Paper Mulberry, Tree of Heaven for firewood?

[dboyd351]

I have a friend with some acreage who has a number of paper mulberry trees along the edge of a field, and he is trying to clear that area to use for storage.
I am trying to get a handle on what paper Mulberry is like for firewood. I have looked on the web and some places say it has 25.8 million BTUs but also say it takes two years to season. Other sources say the wood is very light, which would make me think it does not have very many BTUs..
Is there any rate I'm trying to find out if it's worthwhile to save some for firewood?
The same friend also has a fair amount of tree of heaven in the area he wants to clear.
I have tried looking online for information on tree of Heaven and also find quite a bit of conflicting information.
So if anyone has first-hand experience or more reliable information, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Marley5]

Tree of heaven has a very high moisture content and must be seasoned for several years or creosote build up becomes an issue.
Around here in Oak country, we avoid it.
Plus It STINKS

 

[dboyd351]

thank you for that quick response
I have better wood I can get too such as the black Locust I've been cutting on the same property so I'll pass on the tree of heaven, possibly the mulberry too, but I'm waiting for more input on that
Seems like the Mulberry takes a while to dry too

 

[sean donato]

Once dry it's burns like paper, it's basically a garbage tree all around. Chop it down, treat the stump and pray the garbage doesn't come back.

 

[kyle1!]

Mulberry is middle of the road firewood that does need time to season. The trees are usually a crooked mess. I hate it because the birds spread the seeds everywhere and it becomes an invasive. I am always cutting it out of the evergreens. If it is large enough it gets split and stacked like the other fw.

 

[moxiemaul]

I felled a green 2' diam codom mulberry back in June, bucked and split. It is tougher to split green but it was in my backyard so I'm not going to look at the rounds sitting there.. I stacked and tarped the wood, been giving it away to a neighbor down the street- he says its nice and dry at this point.

 

[lindnova]

Mulberry is good firewood. As others said it is usually full of knots and smaller. It will throw some sparks and give you a light show. Not something I would seek out, but I burn it when I get it and compare it below cherry or ash.

 

[sean donato]

Paper mulberry is what some people call the tree of heaven. (Although I'm unsure if they are the same tree or not.) It's an invasive weed tree here in the states or basically anywhere outside of Asia. It's not a real mulberry tree or even in the same family as far as I know. The advice in a real mulberry tree, while true, doesn't apply to what he's talking about

 

[dankas]

I have a friend with some acreage who has a number of paper mulberry trees along the edge of a field, and he is trying to clear that area to use for storage.
I am trying to get a handle on what paper Mulberry is like for firewood. I have looked on the web and some places say it has 25.8 million BTUs but also say it takes two years to season. Other sources say the wood is very light, which would make me think it does not have very many BTUs..
Is there any rate I'm trying to find out if it's worthwhile to save some for firewood?
The same friend also has a fair amount of tree of heaven in the area he wants to clear.
I have tried looking online for information on tree of Heaven and also find quite a bit of conflicting information.
So if anyone has first-hand experience or more reliable information, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks in advance.

Is the Paper Mulberry bearing fruit? Sticky white, thick sap seems to take a long time to reduce the interior moisture...

Tree-of-Heaven can be very troublesome. Be careful in removal, if cut the strong root system will send many re-sprouts up often quite a distance away from the stump... There seems to be a better practice to slash bark and herbicide (glyphosate or triclopyr per mfrs instructions) to allow the roots to die before removal... My Brother-in-law uses TOH for FW in Texas but uses a closed stove so mentioned odor is vented. Does take time to dry, but they have TX summers...

You might want to check with VA State agi. as TOH is a high level invasive & many states like to know where it is...

Best!

 

[dboyd351]

Is the Paper Mulberry bearing fruit? Sticky white, thick sap seems to take a long time to reduce the interior moisture...

Tree-of-Heaven can be very troublesome. Be careful in removal, if cut the strong root system will send many re-sprouts up often quite a distance away from the stump... There seems to be a better practice to slash bark and herbicide (glyphosate or triclopyr per mfrs instructions) to allow the roots to die before removal... My Brother-in-law uses TOH for FW in Texas but uses a closed stove so mentioned odor is vented. Does take time to dry, but they have TX summers...

You might want to check with VA State agi. as TOH is a high level invasive & many states like to know where it is...

