Burning Ash green

[PA. Woodsman]

Okay, I have read on many posts that Ash is the best wood to burn green; "but Ash wood wet and Ash wood dry a king shall warm his slippers by" and all that stuff! Okay, never have been in the situation where I personally had to burn it green, so I got some 2 days ago which seemed fairly dry and gave it to my friends to try in an outdoor firepit. The results were terrible; they said it "charred", wouldn't ignite, and smoked the neighbors out! So, must it be on a roaring fire to be able to burn Ash green, or are we missing something here?

 

[Wood Doctor]

Okay, I have read on many posts that Ash is the best wood to burn green; "but Ash wood wet and Ash wood dry a king shall warm his slippers by" and all that stuff! Okay, never have been in the situation where I personally had to burn it green, so I got some 2 days ago which seemed fairly dry and gave it to my friends to try in an outdoor firepit. The results were terrible; they said it "charred", wouldn't ignite, and smoked the neighbors out! So, must it be on a roaring fire to be able to burn Ash green, or are we missing something here?

Those terrible results were all totally predictable. Burning green ash does not work very well even in a hot stove and burning green ash in a firepit is even worse because the draft in a firepit with no chimney is practically nonexistent.

"Ash wood wet" is probably not referring to green ash, more likely seasoned ash that might have had some snow on it. That will dry on the outside bark in half a day and the inside wood is ready to burn.

 

[NDtreehugger]

I burn a lot of ash

I call it fresh cut ash,

It will burn if its cut fresh from a tree, not from the ground or been sitting around getting rained on, collecting moisture from the ground ,

its hard to get going and you will need other dry wood to get it going but once you have a bed of coals it burns.

The poem you quote from I think is written about fresh cut ash in the winter.

I cut 100 - 150 ash trees this summer all will be perfectly seasoned for the winter, but what I cut this winter I have no qualms about throwing into the stove on to a hot bed of coals.

Get it before the sap flows or after the tree goes dormant

 

[johnha]

I would ask how certain you are it was ash? Did you see the branches, stems, and leaves?

I've never had a problem burning even fresh cut ash.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I would ask how certain you are it was ash? Did you see the branches, stems, and leaves?

I've never had a problem burning even fresh cut ash.

100% sure; I've cut and burned a lot of Ash over the years, but it was always seasoned. These trees were cut down several weeks ago and were up off the ground. It SEEMED pretty dry, but they said that they had nothing but trouble with it; their neighbor even closed there door because of the smoke!

 

[timberwolf]

If you have to burn green wood ash is a good one. It starts out with lower water content than most other spiecies and dries quickly in a limited amount of time compaired to oak or maple ect.

White ash cut in fall or winter is pretty dry and will burn decently freash cut, but a swamp or black ash in the spring could be like trying to burn a wet sponge.

 

[dvmcmrhp52]

100% sure; I've cut and burned a lot of Ash over the years, but it was always seasoned. These trees were cut down several weeks ago and were up off the ground. It SEEMED pretty dry, but they said that they had nothing but trouble with it; their neighbor even closed there door because of the smoke!

Was it rained on or under cover?

Ash cut before sap flow and in the fall will burn OK, not well, but will burn.

Cut during the growing season and it will need to dry a bit after splitting to be usable.

That's been my experience after having heated exclusively with wood for a good number of years in the past.

Obviously seasoned wood is better.

 

[woodbooga]

Last winter (which lasted forever - 14' of snow!) we were in a position where we had to 'go green' and burnt some partially-seasoned ash. I hate the prospect of burning unseasoned fuel, so I "kiln dried" it in the oven of our cookstove. What little moisture was in there bubbled out the ends.

I am not surprised that the firepit experience was disappointing. Before I heated with a cookstove, my fire experience was limited to campfires. Liked burning pine best. Ash never seemed to go too good - burnt like a$$. My brother and I, anytime something burnt poorly, used to say "Sucks to burn; burns like ash."

Sure goes good in the old cook stove, though.

 

[CRThomas]

Ash

I have got my customers on Ash and some will not take any other kind of wood. I run out of Ash. They said they would wait for there kiln dry wood. It's not my kiln any more it's there kiln they say. If it makes them happy makes me happy. I don't like to sell bulk firewood but my pardoner does so we do now we running out. That's life. We get $50.00 a rank loose and a $150.00. We get a $100.00 more for 30 minutes work. Well later

 

[Whitespider]

According to the ISU Forestry Extension, three types of Ash will be found growing in my area of the state... Black Ash, Green Ash and White Ash. I have lots of Ash growing in my woodlot, and honestly, I don't know one from the other just standing there looking at it. Probably because I've never thought of ash as primary fuel source, just burned the smaller trees sacrificed while clearing areas for falling other trees. Most of the ash I have in the woodlot is tall with straight trunks, like 40, 50 and even 60 feet straight up before any branching... which makes it tough to examine leaves, small twigs, buds and new growth in order to make a positive sub-species identification.

