They are mostly cherry, oak, hickory, and maple.

Scott

 

[laynes69]

That tree is pretty little. The 3rd picture looks like part of the locust is missing all of its bark, cut it up and throw it in the woodburner. Thats primo wood. 75% of our trees in our yard are locusts. I like the old rugged look to them because we have an old victorian and it gives the lawn character. Right behind the house we have a locust tree close to 4 foot in diameter.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I live about 30 minutes north of Columbus in Southern Morrow County.

Most of the locust trees that I have cut are either green or they have fell down over the past few years. All of the locust that I am cutting is black locust with the nasty thorns in them. I cut down a couple in the spring and pulled them into my field and let them dry out pretty well and then was able to know the thorns off with my boot. Most of the black locust trees that I do have are pretty small but I do have a few big ones that I hope to get down next year sometime. The forestry guys says they are a weed tree and will take over your forest if you do not keep them in check.

The osage orange tree that I tried to cut up has probably been laying down for about 3 - 5 years. I cut on it for about 10 minutes and my saw was dull as a butter knife when I got done.

Scott

Ya can't be too far from me, SW of Mt Vernon here.

 

[morningwood]

That tree is pretty little. The 3rd picture looks like part of the locust is missing all of its bark, cut it up and throw it in the woodburner. Thats primo wood. 75% of our trees in our yard are locusts. I like the old rugged look to them because we have an old victorian and it gives the lawn character. Right behind the house we have a locust tree close to 4 foot in diameter.

Yeah I figured after you saw a picture of the tree that you would not be interested in driving one and half hours roundtrip for the wood.

The locust in the third picture was actually three stems coming from the same stump and when the oak fell on it, one stem fell down, there is the dead stem as you noted and there is a live stem on the left of the picture. I would say that is probably two feet in diameter at the butt of that stem. The problem that I have with the black locusts is that they attract vines which are really bad for pulling trees down during wind storms etc.

Butch,

I live outside of the booming metropolis of Marengo. My house / property is actually on the Delaware, Morrow county line.

Scott

 

[olyman]

im with buckwheat--of all the seasoned wood i burn--and its a mixture---that black walnut easily produces three times the ashes of other trees--soooo--i dont burn but very little of it--get tired of hauling ashes----

 

[mga]

i took down a black walnut tree a couple of years ago. the trunk was 2' diameter by 11 feet long and straight. some guy bought it from me for $400. he made a grandfather clock out of it and also carved some dolphins and other stuff like that.

burned the rest of it. i have a simple philosophy when it comes to burning wood: if it burns, i burn it.

 

[JAM]

Elm

I had some dead standing Elm at a cutting I was doing, after many hours of splitting by hand I put it in my outdoor forced air with some Jack Pine to get things going and Wow what a fire! Had a large mass of White hot coals in there. I had the pleasant aroma of burning hair wafting about when I opened the door and stuck my face a little too close to the opening for comfort.
We burn alot of Birch, Maple and Black Ash here, Perfer the Ash myself.

 

[Indiana John]

We search out standing dead Elm (what we call "peelers"). The more bark that's off the better! My splitter has a cylinder with a 3.5" bore, so we don't have too much trouble splitting it unless it's really gnarly. The drier it is, the better it splits. If it's really dry it will pop almost like cherry, the more moisture there is in it, the stringy-er it is. We love the way it burns, but it does leave "clinkers" in the stove from the high mineral content in the wood, which means it's a bit harder on chains than most other woods.
I really don't care for burning black walnut. It doesn't burn real hot, and it seems that no matter how dry it is I get a lot of creosote from it.

 

[smokechase II]

burning pine

In Central Oregon were a po' folk.
Usually burn just pine to warm up the area.
Less then a minute from first to last photo.

Hope the ending photo warms you up and brings good cheer.

 

[derbyguy_78]

elm response

I don't need to tell anyone here that there are better uses for walnut than as firewood....