Best!

thanks for the reply. The paper mulberry is not bearing fruit, but I wouldn't expect it to do that in mid November. I am aware that both paper mulberry and tree of heaven are considered invasives in Virginia. I am also aware that it's helpful to apply herbicide when you cut them down to try to stop resprouting either from the stump or from the root system
I have not reported it to the department of agriculture, which might be a good idea, but I know for sure that they know tree of heaven, especially exist and are a problem in nearby preserves
I have already told the landowner that it would be a good idea to check into cut stump treatment or some other application of herbicide when he cut them down
At any rate, I appreciate the advice but what I'm really trying to find out is one of the firewood is worthwhile, but it sounds like probably not especially since I can get things like cherry locust nearby
I'm just trying to put the wood to good use if it's worthwhile, but it doesn't really sound like it's worth the effort

 

[BuzzardflatsDan]

I have a friend with some acreage who has a number of paper mulberry trees along the edge of a field, and he is trying to clear that area to use for storage.
I am trying to get a handle on what paper Mulberry is like for firewood. I have looked on the web and some places say it has 25.8 million BTUs but also say it takes two years to season. Other sources say the wood is very light, which would make me think it does not have very many BTUs..
Is there any rate I'm trying to find out if it's worthwhile to save some for firewood?
The same friend also has a fair amount of tree of heaven in the area he wants to clear.
I have tried looking online for information on tree of Heaven and also find quite a bit of conflicting information.
So if anyone has first-hand experience or more reliable information, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[BuzzardflatsDan]

I burn tree of heaven as shoulder season wood - split it smaller & it'll dry faster. If you need a lot of heat burn something else & save it for the spring - I think it's worth cutting

 

[dboyd351]

Paper Mulberry is genus Broussonetia - 2 species papyrifera and kazinoki
Tree of heaven is Ailanthus altissima.
Paper mulberry and Tree of heaven are most definitely not the same tree.
To my knowledge, no one confuses Tree of Heaven with any mulberry.
Mulberries generate confusion because there are native mulberries (Morus ruba - red mulberry, for example), mulberries which are not native to the U.S. but have become naturalized here (white mulberry) and non-native, invasive mulberries like the Paper mulberry I was asking about.
I believe most of the published information regarding firewood value of mulberry is referring to either Red or White mulberry and I am not at all sure it is very relevant to Paper mulberry, which is why I specifically asked about Paper Mulberry.
Both Paper Mulberry and Tree of Heaven are considered highly invasive, so it would be environmentally beneficial to eliminate as many of them as possible, including applying herbicide to them as they are cut.
I am just trying to determine if the firewood from either species is worth saving.

 

[sean donato]

Paper Mulberry is genus Broussonetia - 2 species papyrifera and kazinoki
Tree of heaven is Ailanthus altissima.
Paper mulberry and Tree of heaven are most definitely not the same tree.
To my knowledge, no one confuses Tree of Heaven with any mulberry.
Mulberries generate confusion because there are native mulberries (Morus ruba - red mulberry, for example), mulberries which are not native to the U.S. but have become naturalized here (white mulberry) and non-native, invasive mulberries like the Paper mulberry I was asking about.
I believe most of the published information regarding firewood value of mulberry is referring to either Red or White mulberry and I am not at all sure it is very relevant to Paper mulberry, which is why I specifically asked about Paper Mulberry.
Both Paper Mulberry and Tree of Heaven are considered highly invasive, so it would be environmentally beneficial to eliminate as many of them as possible, including applying herbicide to them as they are cut.
I am just trying to determine if the firewood from either species is worth saving.

No, neither in my experience are worth it as fire wood, and I say that as a guy that burns just about every type of wood.

 

[pdqdl]

Paper mulberry is what some people call the tree of heaven. (Although I'm unsure if they are the same tree or not.) It's an invasive weed tree here in the states or basically anywhere outside of Asia. It's not a real mulberry tree or even in the same family as far as I know. The advice in a real mulberry tree, while true, doesn't apply to what he's talking about

Nope, that is a mistaken notion. Paper mulberry is an invasive, rapid growing tree like the "Tree of Heaven", but they are very different species. Paper mulberry = Broussonetia papyrifera.

Tree of heaven= Ailanthus altisimus.​

I've never come across a paper mulberry, but I've dug up some info for you. Regular red (or white) mulberry are excellent firewood, not much different from osage orange, and just about as hard to cut up and split.

Tree of heaven are soft, fast growing species that are perhaps even more worthless than cottonwood. I don't know anyone that has ever tried splitting it up for firewood, but I can assure you when dried, it'll burn up quick. I have cut them down countless times, and they about the most dangerous tree in our area to climb and cut down. The wood is weak, the branches break unpredictably, and has been mentioned, the bark and foliage juices smell bad. I was first introduced to them by their local name: stink tree.

The paper mulberry is apparently known by that name because it was a very popular source of fiber to make barkcloth with. Austronesian natives have been wearing that tree for thousands of years.
This species cannot tolerate our cold winters, so I don't have any in Northern Missouri. From looking at pictures, I see that the bark does resemble Tree of Heaven, but the leaves are very different. Tree of Heaven are bipinnately compound, and the paper mulberry are simple, deeply lobed leaves with a finely serrated edge.

 

[Del_]

I always go for the most dense wood for burning but anything that is close and easy to get to and cut that's in the way ends up in my wood shed.

It all ends up here:

Jotul F600CB