Anyway, last March, before the sap started running, I felled, and bucked about a 12 inch diameter ash while clearing for a large oak... in April I split it and hauled it up to the fire pit rack (always heard you could burn un-seasoned ash). So it sat in-the-round, in a pile on the ground for about 5 weeks (mid-March to mid-April), and maybe another 10 days split and stacked off the ground before I burned any of it... darn stuff lit and burned just fine in the pit, not a lot of smoke, smelled better than elm, nice coals for cooking over... and only 10 real days of seasoning... not bad, I was impressed.

 

[ponyexpress976]

I'd say the smoky conditions had more to do with being in a fit pit rather than the fuel source. I burned some ash 3 days ago that I cut 4 days ago....I figured on trying this to test all the stories I had heard. Went up the chimney like all my other seasoned stuff with no problems. Nice coals, no bubling or steaming, very few pops/sparks.

 

[laynes69]

I dropped an ash about 2 months ago around 30" in diameter. It was split and stacked soon after. I went out and bought a moisture meter an that ash showed almost 30% moisture. I've cut ash that was standing dead and the upper portion was ready to burn, but this tree was still alive. Since replacing the old furnace, whether the woods green or standing dead I still stack it to season. If I was in a pinch I would try to burn it, but hopefully I don't get there. Ash maybe low in moisture, but not all of it is ready to burn after processing.

 

[Chris-PA]

Ash is my primary wood for the last few years, but I don't intentionally burn it green. If you have hot coals maybe you could get it to go, but it's not magic - just more forgiving if it's not fully dry. I have not tried cutting live ash in the winter though, so maybe that is the key.

 

[greendohn]

Gotta love that ASH!! I have burnt a lot of it "green" or with very little seasoning. Before I figured out that business of WELL SEASONED FIRE WOOD..In my experience, ASH, is much more forgiving in reference to burning it un-seasoned. no matter what wood your burning, if your burning it green, KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR FlU/CHIMNEY a couple times a month no matter what!! Or even more often if your not sure.

 

[olyman]

I dropped an ash about 2 months ago around 30" in diameter. It was split and stacked soon after. I went out and bought a moisture meter an that ash showed almost 30% moisture. I've cut ash that was standing dead and the upper portion was ready to burn, but this tree was still alive. Since replacing the old furnace, whether the woods green or standing dead I still stack it to season. If I was in a pinch I would try to burn it, but hopefully I don't get there. Ash maybe low in moisture, but not all of it is ready to burn after processing.

And thats a fact. depends on when its cut,,which species, variables. Ive burnt all three, and the moisture content varies................And i refuse to burn wood that aint dry, as your using the heat of the fire in there,,to dry that log out...

 

[NDtreehugger]

A few years ago I had a chance to fell about 300 white Ash and then a dozer cleanly pushed them up into a pile. The guy wanted to plant spruce and then a house in the middle; anyway I’ve been bucking the wood and stacking, bought a pole barn to store the processed wood and have been burning for fuel all along, this year I noticed a big difference in the quality of burn and the longevity of flame and coal as well as ash left over.

I’ve been passing the 1 and 2 year seasoned ash and going for the 3 year season.

What I have found is you can burn first year cut but if you wait you will get more heat with a longer burn, I found with the 3 year I have to run my damper ½ to ¾ open instead of full open as with the first year cut.

3rd year Ash gets too hot in the house at full open.

I’m hopeful I can get my barn full to the top before things change.

I like to say get it while you can and don’t stop getting because things change and the getting sometimes goes away.
:msp_mellow:

 

[CRThomas]

To treehugger

I love my Ash it to me a couple years to get my customers over to Ash now you can not get them any thing else maybe a piece of cherry threw in. I live in a area where y'all have to burn Oak Battery's Rail road ties or Tires y'all know what I mean. Oh it has to be free to and the only log splitter has to have B/S engine on it. I was ask why I had three logs splitters. I said let two of them rest I work them so hard and don't pay very good. Later Treehugger

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I have got my customers on Ash and some will not take any other kind of wood. I run out of Ash. They said they would wait for there kiln dry wood. It's not my kiln any more it's there kiln they say. If it makes them happy makes me happy. I don't like to sell bulk firewood but my pardoner does so we do now we running out. That's life. We get $50.00 a rank loose and a $150.00. We get a $100.00 more for 30 minutes work. Well later

Damn, CR, you sure dug this thread up from the dead lol!!

 

[savageactor7]

Ash is our 'go-to' wood around here and until we got on-line we never in over 25 years heard talk among our wood burning neighbors about burning fresh cut ash in wood stoves. Perhaps it might burn in a roaring fireplace...that was established with dry wood, I dunno.

I just can't see fresh cut ash burning in a modern jacketed stove with those undersized fire boxes.

 

[Russell larsen]

I recently got into a situation that i had to burn ash that was cut, split, stacked and stored in my woodshed. so it sat for just under 4 months in dry but airflow conditions. I burned some and was very pleased with it. It does not take long at all to season for use, and i guess depending on how wet it was. I would never try within a day or 2 of using.