But, long story short, a friend cut up a black walnut tree that fell in his yard before I could save it. I graciously accepted the firewood The wood has been split and stacked (cross-hatch) since february, and I am now getting around to burning it. Could maybe wait another summer to be fully seasoned, but its pretty well dried-out. My conclusion is that walnut does not burn very hot. It does burn long, and coals fairly well, but not that great in terms of BTU.

On the other hand ELM...well lets just say I put ELM right up there with Locust for heat....nearly impossible to split but sure does burn hot...and forever. No smoke, no ash and great coals with ELM. I often see ELM on firewood rating charts as somewhere in the middle...as a medium hardwood, along the lines of walnut. I call foul. Anyone else have experience burning ELM? Its great for heat but such a PITA to deal with.

Anyway...great site here...glad I found it. Stay warm.

i just delivered 3 truck loads of elm firewood today,the customer that bought the wood loves it.I mostly sell locust,oak,walnut,and possibly soon to besage orange

 

[greensngravy]

My favorite wood to burn is redtips

I'm hooked on Black Locust here in southern Wisconsin. Burns hot and long, with little ash or creosote...and a plentiful supply from the state forest lands...$10 for a firewood permit will get you a cord of this stuff!

Scott

 

[Jimfound]

I'm hooked on Black Locust here in southern Wisconsin. Burns hot and long, with little ash or creosote...and a plentiful supply from the state forest lands...$10 for a firewood permit will get you a cord of this stuff!

Scott

Given a choice, I don't think there is a wood I would take over black locust. Never burned hedge though, which I have heard is the premier wood in some parts.

 

[OilHead]

Have been burin some black walnut for the first time this year & would rate it around 80 -85 on the scale. If I could get some more of it for free would get it again but nothing smaller than 6" dia. Bark doesnt seem to dull the chains to much & seems to go pretty fast gettin a load up. Almond is a good one but pretty scarce except if you know some farmers in the central valley & then to far to justify the time & cost of the fuel getting it.

 

[Lignum]

In my stove it burns the same as Silver Maple. It was Siberian Elm, and it didn't leave much ash, but it did burn well. Very little flame, but it did burn. I would have to choose the Elm over the Walnut also. I know the Elm will burn, but the Walnut is a little bit finicky in my stove, or maybe in my head, I don't know which. The only real thing I dislike about Elm, it that when I cutting, and hauling, it is so heavy,I call it 'Haulin Water'. After a year in a Holzhausen, it is dried out real good. If a piece of wood weighs 10 pounds wet, it will only weigh 3 pounds seasoned, or so it feels.

 

[SWI Don]

I've burnt black walnut from time to time. The first year I burnt wood almost all of it was black walnut. I have a friend that burns it exclusively in his fireplace for aesthetic fires.

It isn't as good a oak, locust, or hedge for btus but it does seem to burn pretty well. They are logging a quite a bit around here so the logging remains are available all over usually just for the asking.

Don

 

[kallaste]

Ya can't be too far from me, SW of Mt Vernon here.

you guys are all fairly close to me. I live in pataskala.. about 16 miles east of columbus. Licking county

 

[sredlin]

My vote is that elm is superior to black walnut---I am burning standing dead elm today the stuff works great for me---slightly tough to split---once it starts getting punky it is garbage

 

[magiriano]

Where are you located? Have you ever cut locust trees that have been dead for 10+ years? The chain will bounce off them as you cut. Its worth it, I save those woods for very cold nights.

Bounce?
I saw sparks flying off dried black locust not only when cut with a chainsaw but even when cut(sharpened) with an axe ( I use black locust for fence posts)

 

[Mkarlson]

I will know next year if black walnut is worth a crap in the stove. A farmer who lets me cut in his woods and on the fence rows wants me to cut an opening into an ajoining field. The fence row is probably 50% black walnut,30% hackberry,and the remaining 20% is cherry. Of course those numbers are guesses but just seems to be a shame I'm going to cut these black walnut and even couple nice cherries into firewood. Maybe this would be good time to get a csm. A bunch of smaller 6-8" walnut but several nice 15-20" trees..right in the area he wants the 60' opening.