Box Elder, your thoughts

[Whitespider]

YA' know?? I always said the only way I'd burn Box Elder was if it was cut, split, delivered and stacked in the basement... for free‼
But that dump truck load I got dropped in the the yard last summer had a fair amount of Box Elder mixed in. I started culling it... but what-the-hell, cut and delivered for free was close enough. I split the stuff and tossed it in the basement with the rest of it... and as I sacked it down there I sort'a... kind'a... somewhat separated it from the "better" stuff. That stuff was bone friggin' dry... and ya' know what?? It weren't all that bad for early season. No stink, little ash, and quick heat for takin' off the morning chill and such. I can't say there was anything that impressed me about it... but I can't say I was disappointed either (shrug)
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[tla100]

I will leave it sit. I did get some in one of my loads from clearing a grove last year. The saw flies thru it. Not a real big fan on how it splits. It retains water pretty good unless split, more than other species I have noticed. Dries popcorn fart dry and a lighter than I expected. I did keep a couple chunks of the heart wood, one is hollow and other has some nice color to it. Would rather mess with cottonwood than this.

 

[farmerboybill]

I've been heating the house for the past 3 weeks on boxelder I cut down two falls ago. I clear fencelines on my farm and there's a fair amount of boxelder in them, along with black walnut, mulberry, ash, elm, burr oak, etc. If I'm gonna stick a saw in it, I'm darn sure I'm gonna burn it. Now, I don't bother cutting up the stuff under 4 inches.... That gets chipped or burned

 

[Cheesecutter]

I don't go out of my way to get it but if its straight and fairly limb free I'll take. I hate the ones with all little sucker branches.

 

[GVS]

1)box elder will burn.
2)box elder will keep you warm.
3)box elder will keep you warm if you have enough.
4)box elder will keep you warm if you have enough and are willing to feed the fire box OFTEN.

Not the best firewood but I've used it and was happy to have it available.

 

[turnkey4099]

Well, Sunday went well except I was a little off in my expectations.

The quantity of wood is probably around 3 cords overall.

The time involved will be much more than imagined.

The amount of sweat equity is not proportional to the amount of good wood.

This guy is getting the better bargain, free labor to clear out and trim unwanted trees, limbs, and cleanup all debris from cutting into two neat piles for burning later. The largest diameter B.E. is less than 12"dia., and all are very twiggy. The Homelite XL2 will get a workout to clean up the limbs before bucking.

The upside, much of the work is in a well kept, level pasture that I can drive into, almost like a Box Elder orchard. So what am I cryin' about? 6hours, 60mi/RT, and barely filled my van, trailer came home empty, about 1/2 cord for the trip, 2" and larger. Lotta work for one guy, I'll be glad when this is done.

Yep, I'm with you on the cleanup. I do a lot of Willow (have regular customers at $120/cord) and did Red Elm (once) Box Elder (once). All of them are a royal PITA when it comes to cutting/piling brush. I usually figure 3 hours brushing for every hour actually producing firewood.

Harry K

 

[philoshop]

I cut a bunch of it every year just to keep the property maintained. If I have to go to the trouble of cutting it, I burn it.

 

[tawilson]

I thought I killed this thread 9 years ago.. I'll try again. Cleaned my back yard of the last of them last summer. Some logs are stacked up for burning next winter.

 

[tla100]

I've been heating the house for the past 3 weeks on boxelder I cut down two falls ago. I clear fencelines on my farm and there's a fair amount of boxelder in them, along with black walnut, mulberry, ash, elm, burr oak, etc. If I'm gonna stick a saw in it, I'm darn sure I'm gonna burn it. Now, I don't bother cutting up the stuff under 4 inches.... That gets chipped or burned

I got a ton on Mulberry that likes to grow in my fencelines. It royally sucks. Branches are all tangled together and they stick and get caught in anything. I need me a chipper. I have been making a dent, trying to cut off right above fence and put some Tordon on.

 

[blue924.9]

i know the boxelder we have is usually rotten before it is dry for a good burn, kinda a bad deal either way, wet and smoky or dry and half rotted

 

[svk]

Yep, I'm with you on the cleanup. I do a lot of Willow (have regular customers at $120/cord) and did Red Elm (once) Box Elder (once). All of them are a royal PITA when it comes to cutting/piling brush. I usually figure 3 hours brushing for every hour actually producing firewood.

Harry K

Thats what I hate about yard trees (besides the nails). You need to haul away every darn twig!

At the cabin I try to fell them away from the lawn and cut the crown branches up nice and small and they kind of just sink into the leaves after a year or two.

 

[hupte]

I got a ton on Mulberry that likes to grow in my fencelines. It royally sucks. Branches are all tangled together and they stick and get caught in anything. I need me a chipper. I have been making a dent, trying to cut off right above fence and put some Tordon on.

good luck killing mulberry. best way I've found is to pull the roots out of the ground. if you can?? I once doused a small mullberry tree (2ft tall) with a double strong mix of round up twice. and it was still alive. finally died after the 3rd time. it makes really good firewood though. next best thing to burning hedge. don't open the door with mulberry in the firebox though, it pops like a machine gun.

 

[haveawoody]

I'm ok with elderbox as long as they are not to old because they start to rot and smell bad.

boxelder is ok firewood as long as you can endure itchy skin cutting it, bad smell curing it, smelly smoke burning it and as a reward you get just less btu than silver maple.

 

[Woody912]

good luck killing mulberry. best way I've found is to pull the roots out of the ground. if you can?? I once doused a small mullberry tree (2ft tall) with a double strong mix of round up twice. and it was still alive. finally died after the 3rd time. it makes really good firewood though. next best thing to burning hedge. don't open the door with mulberry in the firebox though, it pops like a machine gun.

he'll get it with Tordon. Roundup is the wrong tool for trees

 

[svk]

You guys get a lot of box elder bugs? I hear they are bad in southern MN sometimes.

 

[tla100]

Boxelder bugs have been bad a few years. It has been a while since I really noticed them.

Worst year ever, my brother bought a house just coming out of Corps, had doors all open moving in. I lived with him for a few years after that and the first year, till mid winter they were everywhere. Really didn't mind, they don't stink, don't bite, just sit and crawl on you. That has been 11 years ago tho. I have no boxelder trees around me anymore.

 

[svk]

I guess that's better than lady beetles. Those bass turds stink. Our old farmhouse would load up with them if you had a warm fall.

 

[tla100]

I guess that's better than lady beetles. Those bass turds stink. Our old farmhouse would load up with them if you had a warm fall.

Yeah, no kidding. Fall when the beans are getting combined, it is the worst. It has not been as bad recent years but 5 years ago they literally covered a whole tire on my truck. Will gather in every corner and window sill. Had local exterminator come and pretty much wiped them out, took a few months to kill them all. They stink and bite.

 

[Whitespider]

We get the Japanese Beetles, Box Elder Bugs, and Earwigs in cycles...
Two or three years of the beetles coverin' the house in the fall, than a year or two of the Box Elder Bugs, than the beetles, than the bugs... and then 'bout every 8-10 years the Earwigs everywhere. Of all of 'em I hate the beetles the worse... they get into everything, and they friggin' crawl under your cloths and bite‼ I've seen 'em so thick it looks like fog outside.
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[tla100]

We just started to get earwigs. I never seen one till about 5 years ago. Harmless, but look deadly.