Elm any good for firewood?

[rob066]

I had found a few blown over Elms. I was wandering if they are any good for firewood? I heard that Elm smells like whiz if you burn it I dont know. Thanks in advance ROB.

 

[philoshop]

There are several different kinds of elm. Some can be a little stinky, especially when green. It's great firewood though IMO, one of the best for BTU per pound and it coals up well for long overnight burns. Definitely grab it!

 

[460magman]

good heating wood but not good splitting wood

 

[zogger]

Good to burn, may or may not suck to split. Depends on the tree. If it won't split, noodle it.

I mostly just cut to size and let it sit long enough I don't bother with splitting, unless it is absolutely too large to fit in the stove, but around here, aren't many elms that big, usually much smaller, like maybe up to ten inches or so. Most seem to croak around 6-8 inches diameter, perfect stove size just cut to length..

 

[haveawoody]

rob066,

In Pennsylvania the elm will be one of two species.
American elm a decent firewood that IMO is better than white ash for heat, just lots more work to split it and without a splitter most people pass on American elm.
Or it's Rock elm #2 of the list of best firewood in NA, not to crazy stringy to split but tough on the splitters itself getting it to split.

The chainsaw will tell you what one you have, American elm is tough hardwood to chainsaw, but rock elm is more like sawing stone with occasional sparks as you saw and a dull chain much sooner than expected.

 

[mallardman]

I always ran into more slippery and American elm than rock elm in Pennsylvania. I like all 3 though. Some of my favorite firewood to burn.


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[Gravedigger]

Good firewood but you need a splitter. Really won't split with an axe.

 

[Jeremy102579]

i split some rock elm freshly cut.....pain the the butt. let some rounds sit for a couple months and it split better. better to let it sit in rounds for months......wont be as stringy.

 

[blades]

Slippery elm ( aka piss elm) that's the stinky stuff when green or if burned before totally dry( 18%) looses at least 1/2 or more of its weight green to dry. Burns good reasonable coaling. Thin splitter wedge is best for stringy wood such as Elm. I never turn it down. Hint let it sit in the round for a few months or until the back starts separating, I use a spud and get the bark off at that point, split and stack dries much faster that way.

 

[firebrick43]

I have slit several slippery elms that were quite dry(dead standing trees) and split very well by hand. At least the trunk did, crotches not so much. Decent fire wood, comparable to cherry. Never had a rock elm throw sparks or be exceptionally hard to saw (not like Osage orange, aka hedge, and black locust will) but it very tough and stringy to split.

 

[Whitespider]

@blades ,
Slippery Elm is Red Elm. If it lost ½ its weight drying from green down to 18% moisture... that would mean it would have to have something like 125-150% green moisture content. The Red Elm (Slippery Elm) I cut 'round here ain't near that wet, it don't have the "pizz" smell, and it splits a whole lot easier than American Elm. Red Elm has a green moisture content of about 50%... and looses less than 25% of its weight during seasoning.

It sounds like you're describing Siberian Elm... or maybe American Elm.
*

 

[Deleted member 83629]

I will offer my honest answer of yes and it sure beats a snowball.

 

[Red Elm]

Dead standing red elm (slippery) is very good, live cut and seasoned I dont think is quite as good, cant explain that.

American or white elm is okay if sound, gets punky fast if left out in my experience.

Chinese and siberian, both introduced cultivars, arent worth the effort to start the saw. BUT, dont take my word for it, I've been told since I have hedge and locust available I'm "a wood snob and out of touch with firewood reality"!

 

[MGoBlue]

After one run in with a large elm, I will forever pass. The ash left in my Baker stove (w/ grates) clumped horrible and darn near put out my fires. I had to mix the elm with other woods to get good burns. It was well seasoned too. In all honesty, I've been getting really good woods to choose from so I have no need to take it.

 

[firebrick43]

Yea, it does make good clinkers! My stove doesn't matter but one with a grate and ash pan elm could throw a wrench in the works. I could tell where I dumped the elm ashes in my garden this year when I tilled after thaw out

 

[BillNole]

Elm is my all time absolute favorite firewood, with the exception of shagbark hickory, which I got a load of a couple of years ago. WOW, that nearly chased us out of the living room, it was so hot!

I've cut, split and burned several different elm species and have yet to run into anything I found objectionable to burn. What I call "spaghetti-elm" for obvious reasons, was tough splitting, but burned just fine. I've run into some elm that actually threw sparks as previously mentioned and dulled my chain very quickly, while other cuts almost like it's warm butter.

I've never run into any that I couldn't split by hand and I enjoy the challenge of the spaghetti elm. I bought a splitter last year as I'm getting older by the day and will probably run anymore of that I come across to the splitter instead of hand splitting.

I'll take elm all day. Any sort too!

 

[stihlfanboy]

I just ran into two big elms. One was so dead its just camp firewood but was still vary stringy. The other was dead but made good firewood and spit great witch surprised me.

 

[sunfish]

I cut a fair bit of dead standing Red Elm, very good stuff!

I leave the piss elm to rot in the woods...

 

[Dirtboy]

I'm not sure which elm I have, but it burns great when dry. Stringy to split, bark peels itself off when splitting, and yes-leaves me some clinkers in the box. But I will take all I can get my hands on.

 

[Red Elm]

I would guess red (or slippery) elm dirtboy. Never heard of any leaving clinkers but that one. It is good wood for sure.